1 South Carolina General Assembly 2 120th Session, 2013-2014 3 4 H. 4111 5 6 STATUS INFORMATION 7 8 House Resolution 9 Sponsors: Rep. G.A. Brown 10 Document Path: l:\council\bills\rm\1267ab13.docx 11 12 Introduced in the House on May 14, 2013 13 Adopted by the House on May 14, 2013 14 15 Summary: Pearl Fryar 16 17 18 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 19 20 Date Body Action Description with journal page number 21 5/14/2013 House Introduced and adopted ( House Journalpage 13) 22 23 24 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL 25 26 5/14/2013 27 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A HOUSE RESOLUTION 10 11 TO HONOR MR. PEARL FRYAR OF BISHOPVILLE, 12 TOPIARY ARTIST, ON BEING SELECTED WINNER OF THE 13 2013 ELIZABETH O’NEILL VERNER SPECIAL AWARD AND 14 TO JOIN WITH HIS FAMILY AND COUNTLESS FANS IN 15 EXPRESSING GRATITUDE FOR THE PLEASURE HE 16 BRINGS TO SO MANY THROUGH HIS TOPIARY 17 SCULPTURES. 18 19 Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased 20 to learn that Mr. Pearl Fryar of Bishopville has been selected as the 21 2013 Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Special Award winner; and 22 23 Whereas, to recognize outstanding achievement and contributions 24 to the arts in the Palmetto State, the South Carolina Arts 25 Commission annually presents the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner 26 Awards, the highest accolades the State gives in the arts; and 27 28 Whereas, Pearl Fryar, a selftaught artist, philanthropist, and 29 teacher, exemplifies in his work how art and design can engage 30 and inspire people. Born in 1939, he attended North Carolina 31 College and lived for several years in New York State before 32 settling in Bishopville with his family in the late 1970s; and 33 34 Whereas, after building a house outside the Bishopville city limits, 35 Mr. Fryar decided he wanted to win Yard of the Month. Although 36 the award was given only to Bishopville residents, this determined 37 gardener decided to create a truly extraordinary garden that would 38 call for an exception to the rule. He discovered topiary, the ancient 39 art of cutting trees and shrubs into imaginative shapes; and 40 41 Whereas, through countless hours of work, creativity, patience, 42 and determination, Pearl Fryar shaped his shrubs into a fantastic

[4111] 2 1 topiary showcase, not only winning the coveted Yard of the Month 2 award but also attracting attention from near and far. He continued 3 to enlarge and modify his topiary collection, with some of his 4 current work spanning more than twenty years in the making. 5 More recently, he started creating metal sculptures to augment the 6 collection of unique objects surrounding his home; and 7 8 Whereas, his work as a topiary artist is well respected among both 9 artists and horticulturists, and his popularity has brought visitors to 10 Bishopville from all around the world. The more than ten thousand 11 people who annually visit Pearl Fryar’s garden come to see his 12 amazing creations and meet the inspiring artist himself; and 13 14 Whereas, his work has been displayed in museums and arboretums 15 and featured in exhibitions at the South Carolina State Museum 16 and Spoleto. He frequently gives presentations about his work 17 throughout the United States. As an artistinresidence at Coker 18 College, he shared his skills and artistic vision with art students. In 19 2006, a documentary film about Pearl’s life and art, A Man Named 20 Pearl, was released in theaters, won positive reviews and awards, 21 and has been shown on cable television channels; and 22 23 Whereas, in addition to the local and state media coverage he has 24 received, Mr. Fryar has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, 25 The Martha Stewart Show, and The Victory Garden and in 26 numerous publications such as Southern Living, Veranda, the New 27 York Times, Harper’s Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal; and 28 29 Whereas, the House of Representatives takes great pleasure in 30 saluting Pearl Fryar for the topiary artistry that won him a 2013 31 Verner Award, as well as for his inspiring message that one’s 32 success is determined by one’s drive, dreams, and hope. Now, 33 therefore, 34 35 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives: 36 37 That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, 38 by this resolution, honor Mr. Pearl Fryar of Bishopville, topiary 39 artist, on being selected winner of the 2013 Elizabeth O’Neill 40 Verner Special Award and join with his family and countless fans 41 in expressing gratitude for the pleasure he brings to so many 42 through his topiary sculptures. 43

[4111] 3 1 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to 2 Pearl Fryar. 3 XX 4

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