CAT ISLAND, SC (July 15/9:00 AM) – A manhunt is currently in progress in the area of Cat Island in reference to two burglary suspects at large.
Sheriff’s deputies have cordoned off the island as a search has been mounted for two subjects believed to have been involved in an early morning burglary at the British Open Pub (8 Waveland Ave).
A perimeter has been established in the immediate area and the Sheriff’s Office K-9 Tracking Team is actively involved in a ground search for the suspects.
The two suspects being sought are white males, both approximately 6’00”. One is wearing a black shirt and gray basketball shorts. The other is wearing a white shirt and blue plaid shorts.
Residents in affected area are encouraged to stay inside their homes and immediately contact 9-1-1 for sightings of any suspicious person(s) in the area. Access to and from the island is allowed, however, all traffic is being monitored upon entrance and exit.

The body of 9 year old Tyreck Parker was discovered early this morning by a Hunting Island State Park Ranger.

Parker went missing on Monday at about 2 pm while playing on a rock groin with 2 friends near the lighthouse. It is unclear whether the young man jumped or fell onto the surf. His friends stated that he had been hesitant to enter the water because he didn’t feel he could swim well enough. Witnesses have stated that the boy submerged in the rough surf  three times, and did not surface after the third time.

Rescue efforts were started almost immediately after the incident with several agencies and many volunteers working until 9 pm on Monday night when darkness set in. The US Coast Guard dispatched rescue boats and a helicopter from their Tybee Island Station. SC DNR added boats to the effort and were joined by The Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire Department. Volunteers walked hand in hand and combed the waters between the Hunting Island groins in a valiant effort to find the boy.

The mission was continued shortly after dawn on Tuesday but had been reclassified as a Recovery Effort rather than Search and Rescue. It was presumed by that time that the boy had drowned. Agencies already involved,  were supplemented by Beaufort County Water Search and Rescue, Fripp Island Fire Department, and a virtual navy of commercial fishing boats, and recreation watercraft. Several aircraft were also used to conduct the second phase of the search, which was suspended at 8 pm on Tuesday. Plans were made to resume the search this morning at about 8 am when the tide was low.

The unnamed Park Ranger discovered a body fitting Parker’s description shortly before rescue teams began to arrive to continue the official search. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s office and other agencies initially stated that the identity of the body had not yet been confirmed. The Beaufort County Coroner’s Office has since confirmed that the body of young Tyreck Parker had been positively identified.

Parker’s mother and father along with other family members have conducted a continuous vigil and helped with the search on the Island since Monday afternoon. Their search has ended and they now face the monumental grief that accompanies the tragic loss of a child. Our prayers are with them.

U.S. Coast Guard, Park Rangers, and The Lady’s Island-St. Helena Fire Department rescue units were joined yesterday, by several local agencies and an army of volunteers, in the search for  nine year old boy who went missing at The Hunting Island State Beach at about 2 pm.

The boy, whose named has not yet been released, was last seen approximately 35 feet from the shoreline in shallow water.

A  Coast Guard helicopter and rescue boat. along with two DNR boats, scoured the waters until 9 pm when the search was suspended due to darkness. Volunteers walked the waters hand in hand between the groins at the beach until the search was called off. The search, which is now being characterized as a recovery mission, resumed at 5 am this morning.  Local shrimpers whose season opens today will be aiding in search efforts.

The Coast Guard search was expanded from the beginning in an effort to find a man who disappeared near the mouth of the Ashepoo River. William Alan Carson, 49, of St. Helena Island, jumped off a boat to take swim on Sunday, and never resurfaced. Search and recovery efforts have thus far been unsuccessful.

Today marks the 142nd observation of the National holiday we currently refer to as Memorial Day. Typically observed over a three day weekend, the holiday serves as a vehicle here in Beaufort for the ever popular Gullah Festival which concluded another successful year yesterday. The Indianapolis 500 motor race traditionally coincides with Memorial Day as well. Americans all over the country celebrate Memorial Day by taking trips to favorite holiday spots, having barbeques with family and friends, but most of all by dedicating a day to honor the memory of those who have served our country so bravely. An official National rememberance takes place at 3pm local time.

The first observance of Memorial Day (previously known as Decoration Day) was in 1868 and was held near the day of reunification after the War Between The States. Initially created to honor fallen Union soldiers, the holiday was later expanded to be a rememberance of all fallen American military personnel. 1882 was the first year that the term “Memorial Day” was used, but the official name of the holiday remained “Decoration Day” until 1967, when President Lyndon Johnson signed a declaration officially changing the name to Memorial Day.

The original order that established this treasured National holiday:

I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way, arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

We are organized, Comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, “of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers sailors and Marines, who united to suppress the late rebellion.” What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead? We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security, is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains, and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledge to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon the Nation’s gratitude—the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.

II. It is the purpose of the Commander in Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

III. Department commanders will use every effort to make this Order effective.
—General Orders No. 11, Grand Army of the Republic Headquarters

Beaufort’s annual Memorial Day Parade will take place downtown at 10am today and an official observance ceremony will be held at The National Cemetery at 12 noon.

Technical College of the Lowcountry business instructor David Johnson was recently named the regional recipient of the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs 2010 Teaching Excellence  Award, which recognizes individuals each year who exemplify teaching excellence in
the classroom.

“No one that I know of does more for his students than David Johnson,” said Kenneth L. Flick, TCL dean of business technologies. “He provides tutoring when requested and helps disadvantaged students obtain books through a book fund that he helped establish.”

As a regional recipient, Johnson will now be considered for the 2010 ACBSP International Teaching Excellence Award, to be announced in June.

The Associate Degree Commission of ACBSP established the International Teaching Excellence Award in 1995 to recognize outstanding classroom teachers. In 2002, the Baccalaureate Degree Commission created a similar award to recognize excellence in teaching at the baccalaureate degree level. ACBSP is the only specialized accrediting body for business schools that presents an award recognizing excellence in teaching.

“It is more important than ever for business programs to produce graduates who are ready to enter the global marketplace,” ACBSP executive director Douglas Viehland said. “ACBSP has a mission to develop, promote and recognize best practices that contribute to continuous improvement of business education. Recognition of teaching excellence is one way we achieve this goal.”

Johnson will be honored, along with other regional recipients, at the 2010 ACBSP Annual Conference on June 25-28 in Los Angeles. Two International Teaching Excellence Award recipients will be announced at a special Salute to Regions luncheon, one from a baccalaureate/ graduate degree-granting institution and one from an associate degree-granting institution.  The International Teaching Excellence Award is being presented this year in honor of Lt. Col. Edward Ortowski.

ACBSP currently has more than 729 members in 32 countries and nine regions. Technical College of the Lowcountry is located in Region 3, which includes eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.