To Remember A Man

An icon of South Carolina Republicanism, former Governor Carroll Campbell, died this morning. My fellow SC blogger Laurin has a good roundup for those of us familiar with his legacy.

Considering the majority of my readership is out of state, however, a bit of explanation. Governor Campbell was before my time, but I grew up hearing of his leadership during Hurricane Hugo. As I grew older, I learned of his efforts to bring profits and jobs to South Carolina- among others, BMW and drug plants. And I can honestly say that no governor since has lived up to his example.

Most recently, I have been working on his son Mike's lieutenant governor campaign. I grew to appreciate Governor Campbell through his children, as Mike is a genuinely nice man, and the most involved politician I have ever worked with. Governor Campbell was struck by early-onset Alzheimer's in 2001, yet all of his family has continued making South Carolina a better place. I will try to update this, at least with links, as I find out more. But for now- remember Carroll Campbell. And if you never knew of him, now's an excellent time to start.

Update, 8:00 P.M. It was confirmed earlier that the Governor succumbed to a heart attack, in his sleep, although unexpected. Also, thanks to Mark for the linkage.