Jean Belcher makes a mean macaroni and cheese.

This — according to two of her five grandchildren — is one of the reasons Belcher was named 2006 S.C. Mother of the Year.

Belcher, 74, of Barnwell was honored Wednesday for her accomplishment at a tea hosted by first lady Jenny Sanford at the Governor’s Mansion.

Dressed in a bright pink suit and a double strand of pearls, Belcher warmly accepted the handshakes and hugs of nearly 250 well-wishers. Posey Belcher, a retired minister and her husband of 51 years, stood by her side.

Nearby, her grandson, Noah Ponder, 15 months old, pounded the piano in the elegant drawing room. His love for music was passed down from his grandmother, said his mother, Miriam Ponder.

“She is an amazing woman”, said Ponder, Belcher’s youngest daughter, who lives in Blythewood. “She did it all, did it well and was a wonderful role model.”

Belcher’s four adult children share a memory of their family’s kitchen table.

“I remember my mother standing over the kitchen table making sure our homework was done,” said David Belcher, of Little Rock, Ark.

Belcher’s youngest son, Philip Belcher of Spartanburg, said his mother “never said get A’s.” Instead, she encouraged her children to do their best at all they did. “That was a lesson I took with me.”

It seems the Belcher children took the lesson to heart. Each graduated valedictorian of their high school classes and magna cum laude from Furman University. The children are succeeding professionally as a financial analyst, a university provost, a foundation president and a teacher.

“She guided us,” said daughter Elizabeth Mixon, a music educator in Rock Hill. “She knew when to wear the right hat. She knew when I needed just a listening ear. Even when I didn’t ask, she knew when I needed advice. I never remember her raising her voice.”

Belcher’s philosophy on motherhood included devoting time to the needs of her children, providing them with a loving and spiritual home and teaching them responsibility.

“And as they grow, guide them,” she said, her voice full of motherly love and pride. “In our family, it worked.”

Reach Nalepa at (803) 771-8654.