A house RESOLUTION

 

TO HONOR THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF PROMINENT AFRICAN AMERICAN EDUCATOR MARY MILLER MCCLELLAN, A NATIVE OF COLUMBIA.

 

Whereas, Columbia native Mary Miller McClellan earned a bachelor's degree at Benedict College and a master's degree from Hofstra University. A retired educator, she formerly served as a middle school English teacher and high school guidance counselor for nearly four decades in New York; and

 

Whereas, using her skills as a high school counselor, Mary distinguished herself in the community as a dedicated advocate through public speaking; facilitating the use of scholarship information; and conducting financial aid and college planning workshops for students in churches and community groups. She also served as director of a welfare-to-work program, for which she organized and oversaw an Adelphi University program to empower welfare recipients with employable work skills; and

 

Whereas, because she believes firmly in personal involvement with one's community, Mary has served with several boards and community service organizations, including the Advisory Council of Western Suffolk BOCES, Nassau County Martin Luther King Awards Committee, 100 Black Women of Long Island, Central Nassau Club of the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Organization, Metro Manhattan (NY) Chapter of the Links, Inc., Delta Kappa Educational Fraternity, Benedict College Alumni Club of Greater New York, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and

 

Whereas, for her devoted service, Mary has received numerous awards, among them the Town of Hempstead (NY) Make a Difference Award, New York State United Teachers Community Service Award, and a community service award from Allen University. Other honors have come from 100 Black Women, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Antioch Baptist Church, and Millennium Magazine; and

 

Whereas, committed to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, her photograph appears in the University of South Carolina Civil Rights Center for History and Research, where she is shown at the Columbia Airport greeting former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy with a sign that reads, "Welcome to SC, land of Segregation and Discrimination!"; and

 

Whereas, Mary returned home to Columbia following her forty years in New York and subsequently organized and founded the Columbia (SC) Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., of which she is a past president. Chartered in 2014, the chapter is celebrating a decade of providing advocacy, empowerment, and transformational services to women and girls of African descent; and

 

Whereas, in addition to her leadership as president of the Columbia (SC) Chapter of 100 Black Women, Mary is a member of the Columbia (SC) Chapter of Links, Columbia (SC) Chapter of the Smart Set, Benedict College Alumni Club, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (Silver Star and Life Member). Recently, she founded JDM Investments, LLC, which opened two new Columbia businesses in 2023. The two businesses, 3 Generations Adult Day Care, LLC, and Melia's Caregivers, LLC, address the growing needs of seniors and disabled adults in Northeast Columbia; and

 

Whereas, Mary married James D. McClellan (now deceased), a Long Island School District administrator. She and her late husband have two daughters and two granddaughters. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor the life and achievements of prominent African American educator Mary Miller McClellan, a native of Columbia.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mary Miller McClellan.

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