Jerry and Linda Butler

John Cantzon Foster was born in Columbia, South Carolina in 1939. As his father moved frequently in a succession of jobs as a journalist, much of his childhood was spent at Wavering Place at Congaree, the country estate of his maternal grandparents. When both of his parents died during the winter of 1950-51, he and his sisters were adopted by Dr. James A. Hayne, their mother's brother, and moved to Hampton, South Carolina. John Foster won a Navy ROTC scholarship and graduated from Duke University in 1961. As a naval officer, he served on a succession of ships, commanded Coastal River Division 22 and Special Boat Squadron 2, and served as an advisor to the South Vietnamese and Colombian navies. After retirement as a Captain in 1984, he taught at Conway High School for five years, then at Summerville High School.