Robert Hubbard Obituary

Robert Carl Hubbard GEORGETOWN, SC - Robert Carl Hubbard, formerly of Lancaster, SC, husband of Catherine Brent Hubbard, passed away Thursday, July 25, 2013, at his home. Born in Columbia, S.C., July 9, 1927, son of the late Julius Clifford and Adele Aaron Hubbard. A graduate of Oak Ridge Military Academy, attended the Citadel, a graduate of Duke University and the Duke School of Law. Served in the Navy during WWII, practiced law in Charlotte, N.C., before joining the legal department of Springs Mills in Lancaster, S.C. In 1967 he became vice president and general counsel of the Springs Company and was an officer and director of their foundations and ancillary companies, including the Springs and Close Foundations, the Lancaster and Chester Railroad, Leroy Springs and Company, the Springs Company, Springland, Inc., the Bank of Lancaster, Central Carolina Bank, Charter Properties, Inc., Kanawha Insurance Company, and Springs Leasing Corporation. In 1963 Mr. Hubbard was appointed to the Lancaster County Educational Foundation and served as its president from 1972-1992. He was a founding member of the Southeastern Council on Foundations. In 1981 he was recognized in appreciation for his extraordinary services to the University of South Carolina System and the cause for higher education in South Carolina. In 1982 he was Lancaster Civitan Man of the Year, and in 1984 he was honored for his services to the University of South Carolina at Lancaster. Hubbard Hall on that campus is named in honor of Mr. Hubbard and his father. The Lancaster County Commission for Higher Education honored Mr. Hubbard for his "special contributions to higher education" in the county in 1987. He was also appointed to an ad hoc Governor's Committee to work on solutions to the Catawba Indian Claim. In 1992 he was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by then Governor Carroll Campbell for his many years of work for higher education. While in Lancaster he headed a committee that was charged with the task of the consolidation of city/county law enforcement. He was president of the Lancaster Lions Club, Charter President of the Breakfast Rotary Club, and was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a member of the Lancaster County Chamber of Commerce - Secretary 1982-1983, Director 1984-1986. As a member of First United Methodist Church he served at various times on the Administrative Board, the Board of Trustees, as Sunday School Superintendant and teacher. He is a member of the South Carolina Nature Conservancy and served on their board from 1989-1998, and since moving to Georgetown he has been a member of the Historic Rice Fields Association. He is a member of the Founders Society of Duke University, the President's Club at Clemson University, the American Legion, the Hart Masonic Lodge, and the Jamestown Society. Mr. Hubbard is a descendant of Col. Walter Chiles. Mr. Hubbard was an active member of Duncan United Methodist Church, Georgetown, S.C. He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Catherine Brent Hubbard; their son, Carl Brent Hubbard and his wife, Lori Anne Venn, and their children Brent Venn Hubbard and Isabel Adele Hubbard; their daughter Laura Catherine Widmer, and her children, Casey Catherine Widmer and Jeffrey Clifford Widmer; his sister, Adele Aaron Williams, and his brother, Julius Clifford Hubbard, Jr. and wife, Margaret. Mr. Hubbard was predeceased by: a brother-in-law, Steve C. Williams, Jr. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, Georgetown, SC on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at 2pm. There will be a family visitation at the church from 1:00 to 2:00 pm preceding the funeral. Sign a guest book at www.mayerfuneralhome.com. Memorials would be gratefully accepted at Duncan United Methodist Church in Georgetown, S.C. or the Adele A. Hubbard Nursing Scholarship, USC-Lancaster, PO Box 889, Lancaster, SC 29441. The Georgetown Chapel of Mayer Funeral Home is assisting the family. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston