William Baxter Harley Sr.

COLUMBIA - Funeral service for William Baxter Harley, 94, will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, September 9, 2014, at Shandon United Methodist Church, with a private burial. The family will receive friends from 5:30 until 7:30 p.m. Monday, September 8, 2014, at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel. Mr. Harley died Friday, September 5, 2014. Born in Spartanburg, he was a son of the late John Lawton Harley and Lulie Baxter Harley. He graduated from Ridgeway High School where he played on the State Championship Class C Basketball Team. After graduation, he went to work for The R.L. Bryan Company in Columbia. Upon the onset of WWII he joined the United States Army where he served in North Africa, Italy and France in the 57th Signal Corps of the Third Army achieving the rank of Captain. After the conclusion of WWII he returned to The R.L. Bryan Company where he worked for over seventy years ultimately retiring as C.E.O. During Mr. Harley’s career at The R.L. Bryan Company some of his notable civic involvements included: President of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce where he was awarded the Ambassador of the Year award in 1992; Trustee at Epworth Children’s Home; President of the Printing Industry of the Carolinas; Board of Directors for Providence Hospital; advisory boards at Winthrop University Business School, Lutheran Theological Seminary and MUSC; the Palmetto Club Board of Directors; founding member of Spring Valley Country Club; Central Regional Midlands Planning Council; President of the South Carolina Association of Regional Councils; and local board of The Salvation Army. The South Carolina Association of School Administrators established The William B. Harley Administrator of the Year Award to honor his lifetime of dedication to public education in the state. He was very active within the Boys Scouts having received the Silver Beaver Award. Mr. Harley was active for many years at Shandon United Methodist Church where he served as chairman of the Administrative Board and lay leader. Surviving are his wife, Marjorie Luther Harley, formerly of Columbia; daughter, Anne Harley Duncan (Ligon) of Jackson, Miss.; son, William Baxter Harley, Jr. (Becky) of Clemson; grandchildren Sarah Kennedy and Jennings Duncan both of Jackson, Miss.; numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two sisters and two brothers. Memorials may be made to Epworth Childrens Home, 2900 Millwood Avenue, Columbia, SC 29205; Shandon United Methodist Church, 3407 Devine Street, Columbia SC 29205; or Reformed Theological Seminary, 5422 Clinton Boulevard, Jackson, MS 39209.