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TO REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE INTERCHANGE LOCATED AT THE JUNCTION OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS 126 AND 26 IN RICHLAND COUNTY "MILTON KIMPSON INTERCHANGE" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS AT THIS INTERCHANGE CONTAINING THIS DESIGNATION.
Whereas, Milton Kimpson, along with his three siblings, grew up as a sharecropper in Calhoun County, the son of the late Melton and Ruth Kimpson; and
Whereas, he earned degrees from Benedict College and the University of Wisconsin. He also studied at Syracuse University, the University of Miami, and the University of Georgia; and
Whereas, in his position as Education, Health and Human Services executive assistant to former Governor Richard W. Riley, he advised the Governor on some of the most complicated and challenging issues facing our State, including the South Carolina Education Improvement Act; and
Whereas, his relationship with public education has been lifelong. He served as a mathematics and science teacher, guidance counselor, school principal, and supervisor of elementary education in the State Department of Education; and
Whereas, he fostered better relationships among persons of differing racial, ethnic, and religious backgrounds as the executive director of the Greater Columbia Community Relations Council of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce from 1970 to 1979; and
Whereas, he is a past or present member of many professional, civic, and community organizations, including the South Carolina Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Presently, he is a member of St. John Baptist Church, where he is the chairman emeritus of the deacon board and serves on the Preschool Education Board Advisory Committee. He also is a member of the North Columbia Eau Claire Rotary Club; and
Whereas, appointed in 1985 as a commissioner for the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission, he was named chief commissioner one year later and served in that capacity until 1988. He served from 1989 to 1990 as the associate commissioner of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education, and as deputy commissioner for Program Services of the South Carolina Department of Corrections from 1991 until his retirement in 1994; and
Whereas, among his many honors and awards, Mr. Kimpson has received the Order of the Palmetto from the Governor of South Carolina, Colonel of the Staff Award from the Governor of Mississippi, Arkansas Traveler Award from the Governor of Arkansas, NAACP (Manning Branch) Man of the Year Award, South Carolina State College Distinguished Service Award, and honorary doctorate degrees from Benedict College and Wofford College; and
Whereas, his commitment and service to Benedict College have been unparalleled. He served continuously on the board of trustees for forty-one years and also was its vice chairman during his tenure. He was elected to board emeritus status in 2011. During his time on the board, Mr. Kimpson was a member of the search committee that selected Dr. David Swinton as president of the college. He also has served on various renovation and reorganization committees that have spearheaded much of the growth Benedict enjoys today. He has been an active member of the Benedict College Columbia Alumni Club for many years. On April 16, 2013, Benedict College recognized Mr. Kimpson by naming a campus facility in his honor, the Milton Kimpson Center for Graduate Studies and Continuing Education Building; and
Whereas, he is married to the former Wilhelmina Page, a retired educator with Richland County School District One. They have three successful sons, the Honorable Milton G. Kimpson, an Administrative Law Judge-elect, Marc Kimpson, a manager with the South Carolina Public Employee Benefit Authority, and State Senator Marlon Kimpson, all who have given their parents the joy of four grandchildren, with another expected; and
Whereas, it would be fitting and proper to recognize the stellar accomplishments of this son of South Carolina by having an interchange along Interstate Highway 26 in Richland County named in his honor. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That members of the General Assembly request the Department of Transportation name the interchange located at the junction of Interstate Highways 126 and 26 in Richland County "Milton Kimpson Interchange" and erect appropriate markers or signs at this interchange containing this designation.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.
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