South Carolina H 5692: Frank Palma Ardailo, sympathy

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 5692 Text of Previous Version (May. 12, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 5692

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A house RESOLUTION

TO EXPRESS THE 
PROFOUND SORROW OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
UPON THE PASSING OF FRANK PALMA ARDAIOLO OF SEABROOK ISLAND AND TO EXTEND THE 
DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY AND MANY FRIENDS.

Whereas, the members of 
the South Carolina House of Representatives were deeply saddened to learn of 
the passing of Frank Palma Ardaiolo of Seabrook Island at the venerable age of 
seventy-seven on May 5, 2026; and

Whereas, Frank Ardaiolo 
was born October 21, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of the late Salvatore 
Ardaiolo and the late Helen DeChicchio Ardaiolo, as well as the identical twin 
of James Anthony Ardaiolo; and

Whereas, he was raised 
in Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal, and on Long Island, New York. As an 
adolescent and teenager, he spent significant time in Roberts Field, Liberia, 
where his father was posted for Pan Am World Airways. He earned a bachelor's 
degree from Assumption University, followed by a Master of Science degree in 
college student affairs and a doctorate in higher education from Indiana 
University; and

Whereas, in June 1989, 
Frank was hired as vice president of student life at Rock Hill's Winthrop 
University, having previously worked at the University of South Carolina and 
the University of Connecticut. Known fondly as "Dr. A.," Frank Ardaiolo retired 
in 2018, having spent twenty-nine years at Winthrop, a driving force behind the 
school's promotion of diversity, citizenship, and international relations. 
Active in the development of his profession, he also served as the president of 
the Foundation Board of Directors of the National Association of Student 
Personnel Administrators, commonly known as NASPA; and

Whereas, Frank was an 
active member of the Rock Hill community, as well. He was an original member of 
the city's No Room for Racism Committee, the chair of the Committee on Human 
Relations, and a member of the Hispanic Education Task Force and the International 
Center of York County. He was also on the board of directors for Keystone 
Substance Abuse Services. In 2018, he was awarded the inaugural Civic 
Engagement Leader Award by the South Carolina Campus Compact and the Dream 
Keeper Award by the City of Rock Hill; and

Whereas, throughout his 
life, Frank maintained a connection with his childhood home of Liberia. He 
served as chair of the board of trustees for Friends of Liberia, a nonprofit, 
nongovernmental organization, and was a vocal advocate for U.S. intervention 
during the Liberian civil war of the 1990s and 2000s. He served as a United 
Nations-sanctioned peace monitor during the 2005 Liberian elections; and

Whereas, Frank Ardaiolo 
leaves to cherish his memory his beloved wife, Joleen Phifer Ardaiolo; his 
daughter, Shannon; two sons, Michael (Karisa) and Matthew; his grandson, 
Skyler; his brothers, Tom (Yvonne) and James, the latter being Dr. Ardaiolo's 
identical twin; and a host of other family members and friends. He will be 
greatly missed. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, 
by this resolution, express their profound sorrow upon the passing of Frank 
Palma Ardaiolo of Seabrook Island and extend the deepest sympathy to his family 
and many friends.

Be it further resolved 
that a copy of this resolution be presented to the family.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on May 12, 2026 at 12:43 PM