They’ve provided maintenance for more than 18 months at the 200-acre Wofford Preserve in Glendale, which includes the college’s Goodall Center for Environmental Studies. They clear trails, build bog bridges, remove litter, mow grass and cut trees.
“I don’t know what we would do without them,” says Dr. Kaye Savage, professor of environmental studies and director of the Goodall Environmental Studies Center. “The maintenance they’re doing is so important to ensure we have good access.”
Ayers coached the Terrier football team for 30 years before retiring in 2017. Lane taught English and environmental studies for 32 years. They often enjoyed lunch together over the years.
“I’ve always appreciated Mike’s mind and how he could work problems out,” says Lane. “He would look at the football field and determine what we could get and how we could compete, and I knew he would have the same approach out here.”
Lane was the first director for the Goodall Center, which opened in 2009 when the environmental studies program began. He served in that role until his retirement last spring. Three years ago, the preserve started to take shape with the college’s lease of 100 acres from the Tyger River Foundation and property owned by an area family. It’s a place for students, faculty and staff to conduct research and study the environment, but it also meant responsibility for additional land that would need regular maintenance.
Lane secured grant money to pay student workers to clear trails and build bridges during the summers. Dr. George Tyson ’72, a passionate supporter of the college’s environmental studies program, suggested that he reach out to Ayers for assistance. The former coach has always enjoyed the outdoors. Now Ayers and Lane supervise student workers and take pride in working themselves.
Lane secured grant money to pay student workers to clear trails and build bridges during the summers. Dr. George Tyson ’72, a passionate supporter of the college’s environmental studies program, suggested that he reach out to Ayers for assistance. The former coach has always enjoyed the outdoors. Now Ayers and Lane supervise student workers and take pride in working themselves.
There’s a list of future projects, including the building of a bird blind so people can observe the preserve’s wetlands.
When Ayers isn’t volunteering in Glendale, he’s tending to his yard and painting. He started painting as an assistant coach, but it was hard to do as a Division I head football coach.
Lane, who lives near the preserve, enjoys daily walks through it, which leads to him identifying tasks that he and Ayers can tackle. When Lane’s not at the preserve, he and his wife, Betsy Teeter, are often working around their cabin in the Western North Carolina mountains. His days consist of a lot of reading and writing. He recently celebrated having a new novel published, and more books are in the works. A one-act play that he wrote 30 years ago was performed virtually by the Spartanburg Little Theater in November.
by Dudley Brown