H*5061 Resolution, By Willis, Pitts, Anthony, Alexander, Allison, Anderson, 
Atwater, Bales, Ballentine, Bamberg, Bannister, Bedingfield, Bernstein, Bingham, 
Bowers, Bradley, Brannon, G.A. Brown, R.L. Brown, Burns, Chumley, Clary, 
Clemmons, Clyburn, Cobb-Hunter, Cole, Collins, Corley, H.A. Crawford, Crosby, 
Daning, Delleney, Dillard, Douglas, Duckworth, Erickson, Felder, Finlay, 
Forrester, Fry, Funderburk, Gagnon, Gambrell, George, Gilliard, Goldfinch, 
Govan, Hamilton, Hardee, Hart, Hayes, Henderson, Henegan, Herbkersman, Hicks, 
Hill, Hiott, Hixon, Hodges, Horne, Hosey, Howard, Huggins, Jefferson, Johnson, 
Jordan, Kennedy, King, Kirby, Knight, Limehouse, Loftis, Long, Lowe, Lucas, 
Mack, McCoy, McEachern, McKnight, M.S. McLeod, W.J. McLeod, Merrill, Mitchell, 
D.C. Moss, V.S. Moss, Murphy, Nanney, Neal, Newton, Norman, Norrell, Ott, Parks, 
Pope, Putnam, Quinn, Ridgeway, Riley, Rivers, Robinson-Simpson, Rutherford, 
Ryhal, Sandifer, Simrill, G.M. Smith, G.R. Smith, J.E. Smith, Sottile, Southard, 
Spires, Stavrinakis, Stringer, Tallon, Taylor, Thayer, Tinkler, Toole, Weeks, 
Wells, Whipper, White, Whitmire, Williams and Yow
 A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. BILLY R. STRICKLAND,
 SUPERINTENDENT OF LAURENS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 55, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS
 RETIREMENT AFTER ALMOST FOUR DECADES OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE AS AN EDUCATOR, AND
 TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

   03/08/16  House  Introduced and adopted (House Journal-page 30)

TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. BILLY R. STRICKLAND, SUPERINTENDENT OF LAURENS COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 55, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER ALMOST FOUR DECADES OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE AS AN EDUCATOR, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives has learned that Dr. Billy R. Strickland will begin a well-deserved retirement after almost four decades as a premier educator, the last seven of which have been as the distinguished and highly-regarded superintendent of Laurens County School District 55; and

Whereas, after earning a bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina, he began his career in education teaching health, physical education, driver's education, physical science, and biology for fifteen years at various academic levels in Chester and Laurens counties. During that time, he coached two state champion football teams and a region champion wrestling team and was named Region Coach of the Year; and

Whereas, Dr. Strickland earned a master's degree from Winthrop University and a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University, and he served as an assistant principal at Laurens District 55 High School three years and as the principal there for four years; and

Whereas, for ten years he served as the assistant superintendent of Laurens County School District 55 before being named its superintendent on July 1, 2009. During his tenure with the district, he assisted in developing an energy conservation program that gave the district one of the lowest energy costs in the State; and

Whereas, he helped to develop a strategy to pass a construction referendum and to secure alternative funding, some of it interest free, and led the district in a $53 million building and renovation program over ten years with a tax increase of only 2.5 mills; and

Whereas, Dr. Strickland, former member and president of the board of directors of the Laurens YMCA, served on the board of Senior Options for the Foster Grandparents program and was a participant in the thirteenth class of the Laurens Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Laurens program; and

Whereas, he served on the board of visitors for both Piedmont Technical College and Lander University, on the South Carolina Association of School Administrators Legislative Platform Committee, and as a member of the South Carolina High School League Executive Committee; and

Whereas, devoted to his community, Dr. Strickland is a faithful member of Laurens First Baptist Church and the Rotary Club of Laurens. In 2014, he was honored with the President's Award of the Laurens Branch of the NAACP and was named the Citizen of the Year by the Saluda River Boy Scouts of America; and

Whereas, with his beloved wife, Celita, a guidance counselor at Laurens Elementary School, he reared two fine sons, Matt and Seth, both graduates of the University of South Carolina; and

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is grateful for the years of unparalleled dedication that Billy Strickland has devoted to educating the youth of this State and wishes him many years of enjoyment in his well-earned retirement. 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 Dr. Billy R. Strickland, Superintendent of Laurens County School District 55, upon the occasion of his retirement after almost four decades of exemplary service as an educator, and wish him continued success and happiness in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Dr. Billy R. Strickland.