Pat Conroy remembered by SC lawmakers

Pat Conroy was remembered at the S.C. State House on Wednesday.

Lawmakers recognized the Beaufort author when the House of Representatives adjourning in his memory. Conroy died March 4 of pancreatic cancer at age 70.

State Rep. Shannon Erickson proposed the measure.

A statement for the record read:

“On Friday, March 4th, 2016, a treasured Beaufort County citizen, Mr. Pat Conroy, beloved husband of Cassandra King, passed away. Pat came to the low country of our State with his U.S. Marine Corps family and used his life experiences and our South Carolina backdrop and traditions for his acclaimed books. Author of The Boo, The Water is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, My Losing Season, South of Broad, The Death of Santini and others, Mr. Conroy held a dear place in the hearts of many who knew him personally or through his characters.

A Citadel man, one who “wore the ring,” he was immeasurably proud of his adopted home state. One of his most memorable writings from The Prince of Tides states, "To describe our growing up in the low country of South Carolina, I would have to take you to the marsh on a spring day, flush the great blue heron from its silent occupation, scatter marsh hens as we sink to our knees in mud, open you an oyster with a pocketknife and feed it to you from the shell and say, 'There, that taste, that's the taste of my childhood.’”

 

Pat Conroy — 1945-2016

Beaufort's prince, Pat Conroy, rests at home ☙ State of Surprise: Pat Conroy’s love letter to South Carolina ☙ Photos: Pat Conroy, a retrospective ☙ Cartoonist Robert Ariail's tribute to Conroy ☙ Pat Conroy mourned by dignitaries, cadets and friends with ‘personal grief’ ☙ Lauderdale: I could hear an ‘amen’ at Pat Conroy’s funeral ☙ Why graduates of The Citadel, class of 2001, united to attend Conroy funeral ☙ Hundreds pay respects to Pat Conroy, family in Beaufort ☙ How 10 minutes with Pat Conroy changed my life ☙ Lauderdale: Pat Conroy expects all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled for his funeral (+recipe!) ☙ Op-ed: 'Let something legendary' come from Pat Conroy ☙ Keyserling: Pat Conroy bonded with other 'orphans' who landed in Beaufort ☙ Real people inspired characters in Conroy's books ☙ Lowcountry remembers Pat Conroy ☙ How Pat Conroy made Beaufort a destination ☙ Pat Conroy on the silver screen ☙ Model for 'Prince of Tides' tiger lived in Columbia ☙ Photos: Pat Conroy and Beaufort ☙ Books written by Pat Conroy ☙ Quotes from Pat Conroy's works

Stories from Conroy's friends and admirers: Conroy's closest friends: Grateful now for last year's celebration of author's life ☙ Close encounters with Pat Conroy ☙ Lowcountry remembers Pat Conroy ☙ Sallie Ann Robinson recalls press tour with Pat Conroy ☙ Great Santini tells principal 'my son (Pat Conroy) will not be a secretary' ☙ Retired book seller: Decades after Daufuskie, Pat Conroy 'knew every (student's) name' ☙ Conroy book buffs: When you read his books, 'you are there'

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This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Pat Conroy remembered by SC lawmakers."