CLINTON, S.C. — Clinton High School will set aside Friday night, Oct. 16, to remember Bill Rhodes, the teacher, coach and administrator whose career with Laurens County School District 56 stretched across more than six decades.
The Clinton High School Athletic Booster Club is organizing the evening with Clinton High School Athletics and District 56. A celebration of life is planned from 6 to 7 p.m. in the big gym at the middle school next to Wilder Stadium.
Guests can leave a written tribute in a memory box set up for the night, and the program in the gym will include a special video along with remarks from selected speakers.
The tribute carries over to the football game that follows, when the Red Devils return home to face Mountain View Prep. The game program sold at the stadium will include a section on Rhodes and his legacy, and the district and Clinton High Athletics plan a special announcement during the halftime ceremony.
Rhodes died Aug. 3 at age 88. A Newberry College graduate, he began working for District 56 in 1960 and served the district for 65 years. He was part of the Clinton High football staff during a run that produced six state Class AAA championships and four Upper State titles, and he also coached baseball and softball.
He received the Order of the Palmetto, the state highest civilian honor, on Oct. 21, 2023, during a halftime ceremony at Wilder Stadium.
