Marion County PEOPLE in the NEWS: published on July 23

By Star & Enterprise Staff Reports

Published: July 24, 2008

Thomas retires from reserves
Col. Martin C. Thomas, a native of Mullins living in Florence, retired from the U.S. Army Reserves on Aug. 7. Thomas served more than 39 years. An informal ceremony was conducted at Ft. Eustis, Va., to honor his military career. Thomas is a graduate of Mullins High School, the University of South Carolina (Florence), Florence-Darlington Technical College and Duke University Medical Center. He entered service while at Duke in 1969. Thomas moved to Florence in 1975 to establish the nuclear medicine services at the Bruce and Florence General Hospitals and has lived in Florence since. During his 39 years in the USAR, Thomas served in several positions with the units in Florence, Myrtle Beach, Charleston, West Point and Ft. Eustis.
For the past 10 years he has been assigned to the active army as a mobilization asset, with his last position being as Chief, Deployment and Deployment Services at the U.S. Army Transportation School, Ft. Eustis. Getting a a direct commission in 1981 as a nuclear-biological officer with the 365th Chemical Unit in Florence, Thomas later commanded the 460th Replacement Company and mobilized with them to operation Desert Storm in 1990-91. He has held command positions with several units and was mobilized again in 2001 to support the Command Operations Center at the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Ft. Eustis. During his career, Thomas received many awards and ribbons, to include the Bronze Star and the Meritorious Service Medal. Over the course of his career, he became officer branch advanced qualified in the Chemical Corp, Adjutant General Corp, Medical Service Corp, Transportation Corp and Logistics Corp.
Thomas is the son of Clara M. Tucker and the late Ernest C. Thomas, both of Mullins. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. J. Clifton Thomas, Mullins, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Rufus L. Martin of Marion. Thomas said he was proud to serve and owed a great deal to his late wife, Barbara Rowe of Dunedin, Fla., and his family for their never-ending support and sacrifices during the past 39 years. He has two sons, Jeffery and Robert, and one grandson, Jonathan, all living in Florence.

E.L. Theological Bible College
The E.L. Theological Bible College has completed another successful school year for 2007 and 2008. Dr. Edward L. Ford and his staff congratulate all students who attend the Bible College to further their Christian education in theology and academic achievement. Students who attend our master program are: Elder Willie Jones and Evangelist Demetris Strickland. Students who attended our first year class were the Rev. Claudia Jennings, Bernard McCollum, and the Rev. Jay Ragin. If you would like to partnership with the E.L. Ford Theological Bible College, you can earn a diploma or a degree in Theology, Association Art degree (A.A.), Bachelor of Theology (Bh.T.), Master of Theology (Mh.T.), or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)., without leaving your church or home.
Scholarships are available for first year students who qualify. Anyone needing a high school diploma or GED, should be aware that the college is accredited with Accrediting Commission International Beebe, AR. For information, call Dr. Edward L. Ford, President (843) 759-8439 or e-mail . The E.L. Theological Bible College is at 1702 E. Calhoun St. in Dillon.

Husband and wife earn doctorates together
Stacia Bethea Barrreau and her husband Pascal Barreau each received a Doctor of Education Degree during the commencement ceremony in May from William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va.
She is the daughter of James and Mary Bethea of Marion. The couple is reportedly the first husband and wife to receive their doctorate degrees at the same time in the 315 year history of the school. Stacia is an assistant principal at Dare Elementary School in Newport News, Va. She earned her doctorate in special education administration. Pascal is an assistant principal at Jamestown High School earned his doctorate in higher education administration. The couple met as first year teachers in Newport News, Va in 1996.
Pascal began working in his doctorate in 1999 and Stacia began hers in 2002. Because of several life changes—including getting married, buying a house and becoming a parent, Pascal put his doctoral work on hold. Eventually, he came to point where he decided he needed to complete the program. Stacia decided to try to graduate at the same time. With full time jobs and a new baby, the couple worked together to ensure they both had enough time to complete the required work.
“Basically we just had a conversation every day about who was working late, who was going to get to stay in the office and get some work done, said Stacia.” Nobody’s dissertation took procedure over the other. We both wanted to get it done, but we wanted the other to finish too. It was really about trying to have balance and being flexible.
“There was a lot of tag-teaming” said Pascal, “If she had a deadline coming up, I’d say ok you take this weekend, and once you get your information in on Tuesday, I’m going to need Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. When Stacia informed her dissertation committee chair that her husband would be graduating in May 2008, she was encouraged to aim for the same time frame. That was the impetus for me to push myself harder that I would have ordinarily. I wanted us to delight in this moment together. At the beginning of April, the pair defended their theses. Coincidentally, they did so on the same day, and because of a last minute problem with a projector, even in the same room. Stacia defended hers at 9 a.m. and Pascal defended his at 1 p.m. Family and friends helped the Barreaus celebrate their accomplishments on graduation day and a bigger celebration is planned for a later date.

Harris wins big with Avon
Avon Products, Inc. recently annunced that Latta area Avon representative Ruby Harris won a trip to Las Vegas. The trip was a recognition of Harris’ position with the company as one of its top product representatives, a press release said. “Ruby embodies the entrepreneurial spirit Avon Representatives have become known for...,” Tom Kelly, senior vice president, Avon U.S. Direct Selling, said.