DARLINGTON — A Darlington businessman died Wednesday — his 94th birthday — during a crash that sent his wife and another driver to the hospital.
Jessie Willard “Sambo” Ard, owner of Ard Trucking Co. in Darlington, was leaving a gathering held in honor of his birthday when the crash occurred, Darlington County Coroner J. Todd Hardee said.
The crash happened at 1:05 p.m. at U.S. 52 and U.S. 52 Bypass, about three miles north of Darlington, S.C. Highway Patrol Cpl. Paul Brouthers said.
Ard was riding in a Ford Taurus station wagon traveling south on the bypass when the driver tried to make a left turn into the path of an 18-wheeler traveling north on the bypass, according to highway patrol reports.
The 18-wheeler struck the wagon on the passenger’s side then overturned, spilling the scrap metal it was hauling onto the highway, Brouthers said.
Ard was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. His 88-year-old wife of 72 years, Gena, who was driving their vehicle, was taken to an area hospital for treatment.
The driver of the 1986 Mack truck, Edward Lee Spears of Pamplico, was taken by helicopter to an area hospital for treatment.
Mr. Ard founded Ard Trucking Co. in 1945 with a used 1938 truck and a wrecked trailer he fixed. He said in a 2002 interview with the Morning News he found somebody to drive the truck for him because he was working full time and couldn’t afford to quit.
He worked as a mechanic for Harold Brasington Sr., founder of Darlington Raceway, who owned a trucking company. After World War II, he worked for the Psillos brothers at Darlington Construction Co. Mr. Ard said he saved and scrimped to buy two more trucks while keeping the concrete trucks rolling at Darlington Construction.
Fred Mattox, 90, was a friend of Mr. Ard and worked with him before he opened Ard Trucking Co. in 1945.
“Sambo was a fine fellow,” said Mattox, the last worker to walk out of the Darlington Manufacturing Co. when it closed in 1956. “I knew him very well in his younger years. We used to work together at Sealtest. He was always willing to help others.”
At the time of the interview, Ard Trucking had 120 employees and 100 trucks hauling dry freight to 48 states for such companies as A.O. Smith, Wellman Inc., Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing Inc. and Coca-Cola. And Mr. Ard was still driving to work every day in his compact 1983 pickup.
The Ards’ youngest son, Allen, serves as president and CEO of the family-owned business at 1702 N. Gov. Williams Highway. He was fresh out of high school when he took over the operation, which by then had four trucks and four trailers.
Mr. Ard was 21 and his wife 16 when they married. He said they woke up a probate judge to perform the ceremony and then returned for another helping of ice cream at a local ice cream parlor.
“Me and Gena came up hard during hard times,” he said. “It’s those kinds of times that make you appreciate what you got.”
Mr. Ard said he’d come a long way in life because “I’ve had a lot of help from friends and family who wanted me to have something.
“And I ain’t never going to forget it,” he said. “When I leave, they’ll be all right.”
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