H*4049 Resolution, By Horne, Murphy, Knight and Harrell
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR BERLIN G. MYERS, MAYOR OF
 SUMMERVILLE, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM PUBLIC OFFICE, AND TO
 WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

   04/07/11  House  Introduced and adopted (House Journal-page 2)

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR BERLIN G. MYERS, MAYOR OF SUMMERVILLE, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM PUBLIC OFFICE, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to learn that Berlin G. Myers will begin a well-earned retirement at the age of ninety-four after four decades as mayor of Summerville on June 20, 2011; and

Whereas, born in Knightsville in 1917 to a farming and logging family, Berlin Myers graduated from Summerville High School in 1938 and considered attending Clemson University, but he lacked the necessary three hundred seventy-five dollars to enroll; and

Whereas, when he was ten years old, the consummate entrepreneur opened a roadside stand where he sold cold drinks, cigarettes, bread, snacks, and homemade ices from a wooden stand; and

Whereas, he went into business for himself when he bought his uncle's lumber company in Charleston Heights and opened Berlin G. Myers Lumber Company in 1939; and

Whereas, before the beginning of World War II, he married Janie Farmer of Florence, and the couple had a daughter before he left for Europe in 1943 to serve his country; and

Whereas, when he returned, he reopened the lumber company, and he and his wife had three more children and moved the company to Summerville in 1962; and

Whereas, by 1965, he was persuaded to run for town council, and thus he began almost a half century of public service to the citizens of Summerville; and

Whereas, in 1972, he first sought to be elected mayor, but in ten consecutive terms as mayor, he never campaigned because he believed people would elect him if they wanted him to serve; and

Whereas, he was honored for his public service and leadership early in 1989 after almost two decades as mayor with the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest civilian award; and

Whereas, when he was first elected mayor, the Town of Summerville boasted a population of three thousand, and today the community is thirteen times that size; and

Whereas, he weathered this expansion with courtly graciousness and steely business acumen, standing steady at the town's helm through the devastation brought by Hurricane Hugo in September 1989 and steering the ship of Summerville as the storm drastically changed the town's landscape; and

Whereas, he continued to lead the town even through the death of his beloved wife, Janie, in 1999 and his remarriage in 2000 to Marlena Redfern Lewis who threw herself into civic and charitable work as if she were a native Summervillian; and

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is grateful for the legacy of servant leadership that Berlin G. Myers has bestowed on Summerville and appreciate the strong, humble guidance he has given to citizens of the State. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Berlin G. Myers, mayor of Summerville, upon the occasion of his retirement from public office, and wish him continued success and happiness in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Berlin G. Myers.