By Sue Sledz
MI 2020
Executive Director

Murrells Inlet 2020 extends its sincerest wishes
to everyone for a happy, healthy and prosperous
2012. MI 2020 also extends its sincerest gratitude
to all who have contributed to making 2011
a great year. We thank our donors, our business
partners, our event sponsors and participants,
and our volunteers. With your support, MI 2020
finished 2011 on firm financial footing, and
looks forward to making 2012 a banner year for
the inlet.
The Murrells Inlet 2020 board of directors also
bid adieu to board members John Benso and
Peggy Bates, and welcomed new board member
Linda Connell, and returning board member Al
Hitchcock. Thanks to all of you for your willingness
to serve.
Over the past few months, Murrells Inlet 2020,
Earthworks, Georgetown County Capital Projects
Department and the property owners have
been meeting to discuss the Jetty View plans.
Plans are now being finalized to submit an application
to DHEC-OCRM for environmental
permitting. MI 2020 has also submitted funding
grant requests for the Jetty View Project to the
SC National Heritage Corridor program and to
TD Bank’s Community Sponsorship program.
In 2009, MI 2020 received funding from the
Bunnelle Foundation to initiate a recycling program
for Morse Park Landing, Wacca Wache
Boat Landing and the Marshwalk. During the
first year (November 2009 – November 2010),
8.6 tons of glass, plastic and aluminum containers
were recycled at the three locations. Of that
total, 5.9 tons were picked up along the Marshwalk.
Murrells Inlet 2020 is very happy to report
that the Marshwalk restaurants have agreed to
take over ownership and funding of the Marshwalk
recycling program moving forward. Thank
you for your environmental stewardship.
Murrells Inlet 2020 will begin holding meetings
with interested residents and local and state government
officials and agencies, launching discussions
about Business 17 Streetscape changes
that would focus on improving the safety of the
existing bike lanes and connecting Murrells Inlet
to Garden City Beach and the river. Call 843-
357-2007 if you have an interest in participating
on this committee.
And, please mark your calendars for MI 2020
spring events:
March 6: Chowder Talk at Inlet Affairs: Murrells
Inlet 2020 will present the 2011 Volunteer
of the Year and the 2011 Golden Oyster Awards.
Chowder served at 6:30 p.m., compliments of
Inlet Affairs; meeting is 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
March 24-25: Race for the Inlet at Morse Park
Landing: this year’s event features a 5K walk,
run, and ride, and an 8K run on Saturday morning.
Additionally, Grand Strand Bicycles is hosting
a metric cycling event for avid bicyclists on
Sunday morning. Proceeds benefit Murrells Inlet
2020.
April 7: Marshwalk Masters along the Marshwalk:
a fun nine-hole, putt-putt tournament that
features a $500 cash prize to the overall winner.
Proceeds benefit Murrells Inlet 2020.
April 22 – 21st Annual Spring Tide: pitch in
on the annual inlet clean-up of our creeks and
streets. Morning work is followed by the “Best
Damn Chowder Cook-Off” and an afternoon of
celebration, friendship and fun.
(Visit the MI2020 website at www.murrellsinletsc.
com for information on these and more inlet
events.)

Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is rising to the top of the polls in South Carolina, according to Pee Dee Regional Director, Gerri McDaniel, and she is asking for help in spreading the word in support of the architect of the “Contract with America.”
She said the campaign needs help in the following volunteer areas: campaign callers, neighborhood organizers and county chair positions.
If you’re interested in making phone calls, block-walking, and other campaign support activities, you can e-mail McDaniel at gmcdaniel@newt.org, or call 843 808-9061. The regional call center is located at 9713 North Kings Hwy., Suite 105, Myrtle Beach, but McDaniel said those in other counties can call from home.
Gingrich’s campaign Web site is Newt.org
(This is a press release from the Gingrich campaign, not an endorsement from the Messenger.)

Weekly health screenings: Tuesdays, mall area of Georgetown Memorial Hospital; Thursdays, Waccamaw Community Hospital. Screenings offered: finger stick lipid profiles with blood sugar for $20 (8-10 hour fast required); diabetes screening-hemoglobin A1C for $15 (no fasting required); blood sugar levels for $3 (2 hour fast required); and free blood pressure screenings, from 7:30 a.m. – noon. For more information, call 546-0623.
(Many of the classes below can be signed up for online, www.georgetownhospitalsystem.org. Also, some of the classes are held at the Wachesaw Conference Center, which is located at 4367 Riverwood Drive, Suite 160, in Murrells Inlet, across from Waccamaw Community Hospital.)

Jan. 2: ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP – GEORGETOWN. Noon. Prince George Episcopal Church. Information, 237-2845.
Jan. 3: HANDLE WITH CARE – BABY CARE CLASS – MURRELLS INLET. Waccamaw Community Hospital, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. Free; pre-registration required; call 520-8490.
Jan. 4: CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP. Waccamaw Community Hospital, 4th floor dining room, 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. Information, call 652-1875.
Jan. 6: RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE – MURRELLS INLET. Wachesaw Conference Center, from 10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Call 652-1144 for information.
Jan. 7: PREPARED CHILDBIRTH CLASS – MURRELLS INLET. Waccamaw Community Hospital, 1st floor classroom, from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. $50 Fee; pre-registration required; call 520-8490.
Jan. 9: CANCER SUPPORT GROUP. Education Center at the Georgetown Memorial Hospital from 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Call 520-8062.
Jan. 9, 11, 16, 18, 23 & 25: SMOKING CESSATION SIX NIGHT SERIES – MURRELLS INLET. Wachesaw Conference Center, 6 p.m. – 7  p.m. Pre-registration required; call 520-8490.
Jan. 11 & 25: ALZHEIMER’S SUPPORT GROUP- MURRELLS INLET. 10 a.m., Belin Church, Murrells Inlet. Information, 651-9711. STROKE SUPPORT GROUP. Waccamaw Community Hospital, 4th floor dining room, 3:30 p.m. Call 652-1875 for information.
Jan. 11: PHYSICIAN LECTURE – “CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR ARTHRITIS OF THE HIP AND KNEE.” Michael N. Bohan, MD, of Carolina Orthopaedic Specialists, will conduct a free lecture at the Surfside Library in Surfside Beach at noon. Lunch provided. Call 520-7842 to reserve a seat. I CAN COPE EDUCATION SERIES. Waccamaw Community Hospital, 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Program for people facing cancer. Free; pre-registration required; call 652-1640. HEARTSAVER BLS-CPR – MURRELLS INLET. For daycare workers and people interested in learning CPR, not intended for healthcare professionals. Wachesaw Conference Center, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. $20 fee; pre-registration required; call 520-8490.

By Tim Callahan
Should we keep Christ in Christmas? Are we celebrating a myth or tradition
Let’s take a look.
According to Crosswalk.org, more than 300 Messianic prophecies made in the Old Testament were fulfilled in Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection. The chances of one person fulfilling a mere eight of those prophecies are 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. For one person to fulfill 48 of these prophecies, the number becomes staggering: 1 chance in 10-to-the-157th power. Add to that the other 250 prophecies, and it becomes impossible for any other person except Jesus to ever fit that particular sequence of time and events. That He lived and died on a tree has even been recorded by Jewish and Greek historians, who were not Christian.
According to Jesus.org, many of these prophecies would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire to fulfill, such as His descent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3, 17:19); His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); His crucifixion with criminals (Isaiah 53:12); the piercing of His hands and feet on the cross (Psalm 22:16); the soldiers gambling for His clothes (Psalm 22:18); the piercing of His side and that His bones were not broken at His death (Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 34:20); and His burial among the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus also predicted His own death and resurrection (John 2:19-22). Allabouttruth.org, lists other OT prophesies that Jesus fulfilled. A few are: Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23); born of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23, 33; Hebrews 7:14); born of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 1:1); taken to Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15); Herod´s killing of the infants (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18); anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16-17); heralded by a messenger – John the Baptist – (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3); would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35); would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21); would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16); would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13); would first present Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25; Matthew 21:4-11); would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9); would be rejected by Jews (Psalm 118:22; 1 Peter 2:7); would die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53); and would rise from the dead (Psalm 17:15, Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2, Psalm 16:10, Job 19:26, Psalm 49: 6-15; John 2:19-26).
Christ is Christmas. We are celebrating His birth – not a myth or tradition. We have at least 300 reasons to believe. Check them out on your own. You will be amazed.
Merry Christmas,
Tim and Debbie Callahan
Murrells Inlet Messenger
(This article first appeared in the December 2010 edition)

By Joe Scanlon
Christmas becomes a more multifaceted holiday with each passing year.
I was watching Miracle on 34th Street with my grandchildren over Thanksgiving and the movie’s big dilemma was: is Santa Clause really real?
Watching the news covering Black Friday on Friday evening, I saw a video of people using pepper spray to protect their bargains from fellow shoppers.
Is Christmas about Santa or modern urban retail warfare? Is it a religious celebration of the birth of Christ? Is it a hybrid Christian-Celtic celebration of renewal and rebirth? Is it an economic indicator of the state of the economy? Is it a time for functional families to get together and celebrate, and dysfunctional families to get together and make each other miserable?
It seems to be all of these things and a whole lot more depending upon the people, circumstances and general mood of the country.
I remember even as a child the admonition to “remember to keep Christ in Christmas.” I always sort of understood that this meant not to be too materialistic and to be sure to go to church.
I also think of Scrooge’s promise, having foreseen his own lonely and friendless demise in the company of Christmas Future, to keep Christmas in his heart each day of the year.
With all of these different thoughts and perspectives, traditions and excesses, is it possible to come to a single uncomplicated and hopefully spiritually uplifting idea of what the Christmas season means to us as individuals?
It seems at the heart of it, we are celebrating God’s gift to us of a Savior.
But what are we saved from?
Hell, we are told, if we believe and repent of our sins. In these days of immediate gratification and a ruined economy, it is hard to imagine that most people think beyond the next payday let alone to the prospect of eternity. If we get beyond the doctrine and theology and listen to the New Testament with our spirit, I think what God promised us, through Christ, is hope in the future and freedom from despair, if we are willing to learn from our mistakes and correct them. And, the promise of redemption not only in the afterlife but in the here and now.
One of my missions in life is to improve upon my parents parenting techniques. I have had some success and, as a reward, my children are improving on mine. The outcome is grandchildren who laugh, run, and giggle and play together without hostility or fear.
Our Savior showed us through His example that if you believe in Him, maintain your integrity, endure the discomfort that life visits on the just and the unjust alike, and keep your faith, you will be resurrected, whether this is in the afterlife, or tomorrow when we pass on something we can’t afford or take the time to teach our children rather than intimidate them.
The birth of the Messenger who offers us salvation from despair, hopelessness, overwhelm and greed, and replaces it with the faith that if we follow His example all will be well in the end, is worth celebrating.
(Joe Scanlon is the director of the counseling Center of Georgetown)

I just picked up a copy of the Murrells Inlet Messenger and must commend you on circulation, a first class local newspaper.
My wife and I resided in Murrells Inlet (in Blackmoor) the first five years of living here on the coast, before moving to Pawley’s Island a year and half ago. We moved here in 2005 from Abbeville, S.C., after I lost both my parents three months apart, something tough to endure for an only child.
Judy and I are born and raised South Carolinians. We relocated here to be close to the grandkids. I have one of those life after 50 moments I would like to share with you and your readers:
In 2003, at the age of 50, doing consultant work, staying in hotels three nights a week, I began writing, pounding the keys on the laptop for something to do. It served as an outlet – somewhat therapeutic – because my wife and I had assumed caregiver duties for both my ailing parents.
We had sold our home in Greenwood, S.C.,to move in and care for them and my 94-year-old grandmother. We brought my grandmother with us to the beach several months after my parents’ deaths. Granny passed less than two months after the move. She was my mom’s mother. Over the course of 11 months, I had lost all three and, basically, my entire bloodline.
I eventually completed a 650-page novel. Over the next eight years, I wrote ten more novels and 100 short stories. No one, including my wife, had ever read any of my novels; my choice. I had shared a couple of short stories with friends and family. I was sort of a closet writer, doing it because I enjoyed it. I thought about one day submitting some of them for publishing but never seriously pursued it. I had and still have a full time job working at Metglas, Inc. in Conway.
One afternoon in June of this year, after I arrived home from work, a gentleman showed up at our door thinking the previous owners of our house still lived there. We had been in Pawleys for just over a year and half. I had seen the elderly man walking through the neighborhood. He introduced himself as Robert O’Brien and then realized I wasn’t the man he had expected to visit. He apologized, stating he had just dropped by to proudly show the previous owner a copy of his novel he had just gotten published because the previous owner had also shown interest in wanting to write a book.
I told him that was very interesting and that I do a little writing. Bob asked me if I had a completed manuscript. I told him yes. I had ten. Floored, he said you and I need to talk, stating he had started his own publishing company, Prose Press. This seemed much too coincidental for me. I felt like I had received a sign, an omen, that this was the push I needed to actually attempt publishing one of my novels. I selected one and began the dream. My wife, Judy, became my proof reader and the book was proofed and edited five times before eventually submitting a final version to my new friend and neighbor, Bob.
Two weeks ago, I became an actual author.
T. Allen Winn’s “Road Rage” has now been published and is available on Amazon.com. Barnes and Noble, etc.
Who would have ever figured that I would have started writing at age 50 and published my first novel at age 58? Things happen for a reason; my urge to write prompted by a tragic period in my life and Bob O’Brien showing up at my front door. I have indeed begun an incredible journey. Ironically, in January, I began keeping a journal on my laptop entitled “Life Begins at 57 ½.” Yup, a diary of sorts. I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that it would include me being a published author. No one can ever take this away from me. My only wish is that my parents would have been here to witness it. But, then again, I’m sure they are smiling proudly.

Best regards,

Tom Winn
Pawley’s Island

By Tim Callahan
I don’t miss my father too often, but Christmas is one of those times.
A tough, Irish boy who barely graduated high school, my father became a professional photographer, small and big city reporter and weekly newspaper publisher.
He also became an alcoholic who couldn’t hold a job.
We moved 12 times in my first 18 years of life.
Oddly, he never had booze in the house. All we knew was that he would leave for work reasonably sane for an insane guy and come home a monster, who found fault and then started hitting.
He broke my mom’s nose once and laughed because my brother Pat and I, ages 8 and 10 at the time, yelled at him for doing it. Meanwhile, mom was passed out in a pool of blood. There was no trip to the hospital.
No one was as good as dad, just ask him. Praise was not found on his lips except for himself. Biting, sarcastic humor made the words hurt more than any blows he landed on mom and my older brother, Mike, his punching bags. I escaped his wrath because I was both the athlete and the academic in the house, who he could point at and tell his very few friends, “See, look at Tim, what a great dad I am.”
He tried to kill Mike once and then told the cops Mike had tried to kill him. Thankfully, my dad left not too long after that incident to shack up with someone.
I was 35 years old when a friend made me realize he was much more than a drunk. He was certifiably psychotic. I won’t shock you with more hideous proofs.
For those of you who think this is the blaming the parent game, I turned out to be not much different. I didn’t hit, but I drank, and I could not stop. Not without major league help: from the Boss (God); the coach (the Twelve Steps); and fellow players (AA members).
Dad was a man who lived in an age when AA and psychiatrists were young, and asking for help was a sign of weakness, something a real man would never do. And, underneath all that garbage that was passed on down from his father, was a man with a terrible disease who had a few wonderful moments.
Christmas day was his biggest moment.
He not only stayed home Christmas Eve but could be found on the roof when we were young. Of course, we thought it was Santa. Some years he would dress as Santa and let us catch him, belly laughing downstairs and telling us to go back to bed and be good. The outfit and act was so good, we didn’t know it was dad – until the Christmas we caught Santa kissing mom.
We were poor for two reasons: his chosen profession paid a pittance for a man with seven kids, and his drinking cut into the profits. Hunger was a familiar rumbling in our bellies. But, Christmas day we ate like bandits, and came downstairs in the morning to Christmas presents that filled the living room.
But, much more than that, my dad was happy that day. My mom was happy. We were happy.
After some coffee and aspirin for dad/Santa’s egg nog headache, he would pass out the presents. He would smile and laugh and joke, and his sarcasm and cuts took a holiday.
Something else I remember about Christmas time with dad: “Charlie Brown’s Christmas.” He loved that cartoon. Snoopy and Charlie had him rolling on the floor laughing. And, one year, I swore I saw some tears from a man who never cried in front of us. Ever. He locked himself in the bathroom for two days after his mom died and ran water so we wouldn’t hear him crying.
But, we did.
And we saw the water in his eyes when Linus stepped on stage and began reading: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger…”
The Boss is stronger than any man, any drink, any disease. His words, spoken by a cartoon character, chilled us and made a grown man who never cried cry.
Some 20 years after those Christmases, I gave my life to the author of those words: Jesus Christ. He helped me stop drinking by providing the power and a fellowship of fellow sufferers to hold me accountable and share their experience, strength and hope.
Some 50 years after those Christmases, God provided me the opportunity to help my dad.
I hadn’t seen him in 15 years. We thought he was dead. But, a call out of the blue came and we were told he was in the hospital after falling while drunk and puncturing a lung. Due to his already pathetic physical condition from a half century of drinking, he was in danger of dying.
He was only 64.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“Denver,” his girlfriend said.
Where was I living at the time?
Denver.
Tell me there is no God.
The dad I met in the hospital had not changed. He was the greatest; he had no drinking problem; he threw out all the old barbs.
But, I was different. I visited him daily, took what he dished out and smiled, and tried to help the doctors convince dad he needed help. And, after three weeks off booze, my dad started to act human again. He even asked me how I stopped drinking.
I gave him my testimony, my story, my drunk-a-log, whatever you want to call it, and he listened.
A week later, he went AWOL from the hospital, convincing a cabbie – with $100 – to sneak him out of the hospital. He started drinking again. He called and told me and my wife off. He was angry that we had tried to get him committed to a mental hospital/treatment center. He had no problem.
We moved back East a few months later to be closer to family and didn’t hear from my dad again.
He died a year after we came home. He was sober when he died, his girlfriend said. But, drunks are habitual liars so we don’t know for sure.
I choose to believe this Christmas that Linus and me and many others over the years planted seeds that dad plucked on death’s door and that he asked the God/man born in a manger to forgive him and to be his Lord and Savior.
If so, there will be no yellings, beatings, cuts and barbs when I meet him in heaven. Nor will there be any tears.
Maybe we will roll around on the floor laughing, remembering Christmas, remembering Charlie Brown, remembering we always loved each other no matter how badly we showed it.
And forgetting everything else.

By Debbie Callahan
My mom died to this world June of this year.
This will be my first Christmas without her.
I found myself saying, “My mom made Christmas.” But, I know that isn’t so – Jesus made Christmas.
My mom, however, helped to make it a special time of celebration with all her hard work.
Ever since I can remember, she baked, cooked, cleaned and made sure all the presents were ready for the big day -and there were lots of presents – the living room was filled with them.
She had a lot to buy for, with eight kids of her own, then eventually our spouses, and then add grandkids, their boyfriends/girlfriends or spouses, great grandkids, friends of the family, etc.
Our living room went from filled to overflowing.  My mom was about family, and it wasn’t just at Christmas.
She would do weekly dinners for the family and the extended family, where she would make homemade soups, salad and dinners to feed us all.
One flavor always stood out: she added an extra measure of love. My mom loved and served her family.
My sister commented at her funeral how we all pulled together to care for mom her last days here, while it took only one mom to care for us all of our days – that’s a testimony as to how God blessed us through our mom.
As I look back, and I do often, I see so much sacrifice, but I know she didn’t see it that way. She was our mom. You see, for her, there was no other way. She gave so willingly, and that’s the message of Christmas: for God so loved the world that he gave (willingly) his only Begotten Son (His greatest gift), that whosoever (anyone) believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life ( John 3:16.)
To live eternally with God is a gift. It can’t be bought or earned – just received. God saw a lost and dying world and said I must save them. Jesus said, “I’ll do it” – because you see, for Him, there was no other way.

llen, Luke Fredrick Dean 11 High Honors
Anderson, Cassandra Denise 12 High Honors
Baker, Kacie Nicole 12 High Honors
Ballard, David Elwood Thurman 10 High Honors
Ballatore, Krystle Marie 12 High Honors
Bazen, Sydney Blake 11 High Honors
Betts, Casey Elizabeth 11 High Honors
Bolchoz, Andrew Laurence 10 High Honors
Bonham, Robyn Marie 12 High Honors
Breeden, Jennifer Lelia 10 High Honors
Breeden, Sara Ann 12 High Honors
Brown, Erin Lindsey 12 High Honors
Brown, Hunter Newman 10 High Honors
Brown, Madeline Taylor 9 High Honors
Burnette, Bethany Hope 9 High Honors
Cacace, Briana 9 High Honors
Cacace, Cassandra 11 High Honors
Chapman, Michael John 12 High Honors
Colon, Bryan Antonio 10 High Honors
Cooper, Hannah Rose 10 High Honors
Courban, Kalila Salma 9 High Honors
Creech, Taylor Jordan 12 High Honors
Crum, Ryan Mitchell 11 High Honors
DeMelfi, DeAnna Lynn 12 High Honors
DeMelfi, Marina Lynn 12 High Honors
Dennison, Emily Aleisha 12 High Honors
Dukes, Tyrell Dre Shawn 10 High Honors
Eliason, Stephanie Carol 9 High Honors
Elliott, Haley Storm 9 High Honors
Ficklin, Brittany Adele 12 High Honors
Fidanza, David Louis 10 High Honors
Floyd, Sarah Ellen 9 High Honors
Fultineer, Duncan Dean 10 High Honors
Goodloe, Danelle Brooke 11 High Honors
Gordon, Eva Kimberlyn 10 High Honors
Grant, Megan Lee 12 High Honors
Guyette, Geoffrey Lewis 11 High Honors
Harris, Ryan Joseph 9 High Honors
Jeanjaquet, Danielle Joann 9 High Honors
Johnsen, Shannon Lynn 10 High Honors
Johnson, Laura Elizabeth 12 High Honors
Kelsey, Bethany Rae 9 High Honors
Kennedy, Savannah Marie 10 High Honors
Kenny, Tonianne Marie 12 High Honors
King, Haley Riane 10 High Honors
Krier, William Patrick 11 High Honors
Lane, Gerald Preston 12 High Honors

LeDonne, Amy Lee 10 High Honors
Lee, Brittany Michelle 10 High Honors
Lewis, Allison Nicole 11 High Honors
Lewis, Allison Nicole 11 High Honors
Lewis, Yessence Na’Yora 12 High Honors
Liger, Annika Elizabeth 11 High Honors
Liu, Kevin Wei Kyat 12 High Honors
Lundquist, Haley Alice 12 High Honors
Luongo, Kevin Michael 9 High Honors
Marlow, Morgan Noelle 9 High Honors
Matthews, Justin Paul 11 High Honors
Maynard, Jaymee Carleen 10 High Honors
McCoy, Thomas Randolph 9 High Honors
McDonald, Taylor Leigh 12 High Honors
Morris, Caroline Elizabeth 10 High Honors
Morrison, Victoria Kim 12 High Honors
Musgrave, Lyndsay Elizabeth 10 High Honors
Nitz, Hayley Cassandra 9 High Honors
Nold-White, Jennifer Jillian 10 High Honors
Olds, Haley Shea 10 High Honors
Parker, Maurica Lynn 11 High Honors
Pickus, Sarah Jessica 12 High Honors
Ramsey, Brittany Ann 10 High Honors
Reilly, Jordan Alexa 11 High Honors
Reine, Rachel Shea 12 High Honors
Rolon, Krystal Gail Joanne 10 High Honors
Ruiz-Tinoco, Rafael 10 High Honors
Shelton, Margaret Helena 11 High Honors
Shoemaker, Bion L 11 High Honors
Singh, Ajay Pal 11 High Honors
Sturgill, Courtney Paige 12 High Honors
Suggs, Katelyn Victoria 11 High Honors
Trout, Justin Thomas 9 High Honors
Vohringer, Amanda Jane 12 High Honors
Walters, Madison Erica 10 High Honors
Williams-Richards, Cameron Louis 10 High Honors
Wilson, Tony Edward 9 High Honors
Yu, XiaoYing Mia 9 High Honors

Chris Conklin serves up some fresh fish for a local lady while catching up on how she is doing.

By Tim Callahan
Chris Conklin started life in a a double wide, living with two other families.
Growing up in Murrells Inlet, Chris loved to fish with his dad, Phil, a commercial fisherman. Chris, a Waccamaw High School graduate, was a true “creek rat,” he said, practically living there “rain or shine.”
At 26, Chris is still surrounded by fish and his father, but the double wide for him is long gone.
The manager of Seven Seas Seafood Market, Chris works with his dad to provide jobs to fishermen and fish to the community and beyond. They have nine employees in the off-season, 18 in-season, and buy fish from local fishermen, running 12 grouper and snapper fishing boats. Some weeks, he said, he might deal with 20,000 pounds of fish.
He sells all over, including to the Canadian market, Fulton, N.Y., Maryland, Charleston and more.
And, he provides as much local catch as he can to his customers.
His “three corner business” – restaurants, fish store and retail – will be adding a “fourth corner” in February, Chris said, an online seafood market.
The economy has been good to him, he said, as people are staying home and cooking fish more and eating out less. (However, Murrells Inlet restaurants are still doing great business, he said, because they provide some of the best dining in the state.)
“It’s hold on tight. Steady up. No down here,” Chris said.
In a sense, Chris is living his dad’s dream.
Phil, a Florida native, was doing his patriotic duty with the U.S. Navy in the 1970′s. While on shore leave in Charleston, he wandered up to Murrells Inlet and fell in love with the place. After his military stint was over, Phil worked aboard several of the top charter fishing boats in Miami, spending his days on the water and hobnobbing with the rich and famous, but he never forgot Murrells Inlet. Several years later, opportunity came knocking.
Phil and several of the inlet’s commercial fishing boat skippers opened a seafood co-op here, offering fresh off the boat seafood at prices everyone could afford. It was an idea that resonated with the public and within a few years, Seven Seas Seafood went from rented space in the back of a local warehouse to its current location on Highway 17 Business in Murrells Inlet.
A graduate of the Citadel, Chris did not plan to run Seven Seas. His goal was maritime logistics. He was all lined up with an internship, and planned graduate school at SUNY Maritime College. He was taking a week break after undergraduate school graduation in 2008 when the family business burned to the ground.
His fallback plan, the family business, has become his life.
His father never asked him to help after the fire, Chris said, “but it was the honorable thing to do. My dad and mom provided a way to grow up that made college and my plans possible.”
In June of 2008, he joined the business and again worked alongside his father.
He married Jean Allen of Florence recently, so his dream plans are further back on the burner.
“I have added responsibility,” Chris said, “to provide for my own family.”
But, Chris is not crying the blues.
“I have a good family, a wonderful wife, and I am doing something I enjoy and am good at.”
It is a fast paced business that can mean 12-14 hour days, especially during tourist season.
The winter months they sell a lot of oysters, clams, shell fish. Summertime, Chris said, “we sell anything, but flounder and grouper are our niche.”
Chris is a member of the South Atlantic Fisherman’s Association, South Carolina Seafood Alliance and Murrells Inlet Rotary.
Seven Seas is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year, Chris said.
(Seven Seas Seafood Market, 843-651-1666,www.sevenseasseafood.com)