Local Donation!
Gene Stephens
Public Information Officer
Fairfield County
On January 13, 2025, Fairfield County Council recognized Donald “Don” Prioleau Sr. for his lifetime of service to uplifting the lives of Fairfield County citizens. Mr. Prioleau was presented with a Proclamation of Recognition, which in part reads as follows:
WHEREAS, Mr. Donald Prioleau, Sr. is the son of the late James and Sara Dawkins Prioleau and a graduate of Fairfield High School in Winnsboro, SC; and
WHEREAS, he is a member of the Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Ridgeway, SC and was installed as Elder in 1981; and
WHEREAS, he is the Shriner’s Motorized Department Director for Cairo Temple #125 in Columbia, SC and has held several positions since being a Shriner including being a life member of A.E.A.O.N.M. Shriner North and South America and its jurisdiction; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Prioleau is the Past Master of Purity Lodge #42 in Ridgeway, SC and implemented the construction of a new Lodge and Auditorium, which was dedicated in September 1984; and
WHEREAS, he is the past first African-American Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem for the Town of Ridgeway and was the first African-American elected to the Ridgeway Town Council in April 2000; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Prioleau is a member of the C.C. Johnson Consistory #136 in Columbia, SC and an Honorary Past Commanding Chief. He is a recipient of numerous accolades for dedicated and committed service to the community and several organizations throughout Fairfield County
and the State of South Carolina, to include serving as President of the Fairfield High Alumni Association and having a State road named after him by the State of South Carolina; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED, that the Chairman Clarence Gilbert, District 7, and the members of the Fairfield County Council, would like to recognize and celebrate MR. DONALD “DON” PRIOLEAU, SR. We want you to know we are sincerely grateful for the
love you have shown for Fairfield County and beyond through your unwavering and continued
service.
From a personal view, Mr. Prioleau is one of the best men I have ever met. His dedication to not only the citizens of Fairfield County but to everyone he has ever crossed paths with is admirable. I always say one of my goals in life is that a person feels better three seconds after they speak to me than they did three seconds before speaking to me. Don has lived that kind of life, and the pride he has for this community is truly inspiring! I am honored that I can call him a friend.