Plant says goodbye to workers

Web posted September 18, 1997

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By Chasiti Kirkland
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN - A neatly folded memo rests in Alex Smith's left pants pocket. It has been there since early Wednesday morning.

Every once in a while, he looks at it, hangs his head, lets out a sigh, then returns it to his pocket.

``I guess this makes it final,'' Mr. Smith said of the paper, which contains the funeral arrangements of four R.E. Phelon Co. employees who were killed Monday. when, police say, a former co-worker opened fire at the Aiken plant.``They didn't have to die this way.''

Employees have been asked to report for work today - the day that two of their co-workers will be buried. But plant officials are not making it mandatory.

Funeral services for Ernest Filyaw, 30, of Warrenville, will be held at Hatcher Funeral Home Chapel in Langley at 3 p.m. Services for Sheryl Wood, 27, of Bath, will be held at Napier Funeral Home Chapel in Graniteville at 5 p.m.

``Maybe if we would have had an armed guard, it wouldn't have come to this,'' said Charles Gardner, who worked in the tool-anddie department of the plant. ``I'm not placing blame on anyone, except to say that security measures should be tightened. It's pretty lax, at times.''

Plans are being made for a communitywide memorial service on Monday, but arrangements have not been finalized.

Several employees reported for work on Wednesday. But for Christa Parker, entering the place where the memories of her friends will forever linger brings forth a flood of emotion.

``I makes me sick to my stomach,'' she said. ``I'm all nerves.''

Services for David Moore of North Augusta are tentatively planned for Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Stephen D. Posey Funeral Home in North Augusta.

Charles Griffeth, the plant's human resource director, will be buried Friday at Adams Run Baptist Church, near Summerville, S.C. Services will be held at 2 p.m. Chartered buses may be available for employees who would like to attend his funeral.

Mr. Griffeth hadn't worked at the Phelon plant long before being shot to death by accused gunman Arthur Hastings Wise. He moved to the plant about six months ago after working as a personnel executive in Orangeburg, S.C.

``I especially owe it to Mr. Griffeth's family to go to the funeral,'' said Mr. Smith, who worked in the assembly department.

At the time of the shooting, Mr. Smith was in North Carolina, which makes losing his co-workers doubly difficult, he said.

``(Mr. Griffeth) gave me a chance when others didn't. He believed in me. He always told me to hold my head up high. `Your future is ahead of you, son,''' he said. ``A good future. We never had anybody like that until Mr. Griffeth came along.'''