A house RESOLUTION

 

TO CONGRATULATE BARBARA RIPPY ON THE OCCASION OF HER NINETIETH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MUCH HAPPINESS IN THE DAYS AHEAD.

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to learn that Barbara Rippy will celebrate this important milestone on January 28, 2024; and

 

Whereas, Mrs. Rippy was born on January 28, 1934. For thirty-four years, she and her husband, Bobby, owned and operated Smith's Drug Store on Main Street in Union. In 1959, Bobby enrolled at the Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy while Barbara continued to work, supporting the family until he earned a pharmacy degree that would eventually enable them to buy Smith's Drug Store in 1969; and

 

Whereas, the Rippys became community leaders and benefactors, supporting civic and church organizations, as well as sponsoring a Dixie Youth baseball team for forty-four years. They retired in 2004 and continued to be a vibrant and active part of Union civic life, participating in and supporting more than a half dozen organizations; and

 

Whereas, the Rippys have long been known for generosity of spirit. They were active members in the Union Lions Club, Union Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Union Merchants Association; and

 

Whereas, retired since 2004, Mrs. Rippy continues to be an active member of her community, with memberships in the Union Lions Club, Union County Civitan Club, Union County Arts Council, Union County Relay for Life, and Union County Historical Society; and

 

Whereas, a civic leader, Mrs. Rippy was the honoree of the University of South Carolina Union Founders' Day in 2015 in recognition of decades of her tireless contributions to her community; and

 

Whereas, in 2021, Mrs. Rippy made the largest single individual gift to Lions Vision Services, a South Carolina charity, in the organization's history. Her gift of one hundred thousand dollars established the Barbara Harter Rippy Society, a lifetime giving society that inspires others who share her generous spirit and community leadership. The Barbara Harter Rippy Society recognizes unrestricted annual gifts of one hundred thousand dollars or more, as well as cumulative lifetime giving that has surpassed one hundred thousand dollars; and

 

Whereas, displaying additional generosity, Mrs. Rippy has made a one-million-dollar commitment to the Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. The donation will support the mission and vision of the college; and

 

Whereas, in recognition of this major gift, the college is naming the lecture hall in its new pharmacy facility the Bobby Gene '63 and Barbara Harter Rippy Lecture Hall. A virtual groundbreaking for the new facility was held in April 2021; and

 

Whereas, devout Christians, Barbara and Bobby Rippy were members of Grace United Methodist Church in Union; and

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House takes great pleasure in honoring this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her ninetieth birthday and is pleased to join with her family and friends in congratulating her. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Barbara Rippy on the occasion of her ninetieth birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and much happiness in the days ahead.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Barbara Rippy.

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