CEC professor receives the Order of the Palmetto award

Dr. Joseph H. Gibbon, professor of chemical engineering has received the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor awarded by the Governor of South Carolina.

Gov. John West created the Order of the Palmetto in 1971 to recognize lifetime achievement and service. It was modeled on similar honors bestowed in other states, such as the Kentucky colonel and North Carolina's Order of the Longleaf Pine, and it comes in the form of a framed plaque.

All nominations for the award have to be submitted in writing. Nominees who made a statewide accomplishment are eligible for the award, while those who make a local community or professional contribution are eligible for another honor - the Order of the Silver Crescent (both awards are taken from the two prominent features on the state flag: the Palmetto tree and the crescent moon).

Other recipients of the award have inclded the rock group Hootie and the Blowfish, who Gov. Jim Hodges recognized in 1999 for their charity efforts.