Former mayor Charlie Sweat dies

Former mayor and community leader Charlie Sweat of Walterboro died on Jan. 12 of natural causes, according to Deputy Coroner Wayne Walker.
Sweat dedicated his life to public service, working to improve the quality of life and the future of Walterboro.
Sweat’s political career began in 1978 with his election to Walterboro City Council, where he served until 2005. He was elected mayor of Walterboro in 2005 and served until 2009. Other duties included 29 years of service as a representative on the Lowcountry Council of Governments, for which he was a three-time chairman.
A native of Walterboro, Sweat was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Sweat and the grandson of longtime Walterboro Mayor H.H. “Cap” Sweat. A graduate of Colleton County schools, he attended Georgia Southern College. He was a member of the Walterboro Jaycees, the Colleton County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, and the Edisto River Basin Task Force. He was also president of the South Carolina Nature-Based Tourism Association and a member of the advisory boards of the Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital Fund and the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism. He worked diligently to preserve the historic Live Oak Cemetery in Walterboro.
Sweat served as a member of several boards, including the Colleton County Rice Festival, Friends of the Edisto, and the Region IV South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. He was chair of both the Colleton County Heritage Corridor Committee and the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor. In addition, he was a member of the Walterboro-Colleton Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee, Lowcountry and Resort Islands Tourism Commission, Walterboro’s Great Swamp Sanctuary Committee, and Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail Commission. He also found time to teach canoeing and kayaking for the American Canoe Association.
He worked for years to turn thousands of acres of swamp near the heart of the Colleton County city into what is now known as the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary.
In 2007 Sweat suffered a serious head injury after he was struck by a golf cart while giving a tour of the wildlife sanctuary. Because of his injuries, he was not able to run for re-election in 2009.

He received distinguished service awards over the years from both the Walterboro-Colleton Chamber of Commerce, which honored him on two occasions, and the South Carolina Jaycees; and a celebratory event held in his honor on June 23, 2009.
As Sweat ended his career, the members of the General Assembly noted his career for his two successful terms as mayor, commending him for his service to the city and county.
In November, Sweat was honored by the city with a plaque noting his accomplishments in Walterboro City Hall. The plaque reads:
“After serving on Walterboro City Council for 27 years, he was elected mayor in 2005. His decades of passionate service to his fellow citizens in Walterboro, Coleton County and the entire Lowcountry were notably marked by his dedication to conserving the beauty of the Edisto River, maintaining and improving the Live Oak Cemetery, and furthering the progress of the Walterboro Wildlife Sanctuary.
“His retirement from the government of his beloved hometown and service to its citizens came only after he suffered a devastating injury during an accident that occurred on 2007 as he was performing his mayoral duty on behalf of the people of Walterboro.”

Parker-Rhoden Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.