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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH "LIBBY" TANT THRAILKILL FOR HER OUTSTANDING DEVOTION TO EDUCATION IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND TO REMEMBER HER EXEMPLARY LEGACY OF SERVICE AND SACRIFICE.
Whereas, it is altogether fitting and proper that the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina should pause in their deliberations to express their gratitude for the significant contributions of Elizabeth "Libby" Tant Thrailkill to the education of our state's most vulnerable children; and
Whereas, born in Orangeburg in 1946, Libby Tant received her early education in the public schools of Bamberg County and attended Winthrop University; and
Whereas, she graduated from Baptist College at Charleston, now Charleston Southern University, where she was inducted into Phi Delta Kappa, and she married her beloved husband, Earl Thrailkill, in 1969; and
Whereas, Mrs. Thrailkill commenced her long and significant career in education, and by 1971, she had been honored as Teacher of the Year at Brookgreen Elementary School in Lancaster, and in 1972, the Lancaster Jaycees named her Outstanding Young Educator; and
Whereas, early in her career, she began to realize the tremendous need of education for children with special needs and took courses in the area of learning disabilities. She served on the Council for Exceptional Children from 1973 to 1980 and was honored with the Council for Exceptional Children Presentation Award in 1974 and as an Outstanding Young Woman in America in 1976 by the Women's Club of America; and
Whereas, Mrs. Thrailkill grew deeply interested in the needs of visually impaired students and began teaching them throughout Lancaster County. She earned a master's degree in vision from Florida State University, volunteered at Camp Leo for the blind, and worked with the Lions Club to obtain glasses for needy children; and
Whereas, she served as a member of the Federation of the Blind and a representative for the Teledyne Corporation, which created equipment for the legally blind to aid them in reading; and
Whereas, Mrs. Thrailkill earned a master's degree from the University of South Carolina in public school counseling and another master's degree from Winthrop University; and
Whereas, for thirty-five years, she served on the board of trustees for the Wil Lou Gray Opportunity School, being its longtime vice chair and serving on numerous committees, and she served on the board of commissioners for the Chester County Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse DBA Hazel Pittman Center; and
Whereas, in 2004 after almost four decades in education, Mrs. Thrailkill transitioned from her exemplary educational career into a thriving counselling practice, always seeking to help the most vulnerable in her community; and
Whereas, before her untimely death on November 10, 2015, she battled such adversities as kidney cancer, diabetes, joint and tendon problems, fractures, multiple myeloma, and crippling gout with the joy and determination that had marked her life while she continued to offer meaningful service to her counselling clients; and
Whereas, the members of the General Assembly are grateful for the life of Libby Thrailkill dedicated to serving others and for the legacy demonstrated by her personal ideals: be generous of heart, so all will feel loved; touch everyone with praise, so individuals will feel worthy; make others feel needed, so each one will feel unique and part of the whole. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, recognize and honor the life of Elizabeth "Libby" Tant Thrailkill for her outstanding devotion to education in the State of South Carolina and to remember her exemplary legacy of service and sacrifice.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to the family of Elizabeth "Libby" Thrailkill.
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