Jim and Sue Rex, Pat Conroy, and Caren and Bob Ross
Campaign News
(BEAUFORT) Calling him “the next Governor of South Carolina,” best-selling author Pat Conroy introduced State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex to a crowd of supporters gathered on Beaufort’s waterfront to support his campaign for Governor. Conroy, a resident of Fripp Island, SC, is the author of such novels as The Prince of Tides, The Lords of Discipline, and Beach Music. His latest, South of Broad, reached number one on the New York Times best seller list in 2009.
“Jim Rex speaks from the heart, and I think he speaks for the South Carolina heart,” said Conroy. As he looked across the marsh, he added, “Our tide is rising.”
Rex took the stage and thanked Conroy for his endorsement, telling the story of his time as a high school English teacher, using Conroy’s novel The Water is Wide to teach his students about the inequities in education across the country.
“In many ways, the water is still far too wide for way too many South Carolinians,” said Rex. “We need a Governor who understands the connection between education, workforce development and job creation. We cannot continue to have islands of prosperity in a rising sea of poverty, discontent, and despair.”
Rex vowed to continue his fight to improve conditions along the Corridor of Shame, named for the film in which Conroy appears, detailing the generations of neglect faced by South Carolina’s poor, rural schools.
“A man or woman in a black robe is not going to solve this for us,” said Rex, speaking of the decades-long court case. “We must solve it.”
Rex will compete for the Democratic nomination for Governor in the primary on June 8, 2010. For more information, visit www.jimrex.com.
Tags: Endorsements