LOUIS FLEMING
Councilman Louis Fleming, devoted husband, father, humanitarian, civil rights leader, and politician, departed from this earthly life on Friday, Jan. 19, 2007, at the Tuomey Regional Medical Center in Sumter.
Born in New York City, N.Y., on April 29, 1926, he was the seventh of eight children born to the late Theodore and Eloise McDaniel Fleming. He was raised in St. Jude's Catholic Church and served faithfully in many capacities to include: one of the first to be baptized there in 1940; one of the first altar servers; lector and eucharistic minister; usher; former chairman of Parish Council for several terms; religious education instructor; founding member of the Diocesan Office of Black Ministry and first volunteer executive director from 1982-85; founding member of the Knights of Peter Claver in 1990 (having served as Grand Knight and a Fourth Degree Knight); member of the Evangelization Commission, and Cursillo participant. He attended several Black National Congress Conventions over the years; attended numerous state and national state meetings for the Office of Black Ministries; and was honored by that organization under the Office of Ethnic Ministry for being one of the main forces in the founding and being a motivating force for several decades.
He graduated from Lincoln High School of Sumter in 1944 and received an associate degree in business marketing from what is now Central Carolina Technical College (formerly Sumter Technical College) in 1975. He was also a proud Morris College Alumni, having earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1978, and he continued to be very actively involved with the Morris College National Alumni Association.
The Morris College National Alumni Association Award was given to Councilman Fleming in special recognition of exemplary service as an elected government official in 1989. A scholarship fund has recently been established in his honor there to assist with the further advancement of educational endeavors for our future leaders who are in attendance at the college.
Councilman Fleming was a founding member of the Junior Leadership Conservation Core Inc., which is a nonprofit organization whose focus was to provide mentorship for at-risk youth. He shared his time as a tutor with the Adult Education Program with District 17 and served as past president of Parents Follow-Thru Program. In appreciation for his commitment to the importance of education, he was also awarded the South Carolina Community Citizen Leadership Award for his participation with the Adult Education Program.
The Councilman was a combat veteran of 27 years, having served in the U.S. Army from 1944-1971 with two tours in the Republic of Vietnam and two tours in the Republic of Korea. He retired at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 1970 as a chief warrant officer three (CWO3). Before settling back in his boyhood town, his military travels took him to Virginia, Washington State, Fort Campbell, Ky., Fort Bragg, Verdun, France and Fairbanks, Alaska.
Early on, he was employed with Avenue Realty for a time and later as the Sumter County Veterans Affairs officer. He continued on with his dedicated service by becoming a longtime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 10813. He had more than 30 years of service as a member of the American Legion Post 202, including having been a past commander from 1968-1970, and he was also a member of the Disabled Veterans Gamecock V.
Throughout his lifetime, Councilman Fleming was a strong advocate for change with the African-American community and the Sumter community as a whole. He believed in being a voice for those who felt that they had none and he unselfishly worked to seek equality and justice for all to benefit from. He had been a longtime member of the Sumter Branch of the NAACP, where he was awarded the Presidents Distinguished Service Award in 2006. In 1978, Councilman Fleming was a plaintiff in the Blanding vs. Dubose lawsuit which was historically instrumental in changing the voting zones from at-large to single member districts. This changed the face of the representation of the members of Sumter County Council to which he was later elected in 1988. He served faithfully for 18 years, until his death, and is recognized as a passionate and vocal member who believed in serving his constituents and beyond. He served two terms as vice-chairman from 1993-1995 and again from 1999-2001. He was elected as chairman of Sumter County Council in January 2005 and served until he stepped down due to his illness on March 28, 2006. Despite his illness, he was determined to continue his service until his term expired.
Councilman Fleming served on numerous boards and received several awards to include: National Association of Counties (NACO), South Carolina Minority Coalition of County Officials, Santee-Lynches Regional Council of Governments Board of Directors, Central South Carolina Alliance Board of Directors, South Carolina Association of Counties Legislative Committee, Revenue, Finance and Economic Development Steering Committee, Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee. He played a very active role in the Visioning Process (collaborative efforts amongst the City of Sumter, the County of Sumter, and the Sumter Chamber of Commerce).
He also participated in several Legislative Day trips to the South Carolina State House sponsored by the Sumter Chamber. He served as past chairman of Santee-Lynches Affordable Housing Corp., president of the East Red Bay Road Association, public relations officer for Junior Leadership and Conservation Corps Inc. He was a charter member of the Sumter County African-American Cultural Society; board member for the League of Women Voters; a founding member of the Sumter County Junior County Council; and Friend of the Sumter County Library. He received the Community Partnership Award from Santee Lynches (2002); Omega Psi Phi Citizen of the Year Award (1993); The Freedom Fund Solicitation Award for Superior Efforts by the Sumter Branch NAACP (1988); given the J.T. McCain Civil Rights Award by NAACP (2004); honoring of service by the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club (2002); Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service and Support for the Junior Leadership and Conservation Corps Inc.; Certificate of Appreciation by the St. Jude's Alumni Association and Friends (1998); recognition of Outstanding Contributions in Government Service by Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church (1998); and Recognition of Outstanding Service by the House of Representatives (1998), just to name a few.
Most recently, he was inducted as a Fellow in the Gamecock City Society by Mayor Joseph T. McElveen, and the Order of the Palmetto was bestowed upon him by the office of the Governor of the State of South Carolina, signed by Gov. Mark Sanford (both in 2006).
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by five siblings, Myrtle Johnson, Theodore Fleming Jr., Raymond Fleming, Jessie Fleming and Eleanor Fleming.
He leaves to cherish his precious memories his devoted and loving wife of 53 years, Emma Richardson Fleming of the home; five daughters, Zarifa Raja Muhammad (Marzuq) of Manhattan, N.Y., Catherine Fleming Bruce and Andrea Michelle Fleming, both of Columbia, Mary Fleming-Andrews (Jeffery) of Phoenix, Ariz., and Chantal E. Fleming of Sumter; one son, Michel Louis Fleming of Sumter; nine grandchildren, Bashir Muhammad, Fawziyyah Muhammad, Ibrahim Muhammad, Fatimah Muhammad, Halimah Muhammad, Abd'al-Aziz Muhammad, Jordan Fleming, Gianne' Fleming and Alaric Bruce; one brother, Wendell R. Fleming Sr. (Pauline) of Portsmouth, Va.; one sister, Harriet Drake of Newark, N.J.; and a host of beloved cousins, nieces and nephews.
Funeral mass / memorial services for Councilman Louis Fleming will be held on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Patriot Hall Auditorium, 135 Haynsworth St., with Father Charles Donovan and the Rev. Msgr. Joseph R. Roth. Burial will follow in Saint Lawrence Catholic Cemetery with full military honors.
Honorary pallbearers will be the Knights of Peter Claver, Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, Knights of Columbus, County Council, American Legion Post 202, VFW and Sumter Sheriff Dept.
A vigil will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Louis Fleming Scholarship Fund, c/o Morris College or the Scholarship Fund Knights Peter Claver.
The family is receiving relatives and friends at the home, 256 E. Red Bay Road, Sumter, where the processional will leave at 12:30 p.m.
Community Funeral Home of Sumter is in charge of arrangements.
Online memorials can be sent to comfhltj@sc.rr.com.