A house RESOLUTION

 

TO EXPRESS the PROFOUND SORROW of the south carolina house of representatives UPON THE PASSING OF CHESTER NATIVE VIVIAN AYERS ALLEN, TO CELEBRATE HER LIFE, AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Vivian Ayers Allen on August 18, 2025, at the venerable age of one hundred two. A native of Chester, she was a poet and cultural activist for over sixty years and also earned renown as a playwright, museum curator, and classicist; and

 

Whereas, born July 29, 1923, Dr. Ayers Allen spent nearly two decades serving as the founding director of the Brainerd Institute Heritage in her hometown of Chester. The Brainerd Institute, formed in 1866 as an elite educational institution for newly liberated African slaves by the Presbyterian USA Church, eventually offered all grades through high school. Dr. Ayers Allen was the youngest member of the school's last graduating class in 1939. The site is currently home to Workshops in Open Fields, a program she originally started in Houston, Texas, created to foster and promote preschool literacy; and

 

Whereas, her literary career began in Houston, Texas, in 1952 with the publication of Spice of Dawns, a collection of poems that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Hawk, an allegory of freedom made analogous to space flight, followed and was published in 1957, just before the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite sent from Earth into orbit. Hawk would later earn praise from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at their Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, where enlarged reproductions of the writings are exhibited; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Ayers Allen's talents and interests also included the research of world cultures. She studied Latin and French at the Brainerd Institute and classical Greek at Rice University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. In addition, she studied and translated texts on Mayan culture and astronomy. Her thirst for knowledge and her subsequent accomplishments earned her honorary doctorates from Bennett College and Wilberforce University; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Ayers Allen dedicated her ongoing life accomplishments to her immediate family, from whom she always received support and encouragement. She was the mother of four talented children: musician "Tex" Allen; choreographer, actress, and Grey's Anatomy executive director/producer Debbie Allen; Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad; and TD Bank regional president Hugh Allen; and

 

Whereas, in honor of Dr. Ayers Allen's one hundredth birthday in 2023, Clemson University republished her epic NASA-celebrated poem, Hawk; and

 

Whereas, U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina shared this apt praise of Vivian Ayers Allen at her passing: "The nation has lost a giant among its cultural warriors. Dr. Allen was an outstanding artist in her own right and a proud daughter of South Carolina. Her art is her legacy, and will continue to inspire for generations." Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, express profound sorrow upon the passing of Chester native Vivian Ayers Allen, celebrate her life, and extend the deepest sympathy to her family and many friends.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family.

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