Gov. Beasley visits DHS
Former SC Governor, David Beasley speaks to students at DHS.
Photo by Samantha Lyles
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
Former South Carolina Governor David Beasley visited Darlington High School on Friday, October 21 to remind a group of sophomores and seniors (all of whom are taking government classes this year) that informed voting and participation in our nation’s democratic process is the duty of every conscientious citizen.
Beasley shared stories about his election to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1979 at age 20 – a race he won by just two votes – and his early days learning the ropes from senior politicians. Beasley became the 83rd Governor of South Carolina in 1995 and served one term, but has remained active in social work and diplomacy. Following his term as governor, Beasley was a Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and served as Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health.
“The purpose of my life was helping people. That’s what I wanted to do,” Beasley said, noting that working to build a better society through government service can impact many lives in far-reaching and lasting ways.
Beasley stressed to the DHS students his abiding belief that public service is a worthwhile challenge, even though young people might feel discouraged by obvious flaws in the political system. He said that while his first election campaign encountered many obstacles, including glaring voting irregularities and post-election protests, the chance to serve was worth the fight.
“I was a young kid. I didn’t think those kinds of things happened,” said Beasley. “You face these kind of things. But if you wait for the system to be perfect to enter it, you’ll never do anything.”