I have been blessed to live on this earth for 63 years. I have been through blizzards, droughts, and have seen a good part of this world. My heart however lies in the great state of South Carolina, and I frankly have never been through a six week time period where the weather has been more dreary, depressing and dangerous than what we have just recently experienced.

 

This past Tuesday afternoon, I walked out of my office at the Mike Kelly Law Group in the Congaree Vista and saw the most beautiful sunshine! It truly warmed my heart, brightened my spirit, and made me thankful for something that I have taken for granted for so long: THE SUN! Like in the beginning of this year, when I lost my wife, I have learned many lessons (even though I did not want to learn them in this way). I have learned that the simple things like a smile, a gentle touch, a kind word and even the sun coming up are so very important.

 

One of my favorite poems is “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This past Friday, our newest attorney Stephen Vicari, passed the Bar, meaning he will be sworn in officially as an attorney in several weeks and become an official member of the legal community here in South Carolina. We are very proud of Stephen!

 

Everyone who has ever taken a Bar exam in the nation knows how stressful it is. Even though I passed the Bar 38 years ago last week, I still vividly remember the grueling process of preparing for the Bar examination, taking the Bar examination (three days of hell on earth!) and then painfully awaiting the results. I remember calling the Supreme Court as a 25 year old lawyer after waiting for an agonizing period of time before I was informed by the Clerk that I had in fact passed. What a celebration we had that evening!

 

The consequences of not passing the Bar (besides being humiliated) is that you cannot practice the craft that you spent not only all your time on, but tens and now hundreds of thousands of dollars for your education.

 

As most of you know, the Mike Kelly Law Group has offices in Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Winnsboro, SC. I must confess, as a small town guy, I really love our practice in Winnsboro! We have one full-time paralegal, Altina Johnson, one full-time attorney, Paul Swearingen, and I travel to this office at least once a week.

 

I do not believe that the Mike Kelly Law Group should go to Fairfield County, make money, and run back to Columbia without giving something back to the community. We try to stay very active with the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, the Ad Hoc Downtown Redevelopment Committee, the Winnsboro Rotary Club, and many other special events. Other than a few select holidays, my favorite weekend is Rock Around the Clock, which is happening this weekend in beautiful downtown Winnsboro.

 

Festivities will kick-off Friday evening with special Halloween activities for the kids from 5-8pm, followed by the Street Dance starting at 8pm with live music by FlashBack the Party Band. There is also a Shag Contest at 9:30pm.

 

On Saturday, the festival begins at 10am with a wonderful Car Show put on by Winnsboro’s native Sam Edenfield, owner of Independent Body Shop. The Car Show DJ will be DJ Fitz McGill. There will be lots of food vendors, arts & crafts vendors and exhibitors, main stage music all day, local group and school performances and then fun for the kids with a petting zoo, face painting, inflatables and Thomas the Train. There will be many booths with giveaways and other items of interest.

 

Happy Friday to all who get the KellyGram!

 

I have been tempted to discuss the coaching change at the University of South Carolina, but thought the floods and the heroic stories that came from our recent flooding took priority! There is still much to be done to recover, but we are COLUMBI – YEAH Strong!

 

On a lighter note, I did want to share my thoughts on the HBC and how he stepped down. I have met Coach Spurrier several times, but do not know him well. Before he came to South Carolina, I was not a fan, but really came to respect and admire him for what he was able to do for the entire University of South Carolina, especially the football program. He quite simply took it as far as he could, and realized it was time for him to step down. I also believe he was correct to step down in mid-season to have a better chance of holding onto our key recruits, as well as giving his staff more time to evaluate their future employment options.

 

I salute Athletic Director Ray Tanner on his selection of Shawn Elliott as Interim Head Coach. I do know Shawn, his wife, Summer, and his parents fairly well. Shawn Elliott’s parents happen to tailgate very near to me at the University House and they are a wonderful South Carolina family.

 

Being local, Shawn grew up working concessions in the stands and is a dyed in the wool Gamecock fan. He and his lovely wife, Summer, are full of energy, passion and enthusiasm and I already see the difference in what he brings to the table for the program. I don’t know if he will be seriously considered for the permanent job, but I for one really hope he is. If he can win several more games, I would say give him the keys to the car and let him go with it! I do not know of anyone in the country who would have more drive, determination, passion and enthusiasm than Shawn will have for the program! It was infectious watching him during the Vandy football game last Saturday, and I am proud to call the Elliotts my friends.

 

As much as I am tempted to talk about the college football news here in my hometown, I feel it is much more important to focus on the plight of our fellow citizens who are suffering mightily in the aftermath of the Great Flood! Although my home was not affected in any meaningful way, there are many of my neighbors to the east who continue to deal with the devastating blow dealt to them and their families by this storm. Many people have lost their homes and possessions, many roadways are blocked (I have to take several detours to get from my home to my office), and roads are continuing to collapse having been worn out by water. Most of the City of Columbia and several other cities were without drinkable water which caused numerous issues such as washing dishes, washing clothes, brushing your teeth, etcetera. Businesses also suffered in terms of traffic congestion and restaurants with the lack of drinkable water. These economic losses are mounting and are expected to continue. What should we do?

 

We all have a duty to assist our fellow man. For those of you who can contribute financially make sure the charitable arm you are using is reliable and trustworthy, also give of your time, talent, and treasure to those who are less fortunate.

 

I have read numerous stories in the media about how people have almost lost their lives in the flood and unfortunately many did during this devastation. In Sunday’s State Newspaper, outstanding reporter Jeff Wilkinson told of the near death story of himself and his girlfriend. The article entitled, “The State reporter escapes Columbia flooding through car’s sunroof”, is a somber and compelling reminder of just how ruthless this storm was. Here is a link to the article:

 

http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article38712528.html

 

This has been an incredible week here in my hometown of Columbia, SC as well as other areas of our state. As everyone knows, we had enormous devastation, loss of life, and horrendous damage to property. I am heartbroken for my neighbors to the east of my residence who have suffered the most in the Gills Creek Watershed area. I happen to serve on the Board of the Gills Creek Watershed Association and maybe out of this tragedy our voices will be heard that we must develop commercially and residentially in an environmentally responsible manner around Gills Creek. We also need governmental and private focus on reviving one of the most impaired waterway systems in the United States!

 

I have been most impressed by the coordinated efforts of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), the local law enforcement agencies, the firemen, the EMS workers, the National Guard, etcetera, etcetera.

 

The volunteer spirit of my fellow citizens has been perhaps the most incredible! My son Mac deviated from his normal exercise bike route yesterday and went through the vicinity of Lake Katherine and the Kilbourne Road area and saw literally hundreds of volunteers out on the street assisting those who have lost everything.

The spirit of Columbia is alive and well.
COLUMBI –YEAH!

 

Today’s KellyGram is on the devastating loss of Forest Acres Police Officer Greg Alia. I was in the gym when the fatal shooting occurred, but I live very close by (I can hit a golf ball from my front yard into Forest Acres, although I live in the City of Columbia). We at the Mike Kelly Law Group are profoundly saddened by Wednesday’s tragic event. He was the perfect American story. A young man who grew up, was a Boy Scout, attended college, got married and had started a family. He was pursuing his passion to be a police officer and was serving the people of Forest Acres with distinction.

Last summer, my son, Mac, and I were returning from the golf course in my Mustang convertible when we were stopped by Officer Alia. I had an out-of-date decal on my license plate and he gave me a ticket. It was the most courteous traffic stop that I ever participated in. He told me that if I would show up at court with proof that I had a renewed tag then he would drop the ticket (which he did). He was an asset to his family, the City of Forest Acres and mankind. Please consider assisting his family by going to the Greg Alia Memorial gofundme page that has been set up for them.
https://www.gofundme.com/rw5b9wbc

   

Approximately a month ago, Tad McLeod left the Mike Kelly Law Group to join his family’s law firm, The McLeod Law Group, who were opening a branch in Columbia. Tad’s family is one of the most distinguished in the state of South Carolina and he comes from a long line of lawyers, legislators and civic leaders. Although we miss Tad, I was proud of the manner in which he exited our law firm and I fully support his decision to join a family tradition: families are important!

 

I am pleased that Tad’s replacement is on board and in her second week at the Mike Kelly Law Group. Her name is Jamie Smith, and she hails from Rock Hill, SC.  She has previous experience in the litigation arena. Jamie is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law with an undergraduate Bachelor of Science magna cum laude in International Business and Marketing. She is joining the litigation team with Brad Hewett and myself.

 

Welcome aboard, Jamie!  We are so happy to have you on our team!

   

Today’s KellyGram will be about my friend Chef Ryan. I have known Ryan Whittaker, the Executive Chef and Owner of my favorite restaurant/bar in Columbia (which is actually in West Columbia near the river right across the Gervais Street Bridge) @116 Espresso & Wine Bar, for many years. I have grown to love Ryan and his family in many ways. He and his wife Cheryl along with his faithful manager and one of the best bartenders in town Ryan Ditman were also very close to my late wife Anne. On the day of her funeral, they closed the restaurant and put on a wonderful reception in my church’s parish hall and although I have asked, I have yet to receive a bill. Ryan is an extremely creative chef and a very hard worker who thinks outside the box. In addition to dinner Tuesday through Saturday, he hosts Columbia’s best brunch on Saturday and Sunday starting at 10am with the last seating at 2:30pm. Besides dinner and brunch at the restaurant, Chef Ryan has a wonderful catering business and sometimes I joke with him that he loves the catering side more than the restaurant. He has catered many events for me and my late wife and will always be my “go to” caterer.

Ryan also donates his time, talent and treasure to support non-profits at his expense. He does several events a year for the SC Philharmonic including their highly successful golf tournament which is taking place on September 28, 2015. He does events for MDA, Palmetto Place and the Columbia Museum of Art just to name a few. This coming Sunday night he has gone over the top with a creative event called Dinner in White, a fundraiser for the Columbia Museum of Art featuring the farewell of the world-class Andy Warhol exhibit now on display at the museum through this weekend.

Most importantly, Ryan became the proud father of his precious little girl Sage this summer. Uncle Mike is very proud!

I suggest you try out @116 Espresso & Wine Bar, but you may want to call and make reservations especially on the weekends. They are just that good! Tell them Mike sent you!