SC Attorney General's Office: 2002 Father of the Year

On June 14, former Attorney General Charlie Condon announced the winner of the South Carolina Father of the Year Award for 2002: Cecil Maurice "Buddy" Thornton, 59, of St. Matthews in Calhoun County.

Thornton, a retired insurance agent and owner of a St. Matthews furniture store, has been married for 34 years and is the father of three children: Marla Thornton Fanning; Cecil Maurice Thornton, Jr.; and Anna Margaret Thornton.

In nominating her father for this award, Marla Fanning cited not only Mr. Thornton's devotion to his family, but also his commitment to less fortunate members of the community.

In addition to providing tuition for his own children to attend private school, Mr. Thornton also helped to pay the tuition of one of his son's schoolmates so the boy could attend the same school.
He gave financial assistance to a student who was working her way through college and gave an automobile to a friend who had quit his job to attend seminary.
His daughter tells the following story: "As a teenager I remember seeing my dad come home one winter night to take his feather-down coat off the coat rack in our kitchen. He wore the coat each night when he went walking...I asked him what he was doing. He said he was giving his coat to a lady on his insurance route whose house had burned down. When I protested that it was the coat he wore every night he replied, 'Baby, she doesn't have a coat and it's the only one I have that will fit her.'"
Each Christmas Eve, Mr. Thornton, along with his wife and three children, have delivered toys and clothes to needy families in the community. As his daughter explained, "He always knew who wouldn't be having much for Christmas, so he took us with him to share what we had with others."
Not only does Mr. Thornton visit his own parents every single day, but on Sundays he goes to the Jolly Acres Nursing Home in Orangeburg to conduct a devotional with the elderly residents.

Mr. Thornton has always been active in the life of his church, both as a Sunday school teacher and as a lay preacher. When his children were younger, he made certain they were in Sunday school every week. As a result of this early training, the younger Thorntons are still active in their respective churches. As Marla Thornton Fanning put it, "I grew up watching Dad read his Bible each night before bed and often saw him kneeling in prayer before leaving home in the morning for work...He was the example that has carried over into the adult lives of his children. We know for ourselves the value of faithful attendance in church. My brother is an active member of Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia. I serve as Director of Children's Ministries at our church. A first year school teacher, my sister attends our church and assists me with children's activities during the summer. Some fathers give their children the best gifts money could buy. My father has led us to discovering the gift of eternal life."

Diagnosed with cancer four years ago, Mr. Thornton not only came through an agonizing period of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy with his faith and optimism intact, but he also turned private adversity into public service by becoming a sponsor and emcee for the American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" in Calhoun County.

Chosen Father of the Year, Mr. Thornton received a plaque commemorating his exemplary life and a $10,000 honorarium donated by SCANA, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, and BellSouth.

The South Carolina Father of the Year Award is sponsored annually by the South Carolina Attorney General's office. For further information, you may contact the Office of Public Information at (803) 734-4399 or .