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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR DR. SELDEN SMITH FOR HIS YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO THE SOUTH CAROLINA COUNCIL ON THE HOLOCAUST IN EDUCATING THOUSANDS OF SOUTH CAROLINIANS ABOUT THE HISTORY AND LESSONS OF THE HOLOCAUST.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are grateful for the significant and scholarly work of Dr. Selden Smith in bringing the history of the Holocaust to the citizens of South Carolina for more than two decades; and
Whereas, until his retirement in 1997, Dr. Smith taught history at Columbia College, and his decision in the early 1980s to teach a course on the Holocaust prompted him to search for Holocaust survivors living in the Columbia area; and
Whereas, his contact with those he discovered enriched his life by giving him a personal link to the Holocaust, and in 1989, the General Assembly appointed Dr. Smith to the newly formed South Carolina Council on the Holocaust, whose mission is to educate South Carolinians about the Holocaust through the lives and stories of South Carolina survivors and liberators; and
Whereas, having a desire to form a liaison with classroom teachers, the Council began using some of its funds to institute a graduate workshop for public-school teachers, and with encouragement from Dr. Smith, Columbia College began subsidizing the seminar in a residential, week-long experience; and
Whereas, each year since 1990, between thirty and thirty-five teachers have attended these seminars and have learned background history of the Holocaust and methods for teaching this information to their students; and
Whereas, while Dr. Smith has served as the chair of the South Carolina Council on the Holocaust, this seminar, called Facing History and Ourselves, was developed; a teacher's resource guide, South Carolina Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust, was created; and videotapes of interviews with South Carolina Holocaust survivors and liberators were made; and
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are grateful for the career of Dr. Selden Smith, which has enriched the lives of so many South Carolinians, and for the lasting legacy that his constructive work is leaving for generations of South Carolinians to come. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate, the House of Representatives concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor Dr. Selden Smith for his years of outstanding service to the South Carolina Council on the Holocaust in educating thousands of South Carolinians about the history and lessons of the Holocaust.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Selden Smith.
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