South Carolina H 4897: SkillsUSA

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 4897 Text of Previous Version (Jan. 14, 2026) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 4897

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 south carolina 
house of representatives UPON THE PASSING OF CHESTER NATIVE VIVIAN AYERS ALLEN, 
TO CELEBRATE HER LIFE, AND TO EXTEND THE DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND 
MANY FRIENDS.

Whereas, the South 
Carolina House of Representatives was deeply saddened to learn of the passing 
of Vivian Ayers Allen on August 18, 2025, at the venerable age of one hundred 
two. A native of Chester, she was a poet and cultural activist for over sixty 
years and also earned renown as a playwright, museum curator, and classicist; 
and

Whereas, born July 29, 
1923, Dr. Ayers Allen spent nearly two decades serving as the founding director 
of the Brainerd Institute Heritage in her hometown of Chester. The Brainerd 
Institute, formed in 1866 as an elite educational institution for newly liberated 
African slaves by the Presbyterian USA Church, eventually offered all grades 
through high school. Dr. Ayers Allen was the youngest member of the school's 
last graduating class in 1939. The site is currently home to Workshops in Open 
Fields, a program she originally started in Houston, Texas, created to foster 
and promote preschool literacy; and

Whereas, her literary 
career began in Houston, Texas, in 1952 with the publication of Spice of 
Dawns, a collection of poems that was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Hawk, 
an allegory of freedom made analogous to space flight, followed and was 
published in 1957, just before the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial 
satellite sent from Earth into orbit. Hawk would later earn praise from 
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at their Lyndon B. 
Johnson Space Center, where enlarged reproductions of the writings are 
exhibited; and

Whereas, Dr. Ayers 
Allen's talents and interests also included the research of world cultures. She 
studied Latin and French at the Brainerd Institute and classical Greek at Rice 
University, Columbia University, and Princeton University. In addition, she studied 
and translated texts on Mayan culture and astronomy. Her thirst for knowledge 
and her subsequent accomplishments earned her honorary doctorates from Bennett 
College and Wilberforce University; and

Whereas, Dr. Ayers 
Allen dedicated her ongoing life accomplishments to her immediate family, from 
whom she always received support and encouragement. She was the mother of four 
talented children: musician "Tex" Allen; choreographer, actress, and Grey's Anatomy 
executive director/producer Debbie Allen; Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia 
Rashad; and TD Bank regional president Hugh Allen; and

Whereas, in honor of 
Dr. Ayers Allen's one hundredth birthday in 2023, Clemson University 
republished her epic NASA-celebrated poem, Hawk; and

Whereas, U.S. 
Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina shared this apt praise of Vivian 
Ayers Allen at her passing: "The nation has lost a giant among its cultural 
warriors. Dr. Allen was an outstanding artist in her own right and a proud 
daughter of South Carolina. Her art is her legacy, and will continue to inspire 
for generations." Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, 
by this resolution, express profound sorrow upon the passing of Chester native Vivian 
Ayers Allen, celebrate her life, and extend the deepest sympathy to her family 
and many friends.

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

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