Hartsville has long list of noteworthy names
Rufus T. Bess, Jr. (born September 13, 1956) is a former professional American football cornerback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at South Carolina State University.
He worked at North Community High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota as a football coach, staff member and teacher. He now works at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in Plymouth, Minnesota.
Roderick Bertrand Blakney (born August 6, 1976) is an American-born naturalized Bulgarian former professional basketball player.
Blakney, a 6 ft 1 1⁄4 in (1.86 m) point guard played college basketball at South Carolina State University, averaging 20.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in his senior year during the 1997–98 season.
Since college, Blakney has played for numerous teams, including Greek League clubs such as Iraklis Thessaloniki (2001–02), AEK Athens (2002–03), Maroussi (2003–06), Olympiacos Piraeus (2007–08). He has also played with the Russian Superleague club Dynamo Moscow during the 2006–07 season.
In 2008, he joined the Turkish League team Türk Telekom. In 2009, he moved to Panellinios.
In November 2010 he signed a two-month contract with Unicaja Málaga in Spain, that was later extended until the end of the 2010–11 season. In October 2011 he signed with Lokomotiv Kuban in Russia. In December 2012, he returned to Spain and signed with Cajasol Sevilla until the end of the season. Blakney was also a member of the senior Bulgarian national basketball team.
James Robert Campbell (born January 10, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player whose ten-season career included appearing in 13 games in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the 1970 St. Louis Cardinals, exclusively as a pinch hitter. A first baseman during his minor league career, Campbell batted left-handed, threw right-handed, stood 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and weighed 205 pounds (93 kg). He was born in Hartsville, South Carolina — also the hometown of Bobo Newsom, a renowned MLB pitcher of the middle 20th century — and entered pro baseball in the Philadelphia Phillies’ system in 1962.
Campbell was in his ninth professional campaign when he earned a place on the Cardinals’ 28-man, early-season roster in 1970. His first appearance, on April 11, came during the Redbirds’ fourth game of the National League season. The next day, Campbell registered his first big-league hit, a single off eventual Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Seaver in the seventh inning of a 6–4 loss to the New York Mets. Two days later, on April 14, his ninth-inning pinch single off Howie Reed produced the tying run and Campbell’s only MLB RBI in a come-from-behind 6–5 triumph against the Montreal Expos at Busch Memorial Stadium. Campbell then sat on the bench for a week before his next appearance, and was only able to collect one more hit his final ten at bats before returning to the minor leagues. With his three singles (and no bases on balls) in his 13 MLB plate appearances, Campbell posted a career batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage of .231. He slugged 127 home runs in 1,207 games as a minor leaguer.
He was traded to the Boston Red Sox during the 1970 offseason for veteran infielder Ducky Schofield and played one more year at the Triple-A level before leaving the game.
Heather Star Childers is an American television news anchor. She was a former anchor of the first hour of Fox & Friends First for Fox News Channel, and worked for the organization from 2010 until 2020. Childers was born in Hartsville, South Carolina, and grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She graduated from Myers Park High School in 1987. Childers attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, then graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an undergraduate degree in English.
Childers began her professional career at WCNC-TV in Charlotte as a producer and reporter in the early 1990s. She worked for television news stations in Albany, Georgia and then Asheville, North Carolina, at WLOS, the ABC affiliate there. She moved to News 14 Carolina in 2002 as an anchor.
Childers came to Fox News Channel in November 2010 as a reporter, and became an anchor for America’s News Headquarters in August 2011. She later became an early-morning host at Fox; beginning in 2017, she was the host of the first installment of Fox & Friends First, from 4-5 a.m.
William Chambers Coker (October 24, 1872 – June 26, 1953) was an American botanist and mycologist. He was born in Hartsville on October 24, 1872. Coker graduated from South Carolina College in 1894 and took postgraduate courses at Johns Hopkins University and in Germany. He taught for several years in the summer schools of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, at Cold Spring Harbor, L. I., and in 1902 became associate professor of botany at the University of North Carolina. He established the Coker Arboretum in 1903. He was made professor in 1907 and Kenan professor of botany in 1920. In 1903, he was chief of the botanic staff of the Bahama Expedition of the Geographical Society of Baltimore. Professor Coker was a member of many scientific societies and the author of The Plant Life of Hartsville, S. C. (1912); The Trees of North Carolina (with Henry Roland Totten) (1916); and The Saprolegniaceae of the United States (1921). Besides these he contributed numerous articles on morphology and botany to scientific journals. He died on June 26, 1953, and was buried on June 29, 1953. He is also honoured in the name of Cokeromyces, which is a pathogenic fungus.
Chad Dawson (born July 13, 1982) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2019. He has held multiple light heavyweight world championships, and was one of the most highly regarded boxers in that division between 2006 and 2013. Dawson rose to prominence on the world stage in 2007, when he defeated Tomasz Adamek to become the WBC light heavyweight champion. After vacating that title, he defeated Antonio Tarver in 2008 to win the IBF and IBO titles, and defeated him in a rematch in 2009.
Dawson’s first career setback was a loss to Jean Pascal in 2010. He would rebound by winning the WBC title for a second time, as well as the Ring magazine and lineal titles, by defeating Bernard Hopkins in 2012. In the same year, The Ring ranked Dawson as the world’s tenth best active boxer, pound for pound.
Later in 2012, Dawson moved down to super middleweight, a division in which he had not competed since 2006, in order to challenge Andre Ward for the unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring and lineal titles. In what would prove to be an ill-fated move, Ward handed him his second loss as it became clear that Dawson could no longer compete at a lower weight. In 2013, having returned to light heavyweight to defend his titles, Dawson was knocked out by Adonis Stevenson in one round.
Dawson was born in Hartsville to Rick Dawson, a former boxer who compiled a 2–6–1 professional record, and Wanda Dawson. Chad has four brothers and two sisters. In search of work, Rick moved the family to New Haven, Connecticut in 1988. Chad attended James Hillhouse High School from 1996 to 2000.
Dawson, who is married and has three sons, still lives and trains in New Haven, Connecticut. His trainer is “Iceman” John Scully. He was formerly trained by Dan Birmingham, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
Cayla Nicole Drotar (born January 27, 1998) is an American softball player. She attended Hartsville High School and, later, attended the University of South Carolina, where she pitched for the South Carolina Gamecocks softball team.
John Harrison Finger (November 24, 1915 – December 22, 1989) was known as “Mr. WalkAmerica”. On January 22, 1949, John Harrison Finger walked from High Point, NC, to Greensboro and back for a total of 32 miles. During this walk, he pulled a wagon and collected money for the March of Dimes. This was the inaugural walk for the March of Dimes, a tradition which is still being done annually. Although this was the start of his claim to fame, he also became famous for his collection of photos and autographs of famous people and for his sense of humor. Mr. Finger didn’t obtain notoriety by just starting the tradition of walking for the March of Dimes but he continued walking for the March of Dimes and other charities for the remainder of his life. Other events that contributed to his fame was his unusual hobby of getting his picture taken with famous people and having them autograph his Holy Bible at their favorite scripture, thereby gaining an insight into their personal life.
Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for Entertainment Tonight (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, Leeza (1993–2000). In 2013, her book Take 2 became a New York Times bestseller and she won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle or Travel program for the PBS show, My Generation. On February 16, 2015, Gibbons was named the winner of Celebrity Apprentice; while on the show she raised $714,000 for her charity Leeza’s Care Connection. Gibbons was born in Hartsville, South Carolina, the daughter of Jean and Dr. Carlos Gibbons. Gibbons has two siblings – a brother, Carlos Jr., and a sister, Cammy.
Robert J. Gilliard, Jr. is an American chemist and researcher who is the Novartis Associate Professor of Chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research involves the synthesis of molecules for energy storage, molecular materials, and main-group element mediated bond activation. He is a member of the editorial advisory board at Inorganic Chemistry, Chemical Communications, and Angewandte Chemie, among other scientific journals. Gilliard is from Hartsville. He attended Hartsville High School, where he was president of the student body. He was an undergraduate student at Clemson University, where he studied chemistry and worked on organometallic transition metal compounds.
Albert George Haynesworth III (born June 17, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Haynesworth was born in Hartsville, South Carolina. He attended Hartsville High School, and participated in football and track, throwing the shot put. Haynesworth accounted for 150 tackles, 56 tackles for loss, six sacks, and six fumble recoveries as a junior; he followed that by tallying 110 tackles, 51 quarterback pressures, and six sacks as a senior in 1998. Following his senior season, Haynesworth was named a SuperPrep and Rivalnet All-American, and was also rated the fourth-best defensive lineman and the 14th-ranked overall player in the nation according to ESPN’s Top 100, while National Recruiting Advisor rated him as the best defensive tackle in the country. He was a member of the University of Tennessee Volunteers’ 1999 recruiting class. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Haynesworth was a member of the Titans for seven seasons, where he established himself as one of the league’s top defensive tackles between 2007 and 2008. He received Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors during both seasons.
Haynesworth became a highly coveted free agent after his 2008 campaign, which led to him signing a seven-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Redskins. However, Haynesworth would play only 20 games in two seasons for Washington until he was traded in 2011. As a result, the Redskins’ acquisition of Haynesworth is widely considered the NFL’s worst free agent signing. He played his final season in 2011 with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Terrance Jerome Herrington (born July 31, 1966, in Hartsville, South Carolina) is a retired American middle-distance runner who specialized in the 1500 meters.[2] He represented his country at the 1992 Summer Olympics as well as three consecutive World Championships.
William Alex Hudson (July 9, 1935 – December 13, 2017) was an American football defensive tackle and unheralded member of the original Fearsome Foursome of defensive linemen in pro football. He attended Clemson University, where he was a member of the track and football teams. He played professionally in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes and in the American Football League with the San Diego Chargers and the Boston Patriots. He is a member of the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Hudson was the younger brother of Bob Hudson, who also attended Clemson and spent 10 seasons (1951-55, 1957-61) in the NFL and AFL as a linebacker and defensive back.
Shannon Regina “Pee Wee” Johnson (born August 18, 1974) is an American basketball player born in Hartsville, South Carolina. She last played for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA. She was the head coach at Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina from 2015-2020. After her collegiate playing days, Johnson played for the Columbus Quest with whom she won the 1997 and 1998 American Basketball League championships. Starting in 1999, Johnson played for the Orlando Miracle of the WNBA. She also played for Fenerbahçe İstanbul from Turkey in winter 1999–00 season. The team moved to Connecticut in 2003 and is now known as the Connecticut Sun. Before the 2004 season, Johnson was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars.
In March 2007, Johnson signed with the Detroit Shock. Names Pat Hewitt, her high school basketball coach, her biggest influence. On March 7, 2008, Johnson signed with the Houston Comets. When the Comets folded, she was not picked in the dispersal draft, therefore becoming a free agent.
Johnson was a WNBA All-Star in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. She played in Spain for Ros Casares Valencia (2001-2002), Perfumerías Avenida (2002-2003), Dynamo Moscow (2003-2004), Wisla Cracovia (2004-2005), Cadi la Seu (2005-2006), Tarsus Beledeyesi (2006-2007), Palacio de Congresos Ibiza (2008-2010) and CD Zamarat (2010-2011). She was a key factor in the club as she helped carry the team to Division One on May 1, 2011. She was also a member of the USA Basketball team winning the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Jody Lavender (born December 29, 1979) is an American stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. He was born in Hartsville. Lavender only competed in one Busch Series race, in a family-owned No. 08 Ford. He started 34th in 2003 at Darlington, and finished 23rd, two laps down. He made his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series in a one-race deal in 2002, driving for Troxell Racing. Starting last at Richmond, he managed to improve to 33rd in the race after a rear end gear let go.
Lavender was picked up by Green Light Racing, and ran 21 of the 25 races in 2003. However, he never cracked the top-10. He finished all but five of his starts. In those sixteen starts that he was running at the end, he finished in the top-20 eleven times. The highlight of the season was a pair of 13th-place finishes at Dover and Memphis. His worst finish of the year was 27th (out of 36 starters per race). Lavender also led one lap of competition at Kentucky, giving him bonus points toward the 17th-place finish he got in points.
Green Light did not pick him up for 2004, and Lavender was not able to find a ride. Lavender drove the number 88 Chevrolet for JBR in the NASCAR Camping World East Series during the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Jordan Horton Lyles (born October 19, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Baltimore Orioles.
Lyles attended Hartsville High School in Hartsville, South Carolina. In his junior baseball season, he led the Red Foxes to a 4A championship, compiling a 6–1 win–loss record and a 0.85 earned run average (ERA). He went 7–2 in 2008, recording a 1.86 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 60+2⁄3 innings pitched. As a hitter, Lyles hit .447 with six home runs and 20 runs batted in. In football, Lyles set single-season school records with 81 receptions for 1,568 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Louis Norman “Bobo” Newsom (August 11, 1907 – December 7, 1962) was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. Also known as “Buck”, Newsom played for nine of the 16 then-existing big-league teams from 1929 through 1953 over all or parts of 20 seasons, appearing in an even 600 games pitched and 3,7591⁄3 innings pitched. He batted and threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).
Newsom was known to possess a somewhat eccentric and emotional personality, typically referring to everyone in the third person, including referring to himself as “Bobo”.
He was traded along with Red Kress and Buster Mills from the Red Sox to the Browns for Joe Vosmik on December 3, 1937.
In a 20-season career, Newsom posted a 211–222 record with 2082 strikeouts and a 3.98 ERA in 37591⁄3 innings pitched. He also made the American League All-Star team from 1938–1940 and in 1944. With 211 wins, he is one of the 100 winningest pitchers of all time. His 222 losses also make him one of only two major league pitchers to win 200 games and still have a sub .500 career winning percentage, the other being Jack Powell. Upon his retirement in 1953, he was the last major leaguer to have played in the 1920s to still be active. Newsom is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four decades. Newsom died in Orlando, Florida at age 55 from cirrhosis of the liver and was buried at Magnolia Cemetery in his home town of Hartsville, which also has a street named in his honor.
