Charles DeVaney, former Augusta mayor dies following a car accident
wazzzy
Former Mayor Charles Devaney died today on highway 278 in South
Carolina.
A director at Sauls Funeral Home confirmed that DeVaney died when the
car he was driving in swerved off the road and hit a tree.
An autopsy is being performed Monday. His body will be transported to
Sauls Funeral Home after the autopsy.
Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver said today, "I'm shocked. He was a
friend and always committed to helping Augusta." Copenhaver says he
met with DeVaney two weeks ago. He calls this a sad day for the city.
wazzzy
from the Augusta Chronicle:
Former Augusta Mayor Charles DeVaney was found dead Sunday afternoon
in his car in Jasper County, S.C.
Jasper County Coroner Martin Sauls said he received a call at about 5
p.m. from a man living on U.S. Highway 278 who said he heard a car
crash into a tree.
"We're not sure about cause of death," Mr. Sauls said. "We'll do an
autopsy to see if he had a heart attack," he said. "It wasn't that
severe of a crash, so maybe he was dead when he hit the tree."
The autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday at the Medical University of
South Carolina in Charleston, Mr. Sauls said.
Mayor Deke Copenhaver said Mr. DeVaney will be missed.
"He was a friend, and I want to tell you I was shocked to hear it,"
Mr. Copenhaver said. "But he will very much be missed by the
community.
"After serving as mayor he stayed involved, and we worked together on
many different causes. And I would hope the community would join me in
mourning his passing and praying for the family."
Jasper County is the southernmost county in South Carolina. Mr.
DeVaney's 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer was found about five miles from
Ridgeland, which is about 25 miles from Hilton Head Island, Mr. Sauls
said.
Mr. DeVaney, 53, was alone in the car. No alcohol was suspected in the
death, Mr. Sauls said.
U.S. Highway 278 runs from Augusta to Hilton Head Island.
Mr. DeVaney was elected to Augusta City Council in 1981. He was chosen
mayor in 1984 when then-Mayor Ed McIntyre was convicted of bribery and
extortion.
He was elected to a three-year term later that year and re-elected in
1987, 1990 and 1993. He served as mayor until Augusta's consolidation
with Richmond County on Jan. 1, 1996.
He was a graduate of Augusta College, where he earned a political
science degree in 1974; Mercer University law school; and the London
School of Economics, where he earned a master's degree in comparative
politics in 2001.
After leaving office, Mr. DeVaney remained active in a number of civic
endeavors. He served as executive director of Augusta Tomorrow,
interim president of the Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corp. and
executive director of the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation.
He also taught political science at Augusta State University.
Staff Writer Bill Norton contributed to this story.
>From the Sunday, Jan. 28, 2007 online edition of The Augusta
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/latest/lat_012807_DeVaney.shtml
Louis Epstein
Augusta,Maine is meant?
-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
wazzzy
On Jan 29, 11:42 am, Louis Epstein <l...@main.put.com> wrote:
I assume from context that Augusta,Georgia rather than
Augusta,Maine is meant?
Yep. I forgot all about Augusta, Maine (The Kennebec Journal), so I
should have included an abbreviation for Geogia in the title. Sorry
about that
wazzzy
*oooops! correct that to Georgia!
Hopefully they'll still allow my occasional visits