Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
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1929 - 2016 (87 years)| Name | Ladson Booth “Mr. Ladd” “Laddie” CHANDLER [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] | |
| Birth | 1928/9 | Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina  [1] |
| Gender | Male | |
| HIST | of Sumter, South Carolina In Memory of LADSON B. CHANDLER Posted Wednesday, March 16, 2016 6:00 am Ladson Booth "Mr. Ladd" Chandler, 87, died on Sunday, March 13, 2016, at National Healthcare Center-Sumter. Born in Sumter, to the late Frank William and Mabel Booth Chandler, Laddie was a graduate of Sumter city schools as well as the New York School of Fashion Design. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and retired from selling life insurance for Liberty Life. Mr. Ladd was a true son of Sumter. He became a professional puppeteer and dedicated his life to the children of Sumter, who enjoyed the performances of his friends, "Munchy Mouse," "Carlotta Ostrich," "Freddy Frog" and many others of his puppet family. For his service, he was previously recognized as one of Sumter's Heroes. He is survived by four nephews, Bill Shouse, Jeff Shouse, Frank Chandler and Phil Chandler; a niece, Beth Chandler Reeder; and several cousins. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a brother, Dr. Frank W. Chandler Jr.; and a sister, Hallie Chandler Shouse. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday at Sumter Cemetery with the Rev. Michael Jones officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Calvary Bible Church, 770 N. Wise Drive, Sumter, SC 29153 or to the Salvation Army. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements, (803) 775-9386.L LADSON BOOTH 'MR. LADD' CHANDLER - 1928-2016 Beloved puppeteer touched the lives of generations of children Children watch intently as Ladson "Mr. Ladd" Chandler puts on a show at Bright Beginnings Day Care in 1990. Mr. Ladd began his career as a professional puppeteer in 1974. SUMTER ITEM FILE PHOTOS Posted Thursday, March 17, 2016 6:00 am BY IVY MOORE IVY@THEITEM.COM "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain," the Wizard of Oz said, attempting to hide his true identity from Dorothy Gale and her friends. While Ladson Booth "Mr. Ladd" Chandler made his puppets the stars of his shows, he was not hiding backstage at their performances - rather, he often spoke directly to his young audiences, conversing with them about the importance of being a good friend, sharing, not interacting with strangers and respect. And the children loved and respected him. After one of his regular performances for a second-grade class at Willow Drive Elementary School in the mid-1990s, several of the students expressed their love for the puppeteer. Among their comments? "He loves us a lot. He walks here to read to us even if it's raining. He adopted us," said one. "He cares for us," said another, and "he taught us to share and to love other people." That caring attitude and his gift for reaching and entertaining children earned Mr. Ladd the designation as one of Sumter's Heroes a decade ago; back in 1994, South Carolina PTA District 13, comprising Sumter, Lee and Clarendon counties, honored him with the President's Award for service to children. Mr. Ladd, who died Sunday at 87, was a Sumter native, a U.S. Navy veteran, a graduate of the N.Y. School of Fashion Design, a charter member of the Sumter Artists Guild and a retired life insurance salesman; but puppetry was his true vocation, which he took up full time in 1974. Few who grew up in Sumter in the past four decades have not witnessed a performance by Mr. Ladd and his puppets or read his former column, Puppet Talk, that ran in The Sumter Item for many years. In the column, usually "written by" one of the puppets, young readers gained insight into Mr. Ladd's rich home life with his friends, such as (puppet) Patty McDougal. She wrote of the birthday party the puppets gave Mr. Ladd "Remembering the good manners taught them by Mr. Ladd, the puppets took only one piece of cake and one cup of punch A good time was had by all, and the happy event ended with all the puppets singing the Happy Birthday song to Mr. Ladd." Ann Beaty, a cousin of Mr. Ladd, said she will remember him as "a truly unique individual who loved his puppets and loved entertaining children with them. Many a Christmas night at a huge family party that my grandmother would host, Laddie would bring the puppets to entertain us. He also loved opera and would incorporate it into his shows. "He always had a story to tell, with or without his puppets. He was a very kind person, never married, and later in life lived with his mother and took care of her 'til she died." Another cousin, Richard Booth, described him as "a sweet and gentle person," who loved classical music and opera and was "creative and interesting to all the children in town." Booth also recalled fondly the holidays at his grandmother's house, when "Laddie would put on a puppet show and entertain us. He was an integral part of the extended Booth family. He was very devoted to caring for his mother, who lived to 101." Mr. Ladd always took the time to talk with children and to introduce them and adults to his "Puppetland," those who knew him said. Debbie Watson-Hayes recalls that Mr. Ladd "came to my table at Cole's long ago and introduced himself and some of his puppets. He told me he had gone back to school and was studying Spanish. Of course, when (my daughter) Whit came along, I took her to his shows at the mall. He made all his puppets and loved to bring them to life at his shows." Through his many puppet "children," such as Pinky Rabbit, Carlotta Ostrich, Abigail Duck, Munchy Mouse, Freddy Frog and others, Mr. Ladd gently reminded his young human audience - and many adults - of good manners, morals and concern for others. He and his puppets explored reasons for happiness, too. "Happiness is in your own back yard," Pinky Rabbit advised. "If you're happy, then other people will be happy around you." As Mr. Ladd said after a performance at Bright Beginnings Day Care many years ago: "I think when you're given a God-given talent, you work with children and help them to lead a better life and to learn good morals. There are a lot of adults who can't communicate with children, unfortunately. "Fortunately, they've given me the golden key to the magic garden because I live in two worlds. I live in the adult world as Ladson Chandler and the marvelous, exciting world of Puppet Land." To see an example of Mr. Ladd's puppetry, see the YouTube link: http://bit.ly/1R340YG. Graveside services for Mr. Ladd will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in Sumter Cemetery with the Rev. Michael Jones officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Calvary Bible Church, 770 N. Wise Drive, Sumter, SC 29153 or to the Salvation Army. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com. - Ivy Mooreadson [2, 4, 5, 6, 7] | |
| MILI | He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. [6] | |
| _UID | 78FA1138C5114ED48C4C516B0EFD3055D7B8 | |
| Death | 13 Mar 2016 | National Health Care Center, (Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina) |
| Burial | 18 Mar 2016 | Sumter Cemetery, 700 W. Oakland Avenue, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina [6] |
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| Person ID | I140213 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 18 Apr 2025 | |
| Father | Frank William CHANDLER, I - Sr., b. 11 Sep 1893/4 d. 17 Jul 1958 (Age 63 years) | |
| Mother | Mabel Claire BOOTH, b. 14 Nov 1893, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 24 Oct 1994, Tuomey Regional Medical Center, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 100 years) | |
| Marriage | 14 Oct 1919 | South Carolina [8, 9] |
| _UID | 2AA10840725F49D9AF3CDB23E862F391BDD1 | |
| _UID | 2AA10840725F49D9AF3CDB23E862F391BDD1 | |
| Family ID | F96253 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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