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Lee G. Brockington
Historian … and Infinitely More
Once upon a time, Lee Brockington was Curator of Education for the Historic Columbia Foundation. It’s a job (and a calling!) she stumbled into during her years studying public affairs and public relations at Columbia College. Now, she has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, and a wealth of supplementary courses in history, ecology, anthropology, and more beneath her belt.
Brockington also has a lengthy curriculum vitae of leadership roles and experiences that offer evidence she is a historic preservation advocate, a cultural heritage protector and a community-minded educator. She’s a renowned public speaker and often serves as MC for all sorts of educational and community events. Behind a lectern, she can hold a crowd rapt and keep them laughing while they’re learning. She teaches by way of lectures given at local libraries and through CLASS. (Investigate oodles of courses and programs at ClassAtPawleys.com.)
Her contributions to the preservation of physical places and historical minutia are immeasurable. Her research has been published in countless newspapers and magazines. She’s authored and co-authored books that include Plantation Between the Waters: A Brief History of Hobcaw Barony and Pawleys Island: Stories from the Porch. She was a key player in the restoration of the Georgetown County Courthouse, the Kaminski House Museum, and Hopsewee Plantation. And no one could argue her roster of achievements at Hobcaw Barony. After discovering and falling in love with the place in 1983, she campaigned for a job and got it, moving from Columbia to Pawleys Island the next year. She remained at Hobcaw, in various capacities, for decades.
Inexhaustible,Brockington’s engagement with many community organizations has included, among others, the Georgetown County Historical Society, the County’s Library System, the League of Women Voters, and the Georgetown County Landmarks Commission. She is active in her church, Pawleys Island Presbyterian. She has received numerous honors and awards including the coveted Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor in SC. She has also been recognized by the SC Historical Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The list goes on.
Aside from all the accolades, Lee Brockington is a kind-hearted soul, exceedingly generous with her time, knowledge, and resources. Face-to-face or in front of a crowd, she speaks with an animated smile, making a quirky face now and again to drive a point home. She listens well, is wonderfully approachable and easily draws people into her stories. People brighten up and feel better when engaging with her. It’s been said her husband, sadly deceased, wouldn’t let her go to the post office on Saturdays because he knew she would stay for hours chatting with one friend or another. That is Lee Brockington.
These days, Lee’s busy with a happy-making enterprise called Imagine Charters. She and Captain Paul Kenny, a former marine scientist with the USC-Baruch Marine Laboratory, are offering three-hour guided tours up and down the rivers and tributaries of Winyah Bay to Sandy Island, Arcadia, and the Pee Dee. Aboard a canopy-covered pontoon boat, they’ll tell you about history and ecology, mysteries, and ghost stories. To find info, including dates and availabilities, visit ClassAtPawleys.com, click on CLASS List & Publishing at the top of the page, then scroll down to Travel with CLASS. You can also call 843.235.9600 to ask questions.
So next time you bump into Lee at the post office, tell her Georgetown County is a markedly better place because we call her our own.
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Much of this information was sourced from an article written by Anita Crone and published in The Sun News on May 13, 2017.