Pate named Warden of Allendale Correctional Institute

Jerry E. Halmon, Staff Reporter

Long-time Bamberg resident, John R. Pate, was named the new warden at the Allendale Correctional Institution in Allendale County in June of this year.

Corrections Department veteran Pate is the fifth warden to run the prison since it opened in 1989. Pate has worked at the institution since its beginning as an inmate relations coordinator, training specialist, unit manager, and shift captain, before being named associate warden in 1999.

Pate spent more than 20 years in the United States Army, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer prior to joining the Corrections Department.

Born in McCall, S.C., Pate has been living in Bamberg since 1968 and is married to Shirley Hiott Pate. They have two daughters, Christy Pate Kinsey and Julie Pate Ulmer and five grandchildren.

"I never thought I would be working at a prison after retiring from the Army. However, when I started I decided to make a go of it and climb as far as I could," said Pate. "It is hard work, good luck and more hard work."

Pate says the Allendale Correctional Institution is a medium-security male prison with 200 plus employees. It houses about 1,200 inmates and is one of nine medium-security prisons in South Carolina.

"The correctional institute is definitely an asset to the area. We will always have a product and will not be closing its doors," said the Warden.

Bamberg’s memorial service

A memorial service for City of Bamberg Police Officer and Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School Resource Officer (SRO) Eric Bamberg was held Friday, August 20, at 2:00 pm in the Bamberg-Ehrhardt High School Gymnasium.

Officer Bamberg died Sunday August 15, at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston after a brief illness.

Intervention Program

Jerry Durgan, Contributing Writer

“When a child succeeds in school, his or her behavior is better in school,” explained School District I Superintendent Phyllis Schwarting to parents at the Title I Parent meeting August 10.

Under Title I, both Richard Carroll Elementary and RC Primary will implement a new school-wide program, Response to intervention, this school year.

RTI integrates assessment and intervention within a multilevel prevention system to maximize student achievement and to reduce behavior problems.

“To be honest,” Supt. Schwarting explained, “We’ve been doing just this for many years. The teachers and faculty have held themselves to extreme roles of accountability for many years. We’ve just never given it a name and had never before documented to any extent the performance of intervention. Now we will be heavily documenting and structuring the program."