A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO CONGRATULATE THURMOND BISHOP OF ABBEVILLE COUNTY ON THE OCCASION OF HIS EIGHTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HIM A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MUCH HAPPINESS IN THE DAYS AHEAD.

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are delighted to learn that Thurmond Bishop of Abbeville County will celebrate his eighty-fifth birthday on February 1, 2024; and

 

Whereas, born on February 1, 1939, in the first third of the twentieth century, he has witnessed the many remarkable social changes, technological advancements, and international developments that have spanned the globe from that time into the first third of the twenty-first century; and

 

Whereas, Thurmond Bishop's roots are planted deep in the region. After graduating from Greenwood High School in 1957, he went on to The Citadel, where he was an honor graduate in English. He graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1964; and

 

Whereas, after graduating from college, this patriotic American was a captain in the United States Army, where he served three years and developed his legal skills in the JAG Corps. After serving in Vietnam, he returned home to practice law; and

 

Whereas, over the course of his legal career, Thurmond Bishop has served as an Abbeville County attorney, a public defender for Greenwood and Abbeville counties, a United States bankruptcy judge for the District of South Carolina, and as a chief judge for bankruptcy court. He presently has his own practice in Abbeville; and

 

Whereas, in serving his community, he's also been a great supporter of the Abbeville Historical Society and a part of Friends of the Abbeville Libraries. Further, he has been a member of Abbeville Presbyterian Church since 1985; and

 

Whereas, he considers himself to be a blessed man in his role as husband to his beloved wife, Lucia Carmichael Bishop, for four decades. The senior Bishops are the proud parents of four children; and

 

Whereas, as nephew to the late U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond, the young Thurmond Bishop grew up around politics. When he visited his uncle in Washington, D.C., he would always ask the senator when he could come to work for him. Senator Thurmond's answer was always no because hiring him would be nepotism; and

 

Whereas, among all of these accomplishments in life and law, one of Thurmond Bishop's biggest passions always has been athletics, during both his early years as a school athlete and his later years as an adult athlete. In his lifetime, he has enjoyed basketball, tennis, track, cross country, handball, racquetball, and bicycling, the latter pleasure which he relishes sharing in outings with his wife; and

 

Whereas, largely because of his love for, and contributions to, Abbeville County, in 2016 Thurmond Bishop was recognized for his labors with one of the highest honors bestowed by the Abbeville Chamber of Commerce, induction into the Abbeville County Hall of Fame; and

 

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are pleased to honor Thurmond Bishop at the celebration of his eighty-fifth birthday and join with his family and friends in congratulating him on reaching this momentous milestone. 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, congratulate Thurmond Bishop of Abbeville County on the occasion of his eighty-fifth birthday and wish him a joyous birthday celebration and much happiness in the days ahead.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Thurmond Bishop.

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