College of Charleston undergraduate and graduate students were not the only ones who received degrees this past weekend. As part of the College’s spring 2014 commencement ceremonies – Graduate Commencement on May 9 and Undergraduate Commencement on May 10 – five very deserving individuals were awarded honorary degrees. Here’s a look at this year’s recipients:
Edwin Pearlstine
Edwin S. Pearlstine Jr.
Under the leadership of Charleston businessman Edwin S. Pearlstine Jr., Pearlstine Distributors grew to become one of the oldest and largest privately owned companies in South Carolina.
Pearlstine also has a long history of success and generosity with organizations such as the Community Foundation of Lower South Carolina and the S.C. Retirement Systems Investment Panel. He has made considerable contributions to cancer care and research, becoming a major benefactor to the Hollings Cancer Center’s Barbara L. Pearlstine Healing Garden and to the American Cancer Society’s Pearlstine Hope Lodge.
At the College, Pearlstine played an instrumental role in getting the College’s new arena built. A founding member of the advisory board of the College’s Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program and president for both the Jewish Community Center and his synagogue, Pearlstine is a leader in Charleston’s Jewish community. His family recently gave a $1.5 million gift to establish the College’s new Pearlstine/Lipov Center for Southern Jewish Culture.
James Newsome
James I. Newsome III
As president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority, James I. Newsome III is a pillar in the state’s business community. With more than 30 years of professional experience in global container shipping and logistics, Newsome is revered in the region for his business acumen and is a frequent speaker to industry, professional, civic and educational groups.
Newsome became the fifth leader of the S.C. Ports Authority in 1999. He is an active member of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Board of Governors for the College’s School of Business, and in 2012 was named one of Columbia Business Monthly ’s 50 Most Influential People in South Carolina.
A native of Savannah, Ga., Newsome received a bachelor’s degree in Transportation and Logistics and an MBA in Transportation and Logistics from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Marlene Addlestone-Bursten ’64
Marlene Addlestone-Bursten
For decades, the College has counted Marlene Addlestone-Bursten ’64 as one of its most valued friends and supporters. Among her greatest contributions to the College was the critical role she played with her late husband, Nathan, in the creation of the Marlene and Nathan Addlestone Library, which opened in 2005.
The couple later served on the steering committee for the new library and helped lead the College’s first capital campaign. They also endowed a chair in the Lowcountry Arts, Culture and History program, a forerunner to the School of the Arts’ historic preservation and community planning program.
Addlestone-Bursten has a reputation in Charleston for being a strong booster of the arts, Jewish organizations and historic preservation. She graduated from the College with a bachelor’s in secondary education. She is married to Larry Bursten and lives in Charleston and Houston.
Marie Land
Marie M. Land
For a quarter century Marie Land has helped guide the College to greatness. Through her longtime service on the Board of Trustees, she has worked with four different college presidents to grow the College in both size and stature.
Land became a member of the Board of Trustees in 1988 and served as its chair from 2009 to 2013, becoming the first woman to lead the board in the College’s history. The College’s Alumni Association awarded Land the Alumni Award of Honor in 2012.
A retired occupational therapist and a master gardener, Land has been active in the revitalization of Manning, S.C., where she has made her home for 40 years. Land is a graduate of VirginiaCommonwealth University and serves on the boards of Spoleto Festival, U.S.A., the Palmetto Project and the Clarendon Historical Society. She is the wife of former South Carolina State Sen. John C. Land III.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott
Timothy E. Scott
For nearly two decades U.S. Senator Tim Scott has dedicated his life to public service, representing Charleston and South Carolina residents at the local, state and national levels. Through his political and business careers, he has sought to positively influence people throughout the world, exhibiting remarkable ambition and wisdom.
Before entering politics Scott established a successful insurance agency and became a partner in a real estate group. He was elected to Charleston County Council in 1995, serving for 13 years before being elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 2010 Scott was elected to the U.S. Congress, becoming the first black Republican congressman from the South since Reconstruction.
In 2013, following the resignation of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, Scott was sworn in as the only black U.S. senator at that time. Senator Scott graduated from Charleston Southern University in 1988 with a bachelor’s in political science.
