USC, community reacts online following death of board member Eddie Floyd
Following news that the University of South Carolina’s longest-serving board member passed away, a stream of social media reactions began popping up from USC alums, the school’s community and state and local officials.
Eddie Floyd, who served on the university’s board of trustees for 40 years, died Thursday morning at the age of 91. A 1956 USC graduate, Floyd was a retired physician and tobacco farmer from Florence. He became a member of the board in 1982 and retired in 2024, while serving as chair from 1992 until 1996.
News of his death prompted a slew of reactions on Facebook from many who described him as an adored leader and supporter.
“From a personal point of view, I have never had a more loyal and dedicated supporter than Dr. Floyd,” U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said, in part, in a post on Facebook. “Bottom line, Dr. Floyd lived one of the most consequential lives of any person I’ve ever known.”
In a statement released Thursday, USC President Michael Amiridis said Floyd was one of the university’s “most respected voices,” while the current chair of the board classified Floyd as “an unparalleled champion” for the university.
Floyd, who was a member of USC’s swim team as a student, also received love on a Facebook page maintained by the Gamecocks.
U.S. Senator Tim Scott posted that South Carolina lost “a truly great visionary and selfless leader,” in the death of Floyd.
“As a philanthropist and civic leader, he made our state stronger,” Scott said in the post. “As a champion for educational opportunity, he believed deeply that every person who works hard and demonstrates ability deserves their chance to succeed.”
Former chief executive assistant to Gov. Henry McMaster, now state executive director at USDA Farm Service Agency, Cody Simpson, also regarding Floyd as a “visionary leader.”
Stephanie McLaughlin-Rawlinson, daughter of the founder of The McLaughlin Company — a Greenville-based manufacturer of construction equipment — posted she knew Floyd for 55 years and that Floyd became the company’s very first client.
