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Article published: Jul 12, 2005
Harvin honored with courthouse portrait

MANNING — State officials, local dignitaries and hundreds of constituents lined the walls of a crowded courtroom at the Clarendon County Courthouse Monday afternoon as a portrait of Rep. C. Alex Harvin III, D-Summerton, was unveiled.

South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum, newly elected Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell Jr. and dozens of state senators and representatives were on hand to honor the longest-serving member of the South Carolina House of Representatives with the portrait that will hang inside the courthouse.

Sen. John C. Land III, D-Manning, presided over the 90-minute ceremony that heralded 10 speakers, including Harrell; the Rev. O’Donald Dingle; Chairman of Clarendon County Council Dwight Stewart; Sen. Kay Patterson, D-Columbia; former Rep. Charlie Griffith, D-Sumter; Rep. Ken Kennedy, D-Greeleyville; Bobby Fleming, president of the Clarendon County branch of the NAACP; and Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Kingstree.
Harvin sat at the front of the courtroom with his wife, Cathy; daughter, Mary Franklin; mother, Thomasine; and other family members and close friends by his side.

“We are here today to honor one of our finest sons,” Land said as he opened the ceremony.

Each speaker lauded Harvin’s service to Clarendon County.

In his invocation, Dingle said, “By his coming here, we have a better Clarendon County.”

Between speakers, Land reminisced about the 29 years he and Harvin have served together representing the people of Clarendon County.

“There is not a finer gentleman in South Carolina than Alex Harvin,” Land said. “I want to personally thank you for being my friend. ‘Bubba’ has done a wonderful job over the years.”

Throughout the ceremony, Harvin was extolled for his efforts at keeping his constituents informed and happy.

“All elected officials in South Carolina know you cannot keep up with Alex Harvin when it comes to constituent service,” Land said. “If I wrote one letter, Alex wrote 50.”

Harrell told the audience the measure of a man can be told by how many friends he has.

“The number of people in this room and pouring out the doorways speaks volumes,” he said. “Integrity. Patience. Hard work. Those qualities describe Alex Harvin.”

On behalf of Gov. Mark Sanford, Harrell, along with Rep. G. Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, presented Harvin with the Order of the Palmetto, the highest honor a governor can bestow on anyone in the state.

“Thank you for all you’ve done for this state,” Harrell said.

Saying actions speaker louder than words, Stewart applauded Harvin’s service to Clarendon County.

“He has raised the bar of public service so high, it will be impossible for anyone to match,” Stewart said. “Never has there been a truer son of Clarendon County than Bubba Harvin.”

“This is something we don’t do enough,” Patterson said. “We are here in his own home, in his own county, among his own kin to honor him. I’m glad to see us doing this today,” the senator said.

From Harvin’s first days in the house in 1977, Patterson and Harvin have been close friends.

Patterson got a laugh from the crowd when he talked about Harvin’s first day in the House.

“I asked him, ‘What’s your name, boy?’” Patterson said in a booming voice. “We’ve been close since then. My life is better because Alex Harvin came this way. Alex, I love you.”

In closing, McGill said he could feel the love and compassion throughout the courtroom.

“You are a person, without question, of legendary status,” McGill said. “You have been and will continue to be a great leader.”

“This isn’t for me,” Harvin said about the ceremony. “You put me in office. You allowed me to serve you. You allowed me to receive these honors and recognition, but it’s all for you. I love you.”

Contact Staff Writer Sharron Haley at shaley@theitem.com or 803-435-8511.