S*1150 Resolution, By Scott and Jackson
 A SENATE RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH
 CAROLINA SENATE UPON THE PASSING OF E. PERRY PALMER OF COLUMBIA, AND TO EXTEND
 THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.

   02/09/10  Senate Introduced and adopted SJ-7

TO EXPRESS THE PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA SENATE UPON THE PASSING OF E. PERRY PALMER OF COLUMBIA, AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate were deeply saddened to learn of the death of E. Perry Palmer of Columbia on February 3, 2010; and

Whereas, Mr. Palmer, a funeral director, businessman, devoted husband and family man, and friend to humanity, was born in Sumter on August 9, 1935, to Edmund Perry Palmer and Ellie Naudin Dibble Palmer. His parents instilled in him the ethic that if you are blessed, you must serve your fellow man. With a quiet demeanor, always shunning the limelight, E. Perry Palmer made his parents' teaching his own and lived a life of service; and

Whereas, he was president and director of Palmer Memorial Chapel of Columbia. His successes as a businessman, philanthropist, and humanitarian were intertwined with his devotion to mankind, and his roots in his native State were deep and pervasive. His paternal grandfather, Robert John Palmer, and maternal grandfather, Eugene Herriott Dibble, served in the South Carolina Legislature during Reconstruction, and E. Perry was a descendent of Bonds Conway, the first black citizen in Camden to buy his own freedom; and

Whereas, young E. Perry prepared himself early for his life's work by shadowing the footsteps of his late father, who was the first black funeral director and embalmer in Sumter County. A graduate of Mather Academy in Camden, Monson Academy in Massachusetts, and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, E. Perry Palmer completed his professional training at the American Academy of Funeral Service in New York. Born into the funeral profession, he was passionate about ensuring that professional standards of excellence were achieved and maintained; and

Whereas, a man of faith, he was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church, where he served in numerous capacities over the years. As a community servant, he personally sponsored Adopt-A-School programs, Youth at Risk, Just Say No, and other youth and adult recreation programs, and he provided scholarships for students; and

Whereas, E. Perry Palmer touched the lives of many as a philanthropist and humanitarian. In 1998, he received the United Way of the Midlands Humanitarian Award, the first African-American to receive the award since its inception in 1984. On July 7, 1999, the State of South Carolina presented to him the Order of the Silver Crescent. Other awards included induction into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame and a Lifetime Service Award from Carolina Scholarships, Inc.; and

Whereas, throughout the years, this gentle man served on numerous boards, including those of the Columbia Urban League, Indian Waters Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Palmetto Health Foundation, State Chamber of Commerce, United Way of the Midlands, First Citizens Bank, Central Carolina Community Foundation, Benjamin E. Mays Academy for Leadership Development, James R. Clark Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, South Carolina Arts Commission, South Carolina State Museum Foundation, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia College, and Heathwood Hall Episcopal School. He aspired to address the needs of those less fortunate to the best of his ability in an effort to give back to the community; and

Whereas, active in his profession, E. Perry was past president of the South Carolina Morticians Association, secretary of the board, vice chair and chairman of the board of directors, district governor of the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association, as well as president. His leadership in these positions earned him many honors, including a citation from the American Academy of Funeral Service; and

Whereas, E. Perry Palmer was married to the love of his life, the late Grace Justine Brooks Palmer, and their lives were blessed with two children, son Brooks Naudin Palmer and daughter Ema Pinn Palmer. He leaves to cherish his memory his children, six grandchildren, and a host of other family members and friends. He will be greatly missed. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate:

That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of E. Perry Palmer of Columbia, and extend the deepest sympathy to his family and many friends.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the children of Mr. E. Perry Palmer for the family.