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TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE LIFE OF HAROLD R. BOULWARE, SR., FOR HIS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF ALL THE CITIZENS OF SOUTH CAROLINA THROUGH HIS REMARKABLE LEGAL CAREER.
Whereas, it is altogether fitting and proper that the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives should pause in their deliberations to reflect on the momentous accomplishments of Harold R. Boulware, Sr.; and
Whereas, the son of Robert Walter and Mabel Hughes Boulware, Harold Boulware was born in Irmo in 1913 and graduated from Harbison High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina; and
Whereas, Mr. Boulware recognized the need of African Americans in South Carolina for legal representation, so he attended Howard University Law School in Washington, D. C., to prepare for a legal career, working as a waiter to help pay his way; and
Whereas, upon graduation, he returned to Irmo and passed the South Carolina Bar in 1940, and by 1941, he was serving as the chief counsel for the South Carolina NAACP. He led the successful effort to gain equal pay for equal work for African-American teachers in the Palmetto State; and
Whereas, Mr. Boulware served as the chief attorney in the Clarendon County Schools desegregation case of Briggs v. Elliot, which was consolidated with similar ones from five other states to become the widely known class action suit Brown v. Board of Education; and
Whereas, the United States Supreme Court decision over this 1954 case desegregated public schools, not just in South Carolina, but across the nation; and
Whereas, in August 1969, Mr. Boulware became the first African American to be appointed as an associate judge for the Columbia Municipal Court where he served until 1974 when he became a judge in the Richland County Judicial System, later known as the Family Court of the Fifth Judicial Circuit within the statewide judicial system; and
Whereas, when his failing health caused him to retire in 1982 from his long and outstanding career, honors poured in from the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association, the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and the NAACP; and
Whereas, during times of racial segregation and discrimination, the Honorable Harold Boulware prepared himself with the academic and personal tools essential to serve as a leader in the quest for human rights, not only for African Americans, but for all citizens, and to lead them to a greater understanding and sense of brotherhood; and
Whereas, although Harold Boulware, Esquire, passed away on January 27, 1983, his unerring sense of justice and concern for the condition of his fellow man continue to inspire others to emulate his great contributions to society. 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 the life of Harold R. Boulware, Sr., for his significant impact on the lives of all the citizens of South Carolina through his remarkable legal career.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Harold R. Boulware, Sr.
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