Yesteryears - Checker Tournaments
(on the large pictures you may click mouse on left margin and drag picture over contents so you can see all players) 


(front) Jim Truitt of Marietta, GA (white) vs J.C. Weatherly of Martinez, GA (red),  Ben Jones of Flat Rock, NC and Elbert Lowder
of Sanford, NC.  James B. Truitt was born in 1908, and originally from Texas.  A peach farmer who would bring a basket of peaches
to the tys, recruited Jerry Ingram & Harvey Kelley.  He was our D4 Mgr before Clint, then Larry (Clint Pickard photo in 80's)

Palomino Motel and Restaurant
US #1-15-501 Bypass South Sanford
1939 postcard of Palomino Motel


 Let's identify all 32 of these players, Kneeling L to R:  Ira Hinson,  Beril Smith,  Raleigh Johnson,  Tim Laverty,  Jeff Webster,  WO "Wayne" Milhado,  Ron Bailey,  Doyle Pearson.  Standing:  John Hickey,
Elbert Lowder,  WE Williams?  Howard Amos,  Waldo Barton,  Rick Callaghan,  Les Balderson,  Jim Truitt,  Bernard Ross,  James "Sawmill" Sipe,  EW Mayes?  unknown?,  Brothers - Charlie Moore &
George Moore.  Backrow:  EW McConnell, unknown?,  RE Stinnett,  Clint Pickard,  Cecil Lowe,  JC Weatherly,  EG McQueen,  unknown?,  Ed Scheidt,  Frank Walls.  (Cecil Lowe contributed group photo)

 

1979 GAYP National Tournament in Sanford, NC
  at The Flame Steak House (right of Dairy Bar)
Let's identify all 40 of these players,  Kneeling L to R:  QT East,  Wayne Milhado,  Beril Smith,  Raleigh Johnson?,  unknown?,  Joe Schwartz,  Lloyd Castello,  KD Hanson,  unknown?,
John Webster,  Clint Pickard,  unknown?,  unknown?,    Back row  L to R:  WH Amos,  HM Jackson,  unknown?,  Elbert Lowder,  EW McConnell,  Paul Davis,  Wayne England, Sidney Misner,
Bill Levine,  Les Balderson,  Jim Morrison,  Vic Defenderfer,  EG McQueen,  unknown?,  Tim Laverty,  WC Greene,  Bernard Ross,  RE Stinnett,   WE Williams,  Frank Walls,  Ira Hinson,
King D Williams,  Doyle Pearson,  Waldo Barton,  James "Sawmill" Sipe,  unknown?,  unknown?  (Clint Pickard contributed group photo) These players missed the picture or not yet identified: Asplund - ?,
Ron Bailey - IN, Anthony Bishop - TN, Emmett Bowersock - WV, Harry Curtis - ?,  W.E. "Pete" Dew - NC, Richard Hill - ?,  John S. Hickey - TN, Cecil Lowe - NC, Kikler Lusk - TN, Charlie Miller - NC, Charles Moore - TN,  Prater - ?,
A. Quillen - ?,  Bryan A. Smith - NC,   Merle Vaughn - NC, Frank Willem - ?  (1979 National X-Table)       

 
Elbert Lowder vs Angus Simpson then Harry Anderson vs Ed Scheidt & Grover Swinney  at end of table, (bkgd) L: Tony Bishop & R: Jerry Ingram & John Webster. This picture was taken at the 1975 NC State Ty at Sanford Moose Lodge which I cut/pasted it from a Southeastern - District 4 - Checker Tournament flyer.  The text above picture read as: "36 years of NC State Championships are represented in the picture below" however, Elbert Lowder has expanded that!  (count'em - currently 34 times by himself)


 Ed Scheidt featured on this AC front cover was a popular and well known checker player.  He started his career with the FBI as a "G-Man" a  special field agent and moved up through the ranks eventually becoming the Director of the FBI office in New York City, that would be the # 2 man in the agency.  He moved to Raleigh, NC as the NC Commissioner of Motor Vehicles for his 2nd career.  Ed was always eager to help his protégés,  share his checker enthusiasm, and wrote this article.   He won the NC State Checker Championship 13 times.  Scheidt's Obit.

1925 Hallman wins title:  Sam Hallman vs Ed Scheidt 8-3-9 at Spartanburg, SC., in a challenge for the Southern Championship.
Ed was already Southern States Champion.

Lancaster, SC Checker Tournaments
 JC Little reviews a position on sidewalk curb of parking lot at a Lancaster tournament to the Winston-Salem group (Fred Church, LW Newsom, & Joe McClellan).
Ira Lee Hinson a route salesman of Lancaster, SC and Ty Director always put on great checker tournaments there.  Typically, the South Carolina Open a 3-day tourney
was held in Mid-May at the Carriage Inn in Lancaster, SC.  Tourney would have 50-60 players from 9-10 States with Master playing 6 rounds (2 Fri. 3 Sat. & 1 Sun) and
Majors playing 8 rounds (3 on Fri, 4 on Sat, & 1 on Sun) over Friday, Saturday, & Sunday.  Bob Cooper, Pat Berry, Harvey Kelley, Jerry Ingram, Elbert Lowder, Tim Laverty, Jim Truitt, &
Rev. RT Jones are a few you would expect to see there, and of course a horde of other SC & NC checker players.  Harvey Griffin gave me this picture he took in mid '80s.  1989 SC Open Ty


Two Checker Friends - Dick Fortman vs Marion Tinsley

Click - More Yesteryears

1997 US National GAYP Tournament - Greensboro, NC 

Lifetime Membership In Memorial List

NC State Tournament Winners:

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