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| Thank You James For All That You DID For Cherokee County! |
Longtime Cherokee County Councilman
James Dewey Batchler went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, August 27, 2009. James was born on December
6th, 1923 and was a lifetime resident of Cherokee County. He was a member of Hopewell Baptist Church. He was married
to the former Lucille Pierce and had two children, two grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. James served on the County
Council from January 1st, 1967 until his death on 08/27/09. He was Chairman of the Council in 1984, 1989, and 1990. He
served as past Chariman of the Cherokee County Finance Committee, Public Works Committee, Judicial Services Committee, and
the Human Services Committee. He was also a member of the Board of Directors for the Appalachian Council of Governments for
more than 20 years. James was also a past member of the Cherokee, Spartanburg & Union Counties Private Industry Council,
the SC Association of Counties Advisory Board, a Master of the Buffalo Masonic Lodge 202, and a member of the Board of Directors
for the CKC Volunteer Fire Department.
James was instrumental in the utilization of the old hospital building now
named Peachtree Centre to provide health care services for out elderly. He was also responsible for obtaining over 2
million dollars in grants to provide water for the Cherokee Falls area and other areas throughout Blacksburg. James was also
instrumental in obtaining millions of dollars for the paving of state and county roads in Blacksburg as well as other locations
in Cherokee County. He also was responsible for raising millions of dollars to build and furnish the Blacksburg library
which included county support as well as personal solicitations. He was a strong supporter of law enforcement in Cherokee
County and helped to replace older an older fleet of vehicles with new ones and helped to increase the number of Sheriff
Patrol personnel.
James strongly supported public service agencies such as Service to Aging, Rural Fire Departments,
Disabilities and Special Needs Board and the Cherokee County Recreation District.
The James D. Batchler Bridge
that crosses the Broad River along US Highway 29 in Cherokee County was named and dedicated to him on 5/18/07 by the S.C.
Department of Transportation.
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