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TO COMMEND DR. PAUL A. SANDIFER, DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT ON APRIL 1, 2003, FOR HIS OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AND MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING HIS THIRTY-ONE YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED PUBLIC SERVICE, TO EXPRESS THE DEEP APPRECIATION OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR HIS DEDICATION AND FAITHFUL SERVICE ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE AND THE RESOURCES OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, AND TO WISH HIM GOOD HEALTH AND MUCH SUCCESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.
Whereas, since July 1, 1997, Dr. Paul A. Sandifer has been the Director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), one of the nation's most outstanding natural resources agencies; and
Whereas, SCDNR employs approximately 800 staff members across South Carolina, with a presence in every county, diligently protecting South Carolina's valued natural resources; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer spent his childhood in the communities of Greenville, Olanta, and Seneca and graduated from Seneca High School in 1964. He learned to put discipline, determination, and hard work into action as he diligently pursued boy scouting, ultimately attaining the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer graduated from the College of Charleston with a B. S. degree in biology in 1968 and received a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Virginia in 1972; and
Whereas, in 1972, he began his career with the South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, which later became the SCDNR, spending the first 25 years of his career at the Marine Resources Center in Charleston, where he served as Assistant, Associate, and Senior Marine Scientist and Assistant Director of the department's Marine Resources Research Institute; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer was named Director of the Division of Marine Resources in 1984, and during his tenure, he was responsible for the development of the agency's aquaculture research and development program and the establishment of the James M. Waddell, Jr., Mariculture Research and Development Center near Hilton Head; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer is a Past President and Honorary Life Member of the World Aquaculture Society, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of the Governor's Cup Billfishing Series Distinguished Service Award for work to conserve South Carolina's offshore sports fisheries; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer holds faculty appointments at the College of Charleston and the Medical University of South Carolina and adjunct faculty appointments at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina, and from 1980-1982, he served as Director of the Cooperative Graduate Program (M.S.) in Marine Biology at the College of Charleston. He remains involved in the education of South Carolina's students in studies leading to degrees in marine resources and natural resources management; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer served on the Marine Board of the National Research Council from 1990-1993 and was a member of the board's Committee on the Assessment of Technology and Opportunities for Marine Aquaculture in the United States from 1989-1991; and
Whereas, he served as a Commissioner for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission from 1992-1998 and as chairman of the commission from 1996-1998. He is currently represented on the commission by his designee; and
Whereas, in July 2001, Dr. Sandifer was appointed by President George W. Bush to the sixteen-member National Commission on Ocean Policy to study issues and develop long-term recommendations for a comprehensive and coordinated national ocean policy; and
Whereas, he is a member of the board of directors for the South Carolina Aquarium and serves as Chair of the Animal Care Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee, the South Carolina Governor's Cup Billfishing Series, the South Carolina Cooperative Institute for Fisheries Molecular Biology, the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, the College of Charleston Foundation, and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and Dr. Sandifer also serves on a variety of other advisory, oversight, and policy committees; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer is author or co-author of over 120 scientific and technical publications in the fields of marine biology, aquaculture, and coastal ecology; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer and his wife, the former Betty Watkins of Seneca, reside in Charleston and Columbia and have four grown sons and four grandchildren; and
Whereas, Dr. Sandifer is retiring from state service after thirty-one years of tireless efforts and outstanding public service on behalf of the State of South Carolina, its citizens, and its natural resources. Now, therefore;
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, commend Dr. Paul A. Sandifer, Director of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, upon the occasion of his retirement on April 1, 2003, for his outstanding leadership and many accomplishments during his thirty-one years of distinguished public service and express their deep appreciation for his dedication and faithful service on behalf of the people and the resources of the State of South Carolina and wish him good health and much success in all his future endeavors.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Paul A. Sandifer.
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