TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR G. THOMAS "TOM" UPSHAW, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF PALMETTO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC., UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER THIRTY-THREE YEARS OF EXEMPLARY SERVICE, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, it is altogether fitting and proper that the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina should pause in their deliberations to express their gratitude to G. Thomas "Tom" Upshaw for his significant contributions to Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc.; and

Whereas, in 1981, after eleven years as a partner with Southern Engineering Company of Georgia, an engineering consulting firm based in Atlanta, Tom Upshaw began serving Palmetto Electric Cooperative and has been the president and chief executive officer of the cooperative since 1984; and

Whereas, Mr. Upshaw, the past chairman of Touchstone Energy, serves as a board member and past chairman of the board of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, which is the statewide cooperative for twenty-three cooperatives in the State; and

Whereas, he also serves as a board member and past chairman of Central Electric, the generation and transmission cooperative serving twenty distribution cooperatives in the State, and he serves as a board member and past chairman of Cooperative Electric Energy Utility Supply, the supply cooperative for the electric cooperatives of the State; and

Whereas, Tom Upshaw personally conceived and developed Operation Round Up, a nationally acclaimed self-help program, which has been adopted by over three hundred cooperatives nationwide. Operation Round Up provides funds for needy individuals and charitable organizations and has raised over $32 million in South Carolina alone; and

Whereas, he was honored in 1993 with The President's Award from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association for his efforts in establishing Operation Round Up; and

Whereas, deeply committed to his community, he serves as a board member and chairman of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Hilton Head Island Economic Development Corporation. He served as the past president of the Hilton Head Hospital Board, a board member of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, a member of the Beaufort County Economic Development Board, a member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and a Board of Governors' member of the Bluffton/Okatie Outpatient Center; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives are grateful for the decades of unparalleled dedication and outstanding leadership that Tom Upshaw has given to Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc., and wish him many years of enjoyment in his well-earned retirement. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

That the members of the House of Representatives of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and honor G. Thomas "Tom" Upshaw, President and CEO of Palmetto Electric Cooperative, Inc., upon the occasion of his retirement after thirty-three years of exemplary service, and wish him continued success and happiness in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to G. Thomas "Tom" Upshaw.