Hilton Head: Mayor’s honored islander award dinner today

Hilton Head mayor David Bennett will recognize seven town residents today at 6 p.m. during his semi-annual “Honored Islander Award” dinner.

The dinner is hosted by Brian Carmines of Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, located along Skull Creek off Squire Pope Road.

The dinner is reserved for the mayor, Town Council members and the honored residents, but the restaurant will remain open to the public, said Phyllis Deiter, the mayor’s senior administrative assistant.

The honorees, according to a town release, include: Berry and Ruth Edwards, Herbert Ford, Shirley Peterson, Heather Quinn, Charles Sampson and Paul Walter.

Berry Edwards has worked with the boards of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, Volunteers in Medicine and the Coastal Conservation League. Ruth Edwards has been involved with the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina and Hilton Head Prep’s 50th anniversary event.

Herbert Ford has been involved with connecting the Gullah community to the Coastal Discovery Museum. He is also a leader in presenting the island’s annual Gullah Celebration.

Shirley Peterson is a member of the board of directors for the Coastal Discovery Museum and chairwoman of the board for the Mitchelville Preservation Project.

Heather Quinn established The Harper Project, a South Carolina chapter sponsored by the Zoe Foundation. The project is dedicated to supporting families who have lost infants. Since it’s founding, Quinn has merged the project with the South Carolina chapter of the National Tears Foundation.

Charles Sampson has held many leadership roles on the island, which include the board of directors for the Coastal Discovery Museum, Experience Green and the Hilton Head Symphony. He has also served as a chairman of the Lowcountry Community Development Corporation and the Beaufort County Consortium on Affordable Housing. He received the Chamber of Commerce’s Alice Glenn Doughtie Good Citizenship Award in 2006.

Paul Water served as the youngest president of the Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island, and has promoted initiatives such as the creation of the Early Acts Clubs at Hilton Head schools.

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Hilton Head: Mayor’s honored islander award dinner today."