SUMTER, S.C. (30 August 2018) – Mayor Joseph T. McElveen, Jr. announced today that he has awarded two Sumter residents the Gamecock City Society Award, the highest honor available for a citizen of Sumter.
The Gamecock City Society Award is the most prestigious award the City of Sumter can bestow upon any one person. It began, under McElveen’s tenure as Mayor in 2006 as a way to honor Sumterites who have made a meaningful contribution over a lifetime to the improvement of the Sumter community and its citizens. Previous recipients have been congressmen, volunteers, entertainers, Tuskegee airmen and more.
“Recipients of this award are true community servants,” stated Mayor McElveen. “They have displayed exemplary service to the citizens of the Sumter Community and beyond and reside in Sumter.”
The first recipient of the 2018 award is Dr. Mary Elizabeth Blanchard. Dr. Blanchard was the first female obstetrics and gynecology physician in South Carolina. She has made significant contributions to the overall well-being of Sumterites with her involvement in the Sumter Mental Health Association, Sumter Art Association, Sumter County Gallery of Art, Sumter-Shaw Community Council and the Sumter Little Theatre.
The second recipient of the 2018 award is Roger Ackerman, a successful businessman and generous contributor to many worthwhile causes, including the creation of a program through the Sumter Rotary to support Alzheimer’s research, which ultimately became a program of Rotary international. Mr. Ackerman was also instrumental in the creation of the new Temple Sinai Jewish Heritage Center, now part of the Sumter County Museum Complex. Mr. Ackerman is also a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, which is South Carolina’s highest award given to an individual for excellent service.
Both recipients received the award and were recognized through an official proclamation. Their names will also be permanently commemorated on a plaque, with other recipients, located at City Hall.
For more information on the City of Sumter, visit www.sumtersc.gov.
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