SMC Celebrates Founder's Day

10/24/11

Spartanburg Methodist College celebrated Founder's Day with a commemorative ceremony at 7:00 pm on October 24th, 2011.

 

Hosted by the Student Government Association, the ceremony focused on the past, present, and future of SMC, featuring guest speakers for each facet.

 

Representing the past was the Honorable Elizabeth J. Patterson, a democratic House Representative for South Carolina (4th Congressional District) from 1986 to 1992. Patterson's father, an esteemed SMC alum, rose to become governor of South Carolina and eventually claimed a seat in the United States Senate. Patterson herself demonstrated a significant interest in politics, getting her start in Washington, D.C., as an assistant to Congressman James R. Mann. In her home state, she began as a member of the Spartanburg County Council, which led her to serve in the South Carolina State Senate from 1979 to 1986. Shortly thereafter, she succeeded Carroll A. Campbell, Jr., for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Driven by Spartanburg pride, she returned to chair the Spartanburg County Democratic party, and taught Political Science for a period at SMC. During her speech at the ceremony, Patterson discussed the origin of SMC - the dream of Dr. Camak, and how his dream tied into the lives of so many students over the years.

 

Representing the present success of SMC was 2005 alum Jessica Williams. Williams, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia, is aggressively pursuing a professional acting career. While she discussed her experience at SMC and her love for the school, her speech focused primarily on life after SMC - how it groomed her leadership skills and allowed her to flawlessly transition into continuing her education at the College of Charleston, and then into acting, modeling, and teaching drama. Her self-propelled path after SMC has led her into international modeling campaigns and onto television show sets. She emphasized the importance in taking the reins of leadership opportunities on campus. "When I gave campus tours [at SMC], I always told my tour groups to live life outside the sidewalk," she said. Her words, full of encouragement, reflect her certain continued success. 

 

As for the future of SMC? Current SMC student Rashad Gault presented an original spoken word poem. Gault is a freshman at SMC, and a very practiced poet - both on paper and in presence. He is also the brains behind re-writing SMC's alma mater to make it more personalized. "We will be the historians, the makers of history," Gault read to the room, and in penning the new alma mater, his words ring true. As the final speaker, Gault closed the ceremony on a high note.

 

Following closing remarks, t-shirts designed by SMC freshman Ty're Ware were given out.