The Order of the Palmetto is the highest civilian honor awarded by the governor of South Carolina. [1] It is awarded to South Carolinians who demonstrate extraordinary lifetime achievement, service and contributions of national or statewide significance. [2]
Governor John West created the Order of the Palmetto in 1971 to recognize lifetime achievement and service by South Carolina residents and those born in the state. [3] It is thought to be modeled on similar honors bestowed in other states, such as the Kentucky Colonel. [4]
Over the years, the honor program has been modified. In 1997, Governor David Beasley established the Order of the Silver Crescent as a companion award to the Order of the Palmetto to recognize contributions by persons younger than 18. [4] In 1999, Governor Jim Hodges created a non-partisan screening panel to review nominations. The eligibility criteria for the Order of the Silver Crescent was changed to make it an auxiliary award honoring achievement or service at the local level, without restrictions of age. [3] In 2003, Governor Mark Sanford created a panel to establish firm criteria for award eligibility, with the goal of changing the perception that the order was a political send-off.[ citation needed ]
As of 2004, over 3,500 people have been honored with the Order of the Palmetto. [4] Awardees include the rock band Hootie and the Blowfish, which Governor Jim Hodges recognized in 1999 for its charity efforts. Governors Henry McMaster and Nikki Haley received the award prior to their assuming office. [3] Mary Simms Oliphant, honored in 1982, was the first woman to receive the award. [5] Other notable recipients include novelist Pat Conroy, civil rights activist Septima Poinsette Clark, football coach Lou Holtz, and musician James Brown. [6]
The award comes in the form of a certificate or plaque that, in part, reads:
In grateful recognition of your contributions and friendship to the State of South Carolina and her people, I do hereby confer unto you the Order of the Palmetto with all the rights and privileges appertaining thereto.
The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone.
The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association is a fraternal organization founded on July 26, 1922, in Atlanta, Georgia. AHEPA was founded to fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. It is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe.
James Hovis Hodges is an American businessman, attorney, and politician who served as the 114th governor of South Carolina from 1999 to 2003. Since his victory in 1998, Hodges has remained the only Democrat elected to the South Carolina Governor's office since the 1982 election.
David Muldrow Beasley is an American politician and the former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term as the 113th Governor of South Carolina from 1995 until 1999 before losing reelection to Democrat Jim Hodges. He also served as a state representative from 1981 until 1995.
The flag of South Carolina is a symbol of the U.S. state of South Carolina consisting of a blue field with a white palmetto tree and white crescent. Roots of this design have existed in some form since 1775, being based on one of the first American Revolutionary War flags. While keeping most of its design intact since its adoption, it has varied over the years.
Kentucky Colonel is the highest title of honor bestowed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and is the best-known of a number of honorary colonelcies conferred by United States governors. A Kentucky Colonel Commission is awarded in the name of the Commonwealth by the governor of Kentucky to individuals with "Honorable" titular style recognition preceding the names of civilians aged 18 or over, for noteworthy accomplishments, contributions to civil society, remarkable deeds, or outstanding service to the community, state, or a nation. The Governor bestows the honorable title with a colonelcy commission, by issuance of letters patent.
Philip Simmons was an American artisan and blacksmith specializing in the craft of ironwork. Simmons spent 78 years as a blacksmith, focusing on decorative iron work. When he began his career, blacksmiths in Charleston made practical, everyday household objects, such as horseshoes. By the time he retired 77 years later, the craft was considered an art form rather than a practical profession.
The honorable title prefix and style of "Colonel" is designated legally for various reasons by US governors in common law to citizens, employees, travelers and visitors within their states. The origins of the titular colonelcy can be traced back to colonial and antebellum times when men of the landed gentry were given the title to commission companies or for financing the local militias without actual expectations of command. This practice can actually be traced back to the English Renaissance when a colonelcy was purchased by a lord or prominent gentleman but the actual command would fall to a lieutenant colonel, who would deputize its members for the proprietor.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, created in 1964, is an honor that can be granted in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2021, it was believed the Order had been awarded to more than 21,000 people.
The President's Volunteer Service Award is a civil award bestowed by the President of the United States. Established by executive order by George W. Bush, the award was established to honor volunteers that give hundreds of hours per year helping others through the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. The award can be granted to individuals, families and organizations located throughout the United States. Depending on the amount of service hours completed, individuals can receive the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and/or the President's Call to Service Award. The Call to Service Award is the most prestigious, and it has been awarded to few Americans to recognize over 4,000 hours of extraordinary service including notable honorees such as S. Truett Cathy, Mark Carman, and Zach Bonner. Awardees may receive a personalized certificate, an official pin, medallion, and/or a congratulatory letter from the President depending on the award earned.
The 1998 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Jim Hodges, the Democratic nominee, handily defeated Republican Governor David Beasley to become the 114th governor of South Carolina. Beasley was the first incumbent governor to be defeated for reelection since Daniel Henry Chamberlain in the disputed election of 1876. As of 2022, this was the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of South Carolina.
Willie E. Jeffries is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at South Carolina State University for 19 seasons in two stints, five seasons at Wichita State University, and five seasons at Howard University. Jeffries was the first African American head coach of an NCAA Division I-A football program at a predominantly white college when he coached Wichita State. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
The Tall Building Awards or CTBUH Awards recognizes projects and individuals who have made an extraordinary contribution to the advancement of tall buildings and urban environment, as well as achieving sustainability at the highest and broadest level. The annual awards are judged by an independent panel of experts commissioned by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a non-profit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2019, there are two individual lifetime achievement awards, The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award and Fazlur Khan Lifetime Achievement Medal, and several categorical awards for projects and structures.
It is important to distinguish between awards,honors, and membership levels in the Order of the Arrow – the honor camping society of the Boy Scouts of America. The Founder's Award, the Red Arrow Award, and the Distinguished Service Award are all awards. Any of the awards of the Order of the Arrow (OA) may be presented to an individual regardless of which membership level they have achieved. The Vigil Honor may only be bestowed upon Brotherhood Members.
Jim Harrison was an American artist and writer whose work is known for chronicling earlier twentieth century rural life. Harrison's paintings are featured in personal and corporate art collections across the United States, and he had successful one-man shows at the Hammer Galleries in New York City and the Conacher Gallery in San Francisco.
David Rogers Chesnutt was an American historian and editor.
The 2016 South Carolina Republican presidential primary took place on February 20 in the U.S. state of South Carolina, marking the Republican Party's third nominating contest in their series of presidential primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Michael Del Priore was an American master portrait artist with an international reputation, known for oil and pastel portraits in the Classical Realism style.
The Charleston Chronicle is a weekly newspaper serving the African-American and Black communities in Charleston, South Carolina. The paper is a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a trade group of more than 200 Black-owned media companies in the United States. Its estimated circulation is 6,000 copies. Damion Smalls is the paper's editor and Tolbert Smalls is the publisher.
