TO COMMEND AND HONOR MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS STOWE "TOM" MULLIKIN, RETIRED COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE GUARD, CURRENT CHAIRMAN OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA FLOODWATER COMMISSION, AND FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL ECO ADVENTURES, FOR HIS LEADERSHIP IN THE POWER PLANT SC EARTH DAY 2021 TREE-PLANTING EVENT AND FOR HIS VISIONARY WORK; SACRIFICES OF TIME, ENERGY, AND RESOURCES; EXEMPLARY LEADERSHIP; AND OVERALL EXAMPLE, FOR WHICH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THE NATION, AND THE WORLD ARE ALL BENEFICIARIES.
Whereas, Major General (Retired) Thomas Stowe "Tom" Mullikin, chairman of the South Carolina Floodwater Commission and an accomplished and internationally acclaimed global expedition leader, has conceived, planned, organized, and garnered widespread support for the recent, record-setting Power Plant SC tree-seed planting event; and
Whereas, Major General Mullikin served as president of Global Eco Adventures, an organization that seeks to educate South Carolina's citizens regarding their unique and precious natural resources and habitats. As the organization's founder, he has directed the unprecedented work of Global Eco Adventures since its foundation. He was also the founding chairman of the South Carolina Floodwater Commission; and
Whereas, during his time as commanding general of the South Carolina State Guard, Major General Mullikin transformed the historic State Guard from a little-known, all-volunteer state defense force augmenting the South Carolina National Guard into one of the premier state disaster-response organizations in the United States; and
Whereas, Major General Mullikin has spent much of the last four decades traversing every continent on Earth, climbing the mountain ranges of the world's seven tallest peaks and reaching the summits of more than twenty mountains across the globe. He logged SCUBA dives in all of the world's oceans as a means of exploring, better understanding, and educating others about the criticality of protecting the world's finite resources and diverse and often-fragile environments; and
Whereas, Major General Mullikin directed the first single-day statewide loblolly pine tree seed-and-sapling planting project, having in the weeks prior to Earth Day 2021 distributed 3.4-million tree seeds to all forty-six counties in South Carolina. This initiative led to the planting of more than three million tree seeds across South Carolina on Earth Day; and
Whereas, on Earth Day, April 22, 2021, Power Plant SC created a greater awareness of South Carolina's natural beauty and the importance of trees and protecting the environment, all while setting a record of the most trees planted in a single day across North America. Each of the 3.4-million trees planted by the more than 125,000 volunteers, who were supported by numerous private-sector partners, universities, and state agencies, may help mitigate the impacts of disastrous flooding in years to come. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, commend Major General Tom Mullikin for his leadership of the Power Plant SC single-day tree planting effort, for his life's work overall, and for his service to the State of South Carolina, the nation, and the global community.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Major General Tom Mullikin.