Former Hilton Head councilman Bill Mottel awarded Order of the Palmetto

Former Hilton Head Island Town Councilman Bill Mottel was awarded the governor's Order of the Palmetto on Tuesday, the state's highest civilian honor.

Mottel, who resigned his seat in March after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, was unable to attend the ceremony held in the Benjamin M. Racusin Council Chambers.

Several of his family members accepted the award and a painting by a local artist on his behalf, praising the man who first came to South Carolina as a DuPont executive responsible for designing, building and operating the Savannah River Site in Aiken.

That facility produced materials for nuclear weapons during the Cold War.

"We're extremely proud of what our father accomplished," said his son, David. "My father would be extremely humble if he knew something like this was going on ... but I know he deserves it more than we can say with words."

In the award letter, Gov. Mark Sanford praised Mottel, 80, for his many accomplishments, including his tenure at the Savannah River Site, past chairmanship of the National Safety Council and for his more recent roles on the governor's nuclear advisory committee and in local politics.

Mayor Pro Tem Ken Heitzke remembered Mottel as a man who always was ready to lend an ear.

"Anyone who has worked with Bill becomes a better person," he said.

By Daniel Brownstein