2015-2016 Bill 5447: White Horse Restaurant - South Carolina Legislature Online

1 South Carolina General Assembly 2 121st Session, 2015-2016 3 4 H. 5447 5 6 STATUS INFORMATION 7 8 House Resolution 9 Sponsors: Rep. Simrill 10 Document Path: l:\council\bills\gm\24812zw16.docx 11 12 Introduced in the House on May 31, 2016 13 Adopted by the House on May 31, 2016 14 15 Summary: White Horse restaurant 16 17 18 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 19 20 Date Body Action Description with journal page number 21 5/31/2016 House Introduced and adopted ( House Journalpage 68) 22 23 View the latest legislative information at the website 24 25 26 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL 27 28 5/31/2016 29 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A HOUSE RESOLUTION 10 11 TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE WHITE HORSE IN 12 ROCK HILL AND TO CONGRATULATE THE OWNER, 13 MARSHA PURSLEY, AND THE LOYAL STAFF AND 14 CUSTOMERS FOR FORTY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING AND 15 DISTINCTIVE SERVICE AND CAMARADERIE WITH THE 16 COMMUNITY. 17 18 Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is delighted 19 to learn that the White Horse restaurant on Camden Avenue in 20 Rock Hill celebrated a fortieth anniversary bash with throwback 21 prices on Saturday, May 21, 2016, amid live music, well wishes 22 from faithful and satisfied patrons, and tables heaped with food; 23 and 24 25 Whereas, like Cheers, the popular television sitcom series of the 26 1980s, about a bar where “everybody knows your name,” the 27 iconic Rock Hill White Horse restaurant has not reined in the 28 welcoming atmosphere and unique ambience to the Rock Hill 29 community; and 30 31 Whereas, when “Skeeter” enters the White Horse at five o’clock, 32 friends holler out greetings to him, regulars who gather together 33 with such nicknames as the Master Blaster and Jethro and 34 Sunshine and Jim Bob and some names too infamous to mention; 35 and 36 37 Whereas, the restaurant and bar, which began in 1976 with a small 38 kitchen and refrigerator in an old house, have survived competition 39 from chain restaurants, the violent destruction of hurricanes, 40 battering recessions, and changes to the state drinking law; and 41

[5447] 2 1 Whereas, in 1978, fifteenyearold Tommy Sacco started washing 2 dishes at “The Horse,” part of a Charlottebased chain with ten 3 locations, but the one in Rock Hill was the only horse to finish that 4 race without having to be put down due to injury. While earning a 5 biology degree from Winthrop, he never left the White Horse, 6 becoming a partner in 1986 and sole owner from 1998 to 2014; 7 and 8 9 Whereas, in the 1990s, Mr. Sacco built the unique new building, 10 curiously round and square at the same time, with a pointed top. 11 Inside two statues of white horse heads greet customers to the 12 small bar and the restaurant that takes center stage; and 13 14 Whereas, not only has the White Horse establishment survived, but 15 so have its signature logo of a Lady Godiva figure astride a horse 16 and the menu that has remained nearly the same for forty years; 17 and 18 19 Whereas, photos of Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry and Marilyn 20 Monroe and even one of the opening day forty years ago punctuate 21 the atmosphere of the restaurant and bar; and 22 23 Whereas, most of the tables and booths have nameplates from 24 customers, some of the tens of thousands who have enjoyed White 25 Horse steaks and burgers and pizzas and anything that can be fried 26 or baked or grilled, who sat there so often for so long and wanted 27 to tell the world where they kissed or got engaged or felt loved; 28 and 29 30 Whereas, the White Horse is the one place in Rock Hill where 31 politicians and judges and a crowd of Winthrop University 32 professors and students and someone down on his luck might sit at 33 adjacent tables or raise glasses to one another at the bar; and 34 35 Whereas, over the years, owners, staff, and customers who all have 36 big hearts, have contributed untold thousands of dollars to a 37 myriad of charities; and 38 39 Whereas, in 2014, Mr. Sacco sold the White Horse to longtime 40 employee and friend, Marsha Pursley who began working there out 41 of college fifteen years ago. She too never left, and now she works 42 to maintain an establishment where regulars and staff and

[5447] 3 1 neighbors who drop in know and care about each other. Now, 2 therefore, 3 4 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives: 5 6 That the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this 7 resolution, recognizes and honors the White Horse in Rock Hill 8 and congratulates the owner, Marsha Pursley, and the loyal staff 9 and customers for forty years of outstanding and distinctive service 10 and camaraderie with the community. 11 12 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to 13 Marsha Pursley. 14 XX 15

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