Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1934 - 2023 (89 years)| Name | Edna Frances ROGERS [3, 4] | |
| Birth | 12 Jan 1934 | Manning, Clarendon Country, South Carolina  |
| Gender | Female | |
| HIST | of Summerton, South Carolina EDNA FRANCES ROGERS ROWE Posted Tuesday, January 17, 2023 6:00 am SUMMERTON - Edna Frances Rogers Rowe, 89, wife of William Winn "Billy" Rowe, died on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023, at McLeod Health Clarendon. Born on Jan. 12, 1934, in Manning, she was a daughter of the late Samuel Emory Rogers and Edna Plowden Rogers. After two years of study at Sweet Briar College, she graduated from the University of North Carolina, where she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. After graduation from UNC, she was a caseworker with the Charleston County Department of Welfare and later received her master's degree from The Citadel. She first taught in the public schools in Manning and resigned to become one of the founders of Clarendon Hall and served as head of the school, until her retirement. She was a member of New Covenant Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). She is survived by her husband of 66 years; a daughter by choice, Frances Ann Richbourg of Summerton; two nephews; and a grandnephew. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Samuel Emory Rogers Jr. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in the chapel of Stephens Funeral Home with the Rev. Daniel B. Miller officiating. Burial will follow in Summerton Evergreen Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Sam Rogers, David Rogers, Mike Nunn, Weston Nunn, Mills Nunn, John Nunn, William W. Walker Jr. and Alexander Richbourg. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service from 10 to 11 a.m. at Stephens Funeral Home and other times at the residence, 1543 Winnwood Lane, Summerton. Memorials may be made to Clarendon Hall School, P.O. Box 609, Summerton, SC 29148 or to New Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2833 Alex Harvin Highway, Manning, SC 29102. Stephens Funeral Home & Crematory, 304 N. Church St., Manning, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 435-2179, www.stephensfuneralhome.org. EDNA ROWE • 1934 - 2023 Clarendon remembers Edna Rowe as 'honest, woman of all trades' Edna Rowe, 89, passed away at McLeod Health Clarendon on Jan. 15, 2023. She is the founder and former headmistress of Clarendon Hall and founder of the South Carolina Independent School Association. Posted Tuesday, January 31, 2023 6:00 am BY ASHLEY MILLER ashley@theitem.com During four interviews about a Clarendon woman, they all described her with the same word: honest. Edna Rowe was a woman of all trades for Clarendon County. She founded Clarendon Hall in 1965 with the help of Summerton Baptist Church. According to a memoir Rowe wrote in 2015 about Clarendon Hall, the school was formed because of a 1962 Supreme Court decision that prohibited prayer in public schools. So, in 1965, Clarendon Hall opened its doors as a private Christian school. Not only did she help build Clarendon Hall, but she was also instrumental in forming the South Carolina Independent School Association, which was also formed in 1965 as a nonprofit voluntary association of independent schools, according to its website. Rowe left a mark on everyone she came to know in her 89 years of life in Clarendon County. Clarendon Hall memories Miles Elliot was a student at Clarendon Hall in the early 1990s and became headmaster when Rowe retired. He also knew Rowe from elementary school and junior high school. He was active in student government for the school and worked closely with Rowe. "I just always admired her greatly, and one of the things that stuck out to me was that Mrs. Rowe was incredibly fair," Elliot said. He said she had high standards, but she was a gifted educator. "She had a real gift of helping people recognize their potential," he said. He remembered when he finished at Clemson University and came back to teach history as a substitute, he had several conversations with Rowe. "She told me to teach what I know, 'make sure that you challenge people because we want everybody to get everything out of this experience'," Elliot said. Everyone who spoke about Rowe said they learned at least one thing from her. Book early Find family getaways nearby http://opcbanners2.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ab522bec&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'> "The biggest lesson I learned from her was that you could disagree with someone. You could disagree with someone who maybe came in because they were unhappy with a decision we have made about something in their child's education, but also approach it with looking out for the child's best interest," Elliot said. He described Rowe as a lovely person and very honest, saying she set expectations and expected people to follow them. "I feel like I am a better person having her guidance as a young person, as a young teacher. I was a better person when I was head of the school and could call her and get advice," he said. Elliot would visit family in Summerton and would end up running into Rowe and said it was like no time had passed. "We were incredibly blessed to have her for as long as we had," Elliot said. Another former student of Clarendon Hall spoke highly of Rowe. Travis McIntosh was not only a former student of Rowe's, but he is also the Clarendon Hall board president. McIntosh described Rowe as the definition of a Southern lady. http://opcbanners2.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ab522bec&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'> "She was the epitome of a Southern lady who exhibited grace. She genuinely cared about all students and their families, but her demeanor just demanded respect, but I never heard her raise her voice, ever," McIntosh said. He said she could control the school and the classroom without raising her voice; he admired that about her. "I shared a story at her funeral about how nobody ever wanted to disappoint Mrs. Rowe," he said. The story he read takes place in the fifth grade. "We came in from recess, and you did not run in the hallways at school, but our class was a little excited. We ran back to the room, and Mrs. Rowe stopped us, and she raised her hand and all she said is, 'Boys and girls, you know that's not how we behave in Clarendon Hall,' and she sent us back out and has us walk back in the way we were supposed to, and everyone fell in line," he said. He described her in one word as "visionary." McIntosh said there were not many private schools in the area in 1965 to have her vision for a school. "The courage to drive forward and start a Christian school, that was pretty forward thinking. It took a lot of courage and I am sure a lot of sacrifice in that time," he said. http://opcbanners2.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ab522bec&cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'> He said there was one thing he was 100% sure about. "There would not be Clarendon Hall today, it would not exist without her," McIntosh said. He described her as selfless because she did not want the attention or the spotlight. In the 1960s-'70s, women in higher positions were not widely respected. Rowe was the exception, as she was shown great respect as headmistress during this time. "I don't think she ever let that hold her back. She was the head of school, and frankly, under a board of directors of all men, because that is the way it was. I can tell you, those men had a great deal of respect for her. She was just so well respected," McIntosh said. If he could say one last thing to Rowe, it would be to tell her how much he loved her and appreciated everything she did. "To know her was to love her, there was no doubt about that," he said. One man wrote down thoughts about Rowe so he would not forget to show her the great deal of respect for her. John Ducworth is a man of many titles revolving around Clarendon Hall, and he was one of the first graduates of the school. He said Rowe was an outstanding educator in Clarendon, as she was an outstanding Christian. "A person that it was a privilege to know and to work with, not only was Mrs. Rowe one of the driving forces from getting Clarendon Hall started, without Mrs. Rowe's guidance, Clarendon Hall would not be where it is today," Ducworth said. Ducworth read from something he wrote about her, choking up at certain parts. "She was a mentor to many young teachers and a great influence on the lives of many children," he read. He finished reading with what sounded like tears in his eyes. "She did so much for all of us, and she was a big part in my life, and I will miss her terribly," Ducworth said. South Carolina Independent School Association memories Larry Watts was the former South Carolina Independent School Association executive director and worked closely with Rowe. He said although she was prominent in the community, she never let the spotlight shine on her. "She had a very unique ability to make something complex educationally become very simple. And many people, including me, sought out to her wise counsel," Watts said. He gave an example of a situation where she made it a simple task. Watts said one of the problems they faced early on was textbook selection because the heads of schools came from the public school system. "And in the public school system at that time, textbook selection was not selected on a site level, the school level. So we began asking about what different people were using, and Mrs. Rowe decided very quickly that what SCISA needed was a textbook library," he said. This is where every subject of textbook could be housed in one location. "I held my position there for 31 years, and I give her so much credit for the success that I have had in education, because again, she just cut through all of the facts and got down to the root of the problems," he said. He quickly described her in one word. "Selfless, without question," he said. He said she never wanted anything for herself, that she worked hard and diligently to make sure the association was headed in the right direction. "She gave us the guiding principles; she never wanted the limelight. She just wanted to make sure that we were always grounded and serving students," Watts said. Watts went on to describe her in many other words. "She was a marvelous, clever, smart individual who never wanted the limelight but wanted the results for everyone," Watts said. But there is one thing he would say to current students and staff at Clarendon Hall. "Clarendon Hall still and will always have Edna Rowe's stamp on it. The idea that Clarendon Hall exists for the students is still firmly ingrained there," Watts said. Billy Rowe, her husband, was not able to be interviewed because of surgery and recovery, but he did say in an initial conversation how much he loved her. From people who were interviewed, they described their love as one of a kind. "He was her supporter, you know, he supported her unconditionally," McIntosh said. The morning that Edna Rowe passed, Mr. Rowe wrote on Facebook, "I lost the light of my life this morning about 1 a.m. Please pray for strength and comfort." [1, 2, 3, 4] | |
| _UID | 0C65B7345CF846F596A8223A5146DF5A5506 | |
| Death | 15 Jan 2023 | McLeod Health Clarendon Hospital, Clarendon County, South Carolina |
| Burial | 18 Jan 2023 | Summerton Evergreen Cemetery, Summerton, Clarendon County, South Carolina [1] |
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| Person ID | I107851 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 16 Feb 2023 | |
| Father | Samuel Emory ROGERS, Sr., b. 29 Jan 1902, Clarendon County, South Carolina d. 15 Dec 1976, at his home, Clarendon County, South Carolina (Age 74 years) | |
| Mother | Edna PLOWDEN, b. 20 Jul 1905, Clarendon County, South Carolina d. 25 Feb 1975, Tuomey Hospital, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 69 years) | |
| _UID | ED69CBC3424B479AB85652E66F3ABDCBC9AC | |
| _UID | ED69CBC3424B479AB85652E66F3ABDCBC9AC | |
| Family ID | F74569 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | William Winn “Billy” ROWE | |||
| Marriage | 1956 [1] | |||
| _UID | 462A98F8CAC540D1BF21886B440BBE9A1AF3 | |||
| _UID | 462A98F8CAC540D1BF21886B440BBE9A1AF3 | |||
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| Family ID | F74570 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||
| Last Modified | 17 Jan 2023 | |||
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