A Walking History Lesson

For most people, Mondays are the worst day of the week.

It's time to go back to work, or back to school.

But for me, Mondays are made a lot easier by the fact that it's the day when the Florence Rotary Club meets. I had the honor of joining Rotary late last year, and I can honestly say it's some of the most valuable time I spend each week.

It’s a chance for me to speak with some of the Pee Dee's most influential leaders. People like Dr. Fred Carter, Sheriff Kenny Boone, Mayor Frank Willis, Deb Hyler with the School Foundation, Senator Hugh Leatherman, and many others.

The guest speakers offer insight on the critical issues facing the region, and of course there's always plenty of talk and good-natured ribbing about the Tigers and the Gamecocks.

Today I had the privilege of sitting next to Dr. Joe Stukes. For those of you who don't know him, Joe has taught history for more than four decades to thousands of high school and college students across South Carolina. He has been honored countless times and has both scholarships and lectureships in his name at both Erskine College in Due West and Francis Marion University in Florence.

He also presents the 'Joe Stukes History Series' at the Florence County Library. That's where I first had the opportunity to meet Dr. Stukes, last November when he welcomed CBS News Correspondent Martha Teichner to lecture at the library. His is a true southern gentleman in every sense of the word.

But Dr. Stukes doesn't just read and recite history, he lives it. Dr. Stukes has portrayed several historic characters through the years, including such giants as John C. Calhoun, Theodore Roosevelt, Douglas MacArthur and General Francis Marion.

Today we discussed Gen. Robert E. Lee - a man Dr. Stokes knows very well, through both his research and as a character he portrays from time to time. When I mentioned that my father-in-law was a descendent of lee, Dr. Stokes rattled off several facts on Lee I was not aware of, but none the less, interested to hear. In listening to him, I could only imagine how great it would be to see him perform as Lee, decked out in his gray uniform, saber by his side.

He truly is a walking history lesson.

If you get a chance to see one of Dr. Stukes' performances, I encourage you to do so.

I plan on being on the front row.

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