Tribute to a Statesman

“Once there were giants in the land,” a childhood fable starts with that opening line. That is also true of the SC Legislature. We are getting ready to say goodbye to one of our true giants in the next several weeks. Rep. Ronny Townsend from Anderson is not running for re-election after twenty-two years. Ronny spent the first ten years here as a Democrat and then spent the next twelve years as a Republican. All during that time he was the same person. A true champion for education. Ronny has been the chairman of the House Education and Public Works Committee for a number of years. The schoolchildren of South Carolina have never had a truer friend. Ronny approached every problem in education with an open mind and a friendly smile. He was always interested in hearing other people’s ideas as to how to improve the system but would generally ask, “Have you discussed this with a school teacher that actually has to carry this out or have you asked the school board how they are going to find the money for this?”
The off-season begins for most everybody around the first of June. For Ronny, there never was an off-season for as long as the children’s needs for education were left unmet. It was not unusual to see him up at the State House for days on end during the seven months the Legislature is not in session. Bruce Davis, a Democratic stalwart from Hampton County and longtime school board member, summed it up by saying, “This could be the darkest day for kids we have had in a long time.” The show will go on. Every year as a number of representatives decide to hang it up and stay home, there is a general feeling of, “Gosh we are sure going to them, “ but in this case it is a loss felt by every single member of the House of Representatives, and we wish him luck in his future endeavors and hope he will always keep us in his thoughts and prayers.