Today, it is just a baby. But as it grows, the White oak planted this month in the children’s park of the Lydia Mill community will be a symbol — a symbol that even a mighty storm cannot wreck a city’s resolve to exist.
Hurricane Helene zeroed in on the Lydia community just over a year ago, and many large limbs and trees fell to block the former mill village’s streets. People dug out - with the help of the SC National Guard - but the damage here and throughout Clinton was undeniable.
On Nov. 7, Clinton Canopy took part of that remembrance of destruction away from Hurricane Helene. This is the tree that was planted that cool, crispy late fall morning: “It is a large, imposing tree sometimes reaching 100 feet in height with a short stocky trunk and massive horizontal limbs which may spread as wide as the tree is tall. When planted in the open, as this one is, the wide spreading branches form an upright, broad-rounded crown.”
Those are words from Susan Galloway, representing Clinton Canopy, a volunteer organization that combines the skills of amateur gardeners into a flower- and tree-planting force in and around the City of Clinton. They have been so successful that on Dec. 6, they will be the Grand Marshals of the Clinton Christmas Parade. The organization also conducted its Daffodils of Remembrance activity last Saturday by planting bulbs on the Highway 72 side of the Clinton Elementary School campus. They organized and accomplished the planting of 600 bulbs.
On Arbor Day, 2025, as a total surprise, a driving force of many community enhancement projects in Clinton was honored by Clinton Canopy, as Galloway said, “Clinton Canopy exists because we love our small town and want to be a part of making it better. Today we are giving the Arbor Day service award to someone who has worked to improve Clinton and Laurens County from the day she set foot here – Ann Shaw Cornelson.
“Ann was born and raised in Raleigh, NC, and attended summer camp in the mountains of NC for many years. It was there she learned the beauty of nature, names of trees by their leaves, the wonderful feel of a cool breeze and the refreshing jolt of jumping into a cold mountain lake. To this day, Ann reflects on the value of these experiences in her life.”
To say Ann was surprised would be understatement. She humbly accepted the award, and then welded a shovel to scoop the first dirt onto the roots of the White oak planted to commemorate Arbor Day, 2025. Others with Clinton Canopy and a Clinton Public Works Department backhoe finished the planting, and watering.
“Laurens County won the lottery when Ann met and married George Cornelson of Clinton,” Galloway said, “and they became permanent residents of our county in 1956. While raising their four children, Ann focused on civic activities, held leadership positions at First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, served on the boards of the South Carolina State Museum and her alma mater, Hollins University. Some of Ann’s most treasured roles involved working closely with Dr. Jerman Disasa and the CHAMPS program at Presbyterian College during its 20 years of inspiring young people in Laurens County; and coordinating with George Love, of Laurens, and Jim Roberts, of Clinton, in the establishment of the Laurens County Community Foundation which now manages assets of approximately eleven million dollars. Over the years, Ann and George supported the work of both Thornwell and Presbyterian College in ways that help both institutions thrive well beyond our county lines. In 2016, PC awarded Ann the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service.
“Throughout her life here, Ann has been interested in keeping our community beautiful. When Clemson University offered the Master Gardener course through the Laurens County Extension office, Ann was in the first class. At a time when most of us may have expected her to be resting on her laurels, Ann stepped into another role and joined Clinton Canopy in 2021. She has been an inspiration and role model for all of us.”
Galloway said that even into her 90’s, Ann Cornelson can be seen pulling weeds and planting daffodil bulbs, all for the love of Laurens County. This commitment to the earth and what it provides us “all goes back to her youth of cherishing the great outdoors and loving where she is planted. Ann can often be found today reading a book under the tree canopy of her patio or driving around town with the top down in her convertible, feeling the cool breeze on a beautiful day. Love and support for where she lives while encouraging others along the way is a great way to describe our Arbor Day Award recipient, Ann Cornelson.”
“I’m very honored, “Cornelson said. “I appreciate this, and I appreciate PC and what it has done for Clinton and Laurens County.”
The award-presentation adds that Ann Cornelson was instrumental in establishing the Laurens County Community Foundation and has been a very active member of First Presbyterian Church in Clinton. Ann Cornelson and her husband, George, have made a large impact on the students, faculty, staff, and life of Presbyterian College, who awarded Ann with honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service. The Cornelsons’ generosity also includes contributions to endowed scholarships that provide financial assistance to students; the Cornelson Church Leadership Development Center; to numerous building and renovation projects, including Thomason Library renovations, Bailey Memorial Stadium, Templeton Physical Education Center, and the Neville Renewed campaign. “Ann Cornelson exemplifies the very best in our community,” Galloway said.
Presbyterian College granted an Honorary Doctor of Public Service to Ann Shaw Cornelson of the Clinton community. Cornelson was born in Raleigh, N.C. She graduated from Needham Broughton High School and earned a B. A. degree from Hollins University in Roanoke, Va. She married the late George H. Cornelson, from Clinton, and the Cornelsons have been residents of Clinton since 1956, after residing in Dayton, Ohio, where George Cornelson served in the United States Air Force. While rearing their four children, Cornelson shared her time by focusing on civic activities, including serving on various local and county boards. She has also supported her alma mater, Hollins University, as a former member of their Board of Trustees and as a donor. Eventually serving as Chair of the South Carolina State Museum, Mrs. Cornelson was instrumental in the development of the museum that is housed in Columbia.
While presentation of the service award was the featured element of Arbor Day, there still was work to be done. The tree (Quercus alba) that was planted in a Clinton park on November 7, 2025, has light gray bark, “and the leaves are large with deep lobes and a pale, whitish underside, which gives the tree its name. The leaves are dark green to slightly blue green in summer. The fall foliage is showy, with leaves turning wine-red to orange red. At maturity, which takes about 20 years, the white oak produces large acorns - up to an inch long.
“The White oak is a long-lived tree, reaching 200-300 years,” Galloway’s presentation continued. “There was one specimen in Maryland estimated to be 450 years old and one in Bedford, NY estimated to be 500 years old.
“A tree in NJ, possibly the oldest in the U.S. was estimated to be 600 years when it was taken down. While young trees can adapt to a variety of soil textures, older trees are very sensitive to construction disturbances and can be troubled by sudden competition from newly planted lawns with their excessive irrigation. Their root zones must be respected for them to remain healthy.”
Acorns of the White oak are a valuable food source for wildlife while the wood has many uses. The tight structure of the wood makes it water and rot-resistant, making it the preferred wood for barrels, giving it the common name Stave oak. Dale Taylor Nursery recommended to Clinton Canopy the planting of this particular tree in this particular spot.
“Come join us as we plant a tree,” the ceremony concluded, “that will provide shade for many generations of families to sit and watch children playing in the park.”
The Chronicle thanks Susan Galloway and Clinton Canopy for providing the information used in this article.
