I Know a Man

The following was written on August 7th, 2007, in honor a man I knew and came to love. His name was Dale Berryman.

I Know a Man

I know a man. Not just any man; a man with convictions, morals, and values. A man that cannot be described in the mere words I type here. One has to know this man. Then, and only then, can one begin to truly describe him, if one even dares try doing so.

I was blessed to be introduced to this man about ten years ago, and to tell you the truth, I wish I would have known this man before that. If I never had started working for his wife, who is another honest soul in herself, I may have never had the opportunity to know this gentle giant. No, he is not a big man, but he has a big heart and for that, he is definitely a gentle giant. I am privileged to know this man and I will always be privileged for having known him.

Let me now reveal who this great man is. His name is Dale Berryman, I call him "Mr. Dale." Yeah, I know, he is not a household name over the nation, but to many, this man is a celebrity, especially in the small town in which we both live. He may not see himself a celebrity, but in so many eyes of the people he has been blessed to know and come into contact with, he seems like it. Okay, maybe "celebrity" is not the correct word to use here. Maybe I should use "star" or "public figure" or maybe even "icon" instead. Yeah, there it is; "icon." Mr. Dale Berryman is an "icon" in this town. Not just for the folks he knows and the gratitude that all of them have shown him, but most of all, for the many displays of his work around Walterboro, South Carolina.

Jesus may have been the true carpenter, building and establishing a reputation where one day, we will all see the mighty mansion He built for us to live in eternally, but if one looks around this small town nestled in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, the great displays of carpentry from Dale Berryman can be seen by all. From the county courthouse to the historic Bedon-Lucas house, Dale Berryman has contributed countless hours of his handy work to preserve the legacy of greatness these buildings have in Walterboro.

Colleton County, where the city of Walterboro resides, has a historical society that hired Mr. Berryman for various jobs. One of the many jobs he had in preserving the history of Walterboro was reconstructing the windows of the courthouse. By hand, this carpenter reconstructed, one by one, the windows of this county seat and made them look as if the original windows were still in place. Now, since the courthouse recently went under a total renovation, I am sure the windows he handmade and installed are not there now, but on second thought, maybe they are because they realize what an "icon" we have in this town. If so, isn't it great to know that his handy-work is still visible in such a place of prestige?

But Mr. Berryman is not only known for his work with the historical society; he is also known for doing odd jobs for many folks around town. From restoring antique furniture or building things to accommodate others' needs and satisfaction, Dale Berryman is a man of woodworking knowledge. I have proof of this, as he reconstructed and replaced a rocker foot for a rocking chair for one of my neighbors. It looked as if the original was still on the chair, like it had never been broken or replaced. It was amazing how one little piece could be replaced and not look like it had been. But, having that kind of knowledge gives him all that he needed to make a living working with wood and his hands. Dale Berryman can look at a piece of wood, and just by the grain and color of it, can tell what type it is. I know that he is not the only person that can do this because I have that same knowledge as well, as I used to work in a cabinet shop. I, however, do not have the knowledge that Mr. Berryman has in that area. Working with so many different types of wood over the many years he has done so, gives a person vast knowledge and perception. Mr. Berryman has that knowledge and perception that made him do work at a top-notch level.

There is one little thing though that I will always remember that Mr. Berryman did. I don't think he will remember this, but he might. It showed me just what kind of man he was and how much his work meant to him. In the summer of 1998, where I live in Hendersonville, just outside of Walterboro, there was a horrendous thunderstorm, but before the bottom fell out, it hailed. I don't mean just little sized hail either; I mean hail bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a fist. It was unbelievable. The ground looked like a sea of white ice rocks. It wasn't until October that my family realized that our house's roof had damage. So, we did what we needed to do and from there, after the insurance had it all straightened out, we were able to hire a contractor. The contractor we hired was, of course, Dale Berryman. Just like he had always done, he went to work with the knowledge God had given him to do so.

Half way through the job of replacing the shingles on our roof, I was actually standing outside with him as he was taking a brake. At the time, we were both standing beside the old light blue Ford truck he drove at the time. I noticed him looking up at the roof and the new shingles he had just placed up there. Suddenly, he shook his head and said, "Damn, I just hate that!" I looked at him and said, "Why, what's wrong?" His answer was not what I expected. His answer showed exactly what type of man and what type of person he is. He looked at me and said, "That row of shingles there isn't exactly straight." I would have never noticed it if he hadn't said anything. I looked at him and reassured him that it was okay, but he shook his head again, and then looked at me, and said, "But Lamar, it's a pride thing." Then, and only then, did I really realize the measure of a man that Mr. Dale was. To this day, I can look at my roof, see that line of shingles he was referring to, and laugh because I think it so petty; however, to a man of worth and knowledge, it meant more than that. It meant his livelihood of being a top-notch contractor.

Besides that, Dale Berryman is a man of many things that is so much longer than words can describe. One just has to know him to realize what I am saying and writing. Now, this man is dealing with something more; something that some people in this world deal with on a daily basis, and sadly, takes the life of each one. That thing is cancer. He is not only dealing with cancer, but also emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Those, however, are besides the point here, and that is not the point of this editorial.

The point of this editorial is to tell about the man I have come to know as "Mr. Dale." While there is so much more to be said about Dale Berryman, more than I even know about this "icon" in the Walterboro community, it is best that I leave this short and just share a tidbit of what I know about him. From my standpoint, I feel that I have given everyone just that. The only thing I have actually neglected to mention here is his wife, and my boss, "Ms." Marge Berryman. As I said earlier in this passage, if it had not been for her, I would never have had the privilege of knowing such a great man of stature. In my experience of being friends with both of them, not only is Mr. Dale an "icon," but also Ms. Marge is an "icon" all by herself. Not only is she my boss or supervisor as we call her at work, but she has been a friend. There are not too many "icons" in this town, and I am blessed with knowing the best two that make this community a better place. If I was to write a history of Walterboro, which I never plan to do, these two "icons" will be at the top of the list of "honorable mentions."