South Carolina General Assembly
124th Session, 2021-2022

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Bill 3970


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A HOUSE RESOLUTION

TO RECOGNIZE AND COMMEND THE MATHER SCHOOL COASTAL/LOWCOUNTRY ALUMNI AND ASSOCIATES CHAPTER FOR ITS DEDICATION TO PERPETUATING THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MATHER SCHOOL LEGACY IN THE LOWCOUNTRY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND BEYOND, TO CONGRATULATE THE CHAPTER ON THE INCLUSION OF MATHER SCHOOL IN THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORIC NETWORK, AND TO DECLARE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021, AS MATHER SCHOOL LEGACY DAY IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

Whereas, the history of the Mather School begins after the Civil War upon the arrival of Mrs. Rachel Crane Rich Mather at the Mission House in Beaufort, headquarters of the American Missionary Association and then of the National Freedman's Relief Association. In November 1867, this benevolent lady came for the purpose of teaching newly freed slaves; and

Whereas, Mrs. Mather soon inaugurated the Mather Industrial School at a twenty-acre Ribaut Road site she had chosen, situated on a pleasant bluff on Beaufort Bay; and

Whereas, in 1868, the school officially opened, making 2021 the one hundred fifty-third year since its founding; and

Whereas, the Mather School, now Technical College of the Lowcountry campus, served the Beaufort community, surrounding areas, and the nation during the Reconstruction era and on June 2, 1968, concluded one hundred years of exemplary educational service; and

Whereas, last year, two new honors were granted to Mather School. In November 2020, the National Park Service announced the first eight community sites to be included in the newly established Reconstruction Era National Historic Network. Mather School is one of the eight sites so honored. This national network, launched in March 2020, will connect sites across the country that provide education, interpretation, and research for the period of Reconstruction (1861-1900). Further, Technical College of the Lowcountry has been renamed Technical College of the Lowcountry -- Beaufort Mather Campus; and

Whereas, the National Alumni Association continues with Matherites, associates, and now descendants of Matherites from all over the country, who meet annually in honor of the proud legacy of the school to renew old acquaintances, establish new friendships, share fond memories, and strengthen the bond of love; and

Whereas, the Mather School Coastal/Lowcountry Alumni and Associates Chapter, chartered on July 16, 2005, by the Mather School National Alumni Association in Columbia, exists to honor, preserve, celebrate, and support the legacy bequeathed by Rachel Crane Rich Mather and all other Mather pioneers. 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 commend the Mather School Coastal/Lowcountry Alumni and Associates Chapter for its dedication to perpetuating the historical significance of the Mather School legacy in the Lowcountry of South Carolina and beyond, congratulate the chapter on the inclusion of Mather School in the newly established Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, and declare Friday, February 26, 2021, as Mather School Legacy Day in South Carolina.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the Mather School Coastal/Lowcountry Alumni and Associates Chapter.

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This web page was last updated on February 24, 2021 at 12:29 PM