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On June 14, Attorney General Charlie Condon announced the
winner of the South Carolina Father of the Year Award for 2002: Cecil Maurice "Buddy" Thornton, 59, of St. Matthews in Calhoun County.
Thornton, a retired insurance agent and owner of a St.
Matthews furniture store, has been married for 34 years and is the
father of three children: Marla Thornton Fanning; Cecil Maurice
Thornton, Jr.; and Anna Margaret Thornton.
In nominating her father for this award, Marla Fanning cited
not only Mr. Thornton's devotion to his family, but also his
commitment to less fortunate members of the community.
- In addition to providing tuition for his own children to
attend private school, Mr. Thornton also helped to pay
the tuition of one of his son's schoolmates so the boy
could attend the same school.
- He gave financial assistance to a student who was working
her way through college and gave an automobile to a
friend who had quit his job to attend seminary.
- His daughter tells the following story: "As a teenager I
remember seeing my dad come home one winter night to take
his feather-down coat off the coat rack in our kitchen.
He wore the coat each night when he went walking...I
asked him what he was doing. He said he was giving his
coat to a lady on his insurance route whose house had
burned down. When I protested that it was the coat he
wore every night he replied, 'Baby, she doesn't have a
coat and it's the only one I have that will fit her.'"
- Each Christmas Eve, Mr. Thornton, along with his wife and
three children, have delivered toys and clothes to needy
families in the community. As his daughter explained,
"He always knew who wouldn't be having much for
Christmas, so he took us with him to share what we had
with others."
- Not only does Mr. Thornton visit his own parents every
single day, but on Sundays he goes to the Jolly Acres
Nursing Home in Orangeburg to conduct a devotional with
the elderly residents.
Mr. Thornton has always been active in the life of his church,
both as a Sunday school teacher and as a lay preacher. When his
children were younger, he made certain they were in Sunday school
every week. As a result of this early training, the younger
Thorntons are still active in their respective churches. As Marla
Thornton Fanning put it, "I grew up watching Dad read his Bible
each night before bed and often saw him kneeling in prayer before
leaving home in the morning for work...He was the example that has
carried over into the adult lives of his children. We know for
ourselves the value of faithful attendance in church. My brother
is an active member of Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. I serve
as Director of Children's Ministries at our church. A first year
school teacher, my sister attends our church and assists me with
children's activities during the summer. Some fathers give their
children the best gifts money could buy. My father has led us to
discovering the gift of eternal life."
Diagnosed with cancer four years ago, Mr. Thornton not only
came through an agonizing period of surgery, radiation, and
chemotherapy with his faith and optimism intact, but he also turned
private adversity into public service by becoming a sponsor and
emcee for the American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" in Calhoun
County.
Chosen Father of the Year, Mr. Thornton received a plaque
commemorating his exemplary life and a $10,000 honorarium donated
by SCANA, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and BellSouth.
Attorney General Charlie Condon instituted this award six years
ago to remind South Carolinians of the importance of fathers to the
community, state and nation.
Of Mr. Thornton, the Attorney General said: "God has blessed
us with Buddy Thornton, a remarkable father, a loving husband and
a caring man. South Carolina and Calhoun County are fortunate to
have him."
The South Carolina Father of the Year Award is sponsored annually by the South Carolina Attorney General's office. For further information, you may contact the Office of Public Information at (803) 734-4399 or info@scattorneygeneral.org.
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