Mayor presents Order of the Pearl to Brunson

During Dec. 7’s Darlington City Council meeting, Mayor Curtis Boyd presented an award he created – the Order of the Pearl – to retired educator Lillian Brunson. The award, he said, is intended to honor Darlington residents who have made many contributions to the community. A previous recipient of the award was educator Harvey Drawdy. Brunson “is very inspirational, and has done a lot for everybody in the neighborhood and the city of Darlington,” Boyd said. Brunson was Boyd’s teacher in third grade, he said. Among her contributions: She’s been teaching kids to swim for nearly 50 years. “I love living here,” Brunson said. Pictured left to right: Darlington County Coroner Todd Hardee (whose kids learned to swim from Brunson), Brunson, and Boyd. PHOTO BY BOBBY BRYANT