A house RESOLUTION

TO CONGRATULATE Gloria Taggart, the Former CEO of Hargray, ON THE OCCASION OF HER ninety-second BIRTHDAY AND TO WISH HER A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND MANY YEARS OF CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are delighted to learn that  Gloria Taggart of Beaufort County will celebrate her ninety-second birthday on June 20, 2024; and

Whereas, Ms. Taggart's father, Leroy Harvey, a cable foreman for Southern Bell with a sixth grade education, started Hargray Utility Company to provide phone service in Hardeeville in the late 1940s. He later purchased the franchise for the Bluffton, Hilton Head, and Hardeeville areas; and

Whereas, after her father's unexpected death, she left her position as manager of the accounting department at Liberty National Bank in Savannah, Georgia, and accepted the reins of the company which she built into a telecommunications giant over the next fifty years; and

Whereas, her late husband joined her in the effort to lead Hargray in the early and difficult years, and with the support of her family, they built on her father's legacy.  Under her leadership, Hargray became the twenty-sixth largest independent telecommunications company in the United States; and

Whereas, considered a visionary businesswoman, Ms. Taggart led Hargray through those early years and built a successful conglomerate of diverse entities, including Hargray Telephone Company, Bluffton Telephone Company, Hargray Long Distance, Data Publishing, Hargray Wireless, and then CDG.  There were over four hundred employees, not counting the CDG employees, and thousands and thousands of customers before she retired and sold the company to keep up with the demands; and

Whereas, because the community had benefitted and supported Hargray, Ms. Taggart maintained a commitment to enriching the Hilton Head Island community through civic engagement and philanthropy focused on local organizations, recognizing local concerns and needs and organizational philanthropy. She sees that the Hilton Head Island area became a great place to live. Her generous philanthropy continues to be felt in the area; and

Whereas, in 2019, Governor Henry McMaster awarded her the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest civilian award, for her singular impact on telecommunications in her community; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are pleased to honor this daughter of South Carolina at the celebration of her ninety-second birthday and join with her family and friends in congratulating her on reaching this significant milestone. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Gloria Taggart, the former CEO of Hargray, on the occasion of her ninety-second birthday and wish her a joyous birthday celebration and many years of continued health and happiness.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Gloria Taggart.

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