For more than 43 years, the office of Pickens County Sheriff was held by one man, but early next year Pickens County will enter into a new era.

And so, The Easley Progress will now shake off the red rust of time and open up the archives to the Wednesday January 8, 1969 edition and will summarize the span of years between Sheriff David Stone’s first day to the present.

On page seven of that 1969 edition, an image of Pickens County’s newest officials were pictured taking their oaths.

Sheriff C. David Stone and Coroner Doug Haynes were photographed as they were administered the oath of office by Clerk of Court E.P. McDaniel.

During the four decades of service, Pickens County and the world around it experienced a transformation that made Sheriff Stone’s first year of office unrecognizable to that of the world today.

In January of 1969 no human being had ever stepped foot on the moon, but in July of that same year Neil Armstrong would walk across the lunar surface.

The Vietnam War had six more years of fighting, and 250,000 men and women would march on Washington in October of that year to protest it.

The 1970s saw the end of the war in Vietnam, the death of Elvis Presley, and the United States Bicentennial in 1976.

The 1980s saw a former Hollywood actor elected President of the United States in Ronald Reagan, the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, and the fall of the Berlin Wall in November of 1989.

The 1990s would witness the collapse of the Soviet Union and the official end of the Cold War, but would close with a tragic plane crash that took the lives of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife, and his sister-in-law.

The new century would dawn with excitement as Sydney, Australia hosted the Summer Olympic Games, but would be saddened the following year with the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

The War on Terror had begun.

Over the last 43 years, the world has suffered many great losses, tragedies, and sadness, but there have also been many joys, and improvements.

Communication technology has revolutionized the manner in which the world conducts its business, including the office of Sheriff and Pickens County.

Gone are the days of lengthy communication, penned letters, and distance isolation.

E-mails, cellular phones, and the internet have made the world a much smaller place to live, and stands in great contrast to the larger world that circled the sun 43 and a half years ago when Sheriff David Stone first took office.