The Humanities CouncilSC is pleased to announce that three extraordinary South Carolina individuals will be recipients of this year’s annual Governor’s Awards in the Humanities, presented at a gala to be held October 17, 2013 at the Palmetto Club in Columbia. The three recipients are: Ron Rash, award-winning author who is the
John Parris Chair in Appalachian Studies at Western Carolina University; Dr. Stephen Wise who is Director of the Parris Island Museum; and Dr. Mary Ann Kohli, English instructor at Trident Technical College.
Established in 1991, the Governor’s Awards in the Humanities recognize outstanding achievement in humanities research, teaching, and scholarship; institutional and individual participation in community-based programs that promote public understanding of ideas and issues related to the humanities; excellence defining South Carolina’s cultural life to the nation or world; and exemplary support for public humanities programs. From 1991-2012, sixty-two awards have been presented. The Humanities CouncilSC is completing its 40th year as the state-based program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dr. Stephen Wise is director of the Parris Island Museum and Cultural Resource Manager for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. He also teaches at USC Beaufort. Among his written or edited works are Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War and Gate of Hell: The Campaign for Charleston Harbor 1863. He wrote the screen narrative for the Gilded Age Productions film “American Iliad: The Siege of Charleston,” a docufilm on the Civil War in Charleston. A well-known lecturer, Wise has been the featured speaker on passenger liners and cruises and has appeared on the Arts and Entertainment Channel, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and on public television. He has conducted numerous lowcountry history tours and was the chief contributor to the local commemoration of the 1863 attack of the Mass. 54th Regiment on Battery Wagner.
With degrees from Wittenberg University, Bowling Green State University, and the University of South Carolina (Ph.D.), Wise has won awards of excellence from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of Defense. He is currently on the board of the Beaufort County Historical Society and the editorial board of the South Carolina Historical Society. To learn more about the Governor’s Awards in the Humanities and to see a complete list of the previous sixty-two recipients, visit The Humanities CouncilSC website: www.schumanities.org. The mission of The Humanities CouncilSC is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Council programs and initiatives are balanced, reflect sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations. For more information, please visit the website at www.schumanities.org.
