About Dwight Stewart
Dwight Stewart was born in Florence, South Carolina on October 10, 1948 to Dwight L. Stewart, Sr. and Katherine Stewart.
Dwight has a younger sister, Martha Stewart, living in Florence, and a younger brother, Mark Stewart, living in Orangeburg.
Dwight was educated in Florence public schools and graduated from McClenaghan High School in 1966. He graduated from Clemson
University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry. He was also commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S.
Army Reserve. He attended Engineer Office Basic School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and graduated in December 1970. He returned
to Florence and began working with the Georgia-Pacific Corporation in the town of Alcolu in Clarendon County in April 1971.
Stewart's first job assignment was as a special projects forester and he worked with various departments, including
Russellville, SC, Conway, SC, and Whiteville, NC, in addition to duties at Alcolu. After a year, he became the district
area forester for the Alcolu district and managed approximately 50,000 acres of company forest lands located in counties
from Chesterfield County to Orangeburg County.
In 1973, Stewart married Sherry Martin of Summerton. Sherry graduated from Summerton High School and received an associate
degree in Nursing from the University of South Carolina in June 1973. The couple lived in Summerton for a year before
moving to Sumter in the summer of 1974. in Summerton for a year before moving to Sumter in the summer of 1974.
Stewart left the Georgia-Pacific Corporation in the spring of 1974 and became associated with Bartow Shaw and Associates
in Sumter, a firm specializing in forest management for private land owners.
The Stewart family returned to Summerton in 1975 with their young son, Drew. He continued to work for Shaw and Associates
which evolved into Shaw, Bullock and Stewart and was known as Shaw, Stewart, McLeod and Belser when he left the firm in 1985.
The Stewart family returned to Summerton in 1975 with their young son, Drew. He continued to work for Shaw and Associates
which evolved into Shaw, Bullock and Stewart and was known as Shaw, Stewart, McLeod and Belser when he left the firm in 1985.
Mrs. Stewart has worked primarily for Clarendon Memorial Hospital in various positions, including patient care nurse, an
operating room nurse, the director of utilization, and currently she serves in training and orientation.
Stewart and his wife have three grandsons and two granddaughters, all 4 years old or younger.
Stewart has been active both personally and professionally. The following is a list of community and service
activities in which he has participated.
Community activities include:
- Elder at the Summerton Presbyterian Church.
- Member and President of the Summerton Lions Club.
- Former Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 382 in Summerton.
- Charter member of the Summerton Jaycees.
- Former member of the Summerton Downtown Development Association
- Former member of the Summerton Town Council from 1980 to 2000. In that
- Member of the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce.
- Member Clarendon County Historical Society.
- Member of United Ministries.
- Member of the Second Chance Animal Shelter in Clarendon County.
- Member of the Richardson Cemetery Committee.
- Former member of the Property Committee for the New Harmony Presbytery
headquartered in Florence.
- Member of the Oaks Board, which provides various levels of assisted
living for its clients and operates under the United Methodist Church.
Professional affiliations include:
- Charter member and certified forester of the Society of American Foresters since 1974 and former chairman of the South Carolina division of SAF.
- Member and former chairman of the Association of Consulting Foresters.
- Certified tree farm inspector.
- Registered forester in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
- State certified real estate appraiser in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
- Licensed real estate broker in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
- Member of the South Carolina Forestry Association and Chairman of the Board in 2007.
- Graduate of the 2008 Ambassador Program at Clarendon Health Systems.
- Charter member of the Clarendon County Forest Landowners Association.
- Candidate member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers.
- Member and former chairman of the Clarendon County Board of Realtors.
- Former chairman of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee in 1995 for the Clarendon County Council.
- Member of the Clarendon County School District 1 Strategic Planning Committee in 1995.
- Charter member and the current president of the Summerton Rotary Club.
- Board member of the Congaree Land Trust.
- Former member of the Board of Registration for Foresters.
- He was recognized by Main Street Manning in February 2010 for operating in Manning for 25 years.
- Accredited by the American Tree Farm System as an ATFS Group Certification Lead Auditor.
County service includes:
- Chairman of the Clarendon County Council since January 2001.
- Former representative of Clarendon County on the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency, which consists of five counties and owns the recently completed water treatment plant in Santee.
- Representative, executive committee member and past vice chairman of Clarendon County on the Central South Carolina Strategic Alliance, which consists of nine counties and the City of Columbia and promotes industrial development.
- Business representative and vice chair of the Santee Lynches Council of Governments, which consists of representatives from Kershaw, Lee, Sumter, and Clarendon Counties and municipalities located within the counties.
- Representative of Clarendon County on the Interagency Council, which consists of any public agency who wishes to participate and share ideas about what a public agency is doing for the citizens.
- Representative of Clarendon County on the Association of Counties, which represents the 46 county governments in South Carolina.
- Chairman of the EPA Section 208 Water Quality Committee, which reviews all applications in the Santee Lynches region for water and waste water.
- Representative of Clarendon County on the Home Consortium Board, which assists in providing affordable housing for citizens throughout the region.
Personal awards and honors include:
- Charles H. Flory Distinguished Service Award from the South Carolina Forestry Association, which recognizes outstanding leadership, public service and contributions to advance the forestry industry, professional forestry, and academics in South Carolina, November 2010.
- Recognition by Main Street Manning for operating in Manning for 25 years, February 2010.
- Certificate of Achievement for attending the Basic Program of Economic Development sponsored by the South Carolina Economic Development School, November 2008.
- Special Volunteer Service Award by the South Carolina Division of the Appalachian Society of American Foresters, 2000.
- Outstanding Support of Forestry and Wildlife Extension Programs Award from the Clemson Extension Service, 1999.
- Appreciation Award from the South Carolina Pork Industry, February 5, 1997.
- Division Merit Award from the South Carolina Division of the Appalachian Society of American Foresters,1990.
- Outstanding Service to the Forest Productivity Task Force Award from the South Carolina Forestry Association, November 1986.
- Outstanding Clemson University Forestry Alumnus Award from the Clemson University Forestry Alumni Association,1983.
- Outstanding Service Award as a Scout Master from Troop 382 BSA for his service from 1979 to 1983.