By Michael C. Randle
We got stuck in the mud in about 2012 at the then Clarendon/Sumter County I-95 industrial megasite with John Truluck, the economic developer from Clarendon County, S.C. at the time (Manning, S.C. and the awesome lake).
That great man (center) with a middle name “Moultrie” (look it up, as in General Moultrie, Revolutionary War) heads up Dorchester County, S.C. in the Low Country of South Carolina today and our friend George Kosinski is now running Clarendon County Economic Development.
That is my son Matt, with I forgot the public works guy’s name shown in this photo for Clarendon. I think his name was Pedro. All I know is he was from Mexico, an immigrant, and he tried so hard to get us out. We could have had 100 of this nation’s hardest working immigrants and we wouldn’t have gotten that minivan out (not pictured), unless they carried it to the highway three miles away. And they probably could have.
Anyway, we were in Truluck’s minivan doing a windshield tour of the acreage and layout of the site, which was perfect for an auto plant. But we got stuck, in the mud, to the FRAME!
The public works guy (Pedro) came to pull the minivan out. His truck you see got stuck in the mud; like to the frame. The minivan was half buried in mud by then.
So, the fire department was summoned. The fire truck got stuck.
To unstick the fire truck, the firemen and the fire chief’s son sprayed all the water out of the fire truck into the woods to lighten the load, with the 10-year-old son holding the hose having a wonderful time shooting that water into the woods. No use.
Finally, a giant wrecker the size of a 747 arrived and got us all out. I would say, 2012? It could have been 2013.
What do you think, John Truluck? About right? George, you were working for Schwedler (Jay) then, I think.
I had a speech in Charleston that night. I didn’t make it, but it was truly a wonderful experience I will never forget. I did speak to some of the group the next morning.
Oh, road warrior adventures are a hell of a thing. Anyone have a similar story?
