TCL to present inaugural Presidential Medallion award at Friday's Commencement
The Technical College of the Lowcountry Commencement will be held at 6 p.m., Friday, May 11 at the All Weather Training Facility on Parris Island. This year’s event will honor more than 300 graduates and will also mark the first year the College will present its prestigious Presidential Medallion award.
Former Lt. Governor W. Brantley Harvey, Jr., of Beaufort, has been selected as this year’s recipient.
“Brantley Harvey is a champion for higher education and a true ambassador for the Lowcountry,” President Dr. Thomas Leitzel said. “It is fitting that he receive the TCL Presidential Medallion for his visionary work in framing the legislation for South
Carolina’s technical colleges.” TCL Area Commission Secretary and Treasurer Patricia Green agrees. “Brantley is dedicated to his community, his state, to education in general, and to TCL in particular. He is ‘what we’re all about,’” she said.
About Harvey:
Harvey was born in Walterboro and grew up in Beaufort. He attended Beaufort County public schools and graduated from Beaufort High School in 1947 as its valedictorian. After being graduated from The Citadel, Magna Cum Laude, spending two years as an officer in the United States Army, and being graduated from law school at the University of South Carolina in 1955, he joined his father in the practice of law at Harvey & Battey, the firm with which he has practiced and continues to be associated for over 50 years. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1958 and served in that body for sixteen years until 1974. 
He was elected and served as Lieutenant Governor from 1975 to 1978. He subsequently was named member and Vice-Chairman of the S.C. Commission of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. He also served as the Commissioner of the S.C. Department of Transportation and as a member of the Board of the South Carolina Technical Colleges. As a member of the House of Representatives, Harvey played a major role in establishing the Technical College of the Lowcountry as one of the state’s sixteen technical colleges. He served on the Board of the Beaufort Marine Institute and, for a period, as its Chairman. He held a leadership position with the Coastal Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service to Boyhood award. He was a founding member of the Beaufort County Industrial Park, and served as the organizing chairman of the Yemassee Industrial Park, officially known as Beaufort County Development Corporation. Over the years, he has been a participating member of the Chamber of Commerce; the United Way; the Historic Beaufort Foundation; the Beaufort Orchestra (as a violinist); Beaufort Performing Arts Center; the Salvation Army; and Beaufort Rotary Club. He regularly attends Beaufort’s First Presbyterian Church in which he was ordained and served as an Elder.
About the Presidential Medallion:
Recognized as the top award given to a community citizen by the Technical College of the Lowcountry, the Presidential Medallion recognizes a distinguished citizen and community leader who exhibits enthusiasm, integrity and perseverance beyond the ordinary to help build a better and stronger community. Nominees for this award are individuals who have acted in the best interests of their community through outstanding service and the creation of a positive environment through civic leadership in the generous giving of time and personal sacrifice. As a community of scholars and practitioners, TCL has chosen this occasion to focus deserved attention upon worthy candidates to publicly recognize them and their exemplary achievements, character, integrity, and sacrifice that result in building a better community. The awarding of the Presidential Medallion recognizes individuals who support and bring distinction to the College in profound ways. The Presidential Medallion symbolizes the authority vested in the president by the TCL Area Commission to operate and represent the College as its chief executive officer. This year, 2012, is the inaugural presentation of this award.
