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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR MILTON PETER DEMETRE, FOUNDER OF AMERICAN METALS COMPANY AND M. P. DEMETRE JEWELERS IN CHARLESTON, AND TO COMMEND HIM FOR HIS INSIGHTFUL CONTRIBUTION AND GENEROSITY TO THE CITY OF CHARLESTON THAT LED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DEMETRE PARK ON JAMES ISLAND.
Whereas, as a young Air Force Officer, Milton Peter Demetre founded American Metals Company in 1960 to specialize in procuring precious metals from jewelers across the country; and
Whereas, a pioneering company in the quick and efficient purchasing of precious metals, American Metals Company soon became one of the most respected companies in the industry; and
Whereas, in 1980, Mr. Demetre opened M. P. Demetre Jewelers, a retail jewelry store in a beautiful historic building on King Street in Charleston, which he had bought and renovated, and today it is a nationally known luxury jewelry store operated by Mr. Demetre, his wife, Virginia, and son, Peter Melton Demetre; and
Whereas, Mr. Demetre owned a parcel of land on James Island, a Lowcountry gem tucked away in a residential neighborhood on the northeast end of the island which provides a breathtaking scenic view of the Battery across Charleston's harbor and for which he obtained permits to fill his waterfront lot with dirt in the 1960s; and
Whereas, in 1990, Mr. Demetre sold the land to the City of Charleston for half a million dollars, donating the remaining value of the land, 1.6 million dollars, with the stipulation that it be converted into a park with certain amenities within ten years; and
Whereas, the two-and-a-half-acre waterfront park set on a peninsula adjacent to the James Island Yacht Club opened in 2000 and boasts a fishing pier, two small sandy riverfront beaches, marshes, a field of green grass, and the beginnings of a hiking trail; and
Whereas, in 2009, a one-hundred-ninety-foot fishing pier that extends into the harbor was opened at the park. The pier leads to a twenty-by-twenty-foot pier head and a forty-foot floating dock; and
Whereas, other park amenities include several benches and a picnic pavilion, a large pond that rises and falls with the tide, steps leading to the beach areas, and an automatic gate that opens the parking area from six o'clock in the morning to nine o'clock at night; and
Whereas, Charleston City Council approved $450,000 for the construction of these park amenities for the only city-owned waterfront park on James Island; and
Whereas, the panoramic views from the park include Charleston's Battery Park, Patriots Point, the Ravenel Bridge, Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island, and Fort Sumter; and
Whereas, with the keen eye of a jeweler to spot a diamond in the rough, Milton Demetre realized the value that this gem of a park could bring to the City of Charleston, and through his generous contributions this priceless jewel is now a Lowcountry landmark for residents and visitors to enjoy. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and honor Milton Peter Demetre, founder of American Metals Company and M. P. Demetre Jewelers in Charleston, and commend him for his insightful contribution and generosity to the City of Charleston that led to the establishment of Demetre Park on James Island.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Milton Peter Demetre.
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