Wilson Ashby “Mayor Bubba” McELVEEN, Jr.^{[1, 2]}

1928 - 2006  (78 years)

• Name	Wilson Ashby “Mayor Bubba” McELVEEN  [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]
  Suffix	Jr.
  Birth	5 Jan 1928	at home, 208 N. Purdy St., Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina   [3, 4]
  Baptism	First Presbyterian Church, Sumter, South Carolina   [3]
  Gender	Male
  Education	he was a 1945 graduate of Sumter High School, Sumter, South Carolina, and a 1948 graduate of The Citadel, Charleston, South Carolina  [4, 12]
  HIST	He was a former president of the Sumter Elks Club, former board member of the YMCA, former board member of The Salvation Army, former board member of the South Carolina State Municipal Association, former board member of the South Carolina State Museum, former member of the Sumter-Shaw Community Council, former member of the Sumter City-County Liaison Board, former member of the Sumter County Development Board, former member of the Tuomey Hospital Board of Trustees, former member of the Safe Federal Credit Union Board, former member of the South Carolina Automobile Dealers Association and former board member of the Sumter County Planning Commission. He was a former member of Sumter City Council for eight years and a former mayor of Sumter for eight years. He was currently a member of the Sumter County Museum Board, a member of the Sumter County Genealogical Society, a member of the Sumter Historical Society, a member of the Mount Vernon Coffee Club and the Fortnightly Club. He was a member of the American Legion Post No. 15. He was awarded the Order of the Silver Crescent by Gov. Mark Sanford in 2004 and was recently awarded the Citizen of the Community award by Mayor Joe McElveen. He was the first civilian to be named an honorary U. S. Air Force chief master sergeant. He was the author of two books about Sumter County, was the proprietor of Bubba Archives, hosted a local radio program and was a featured history columnist for “The Item”. “Major Bubba” was widely known through his weekly e-mail newsletter, “Love From 208”, which was received by approimately 2,000 individuals and will be greatly missed by many. He was honored by having two blocks of Bartlette Street named in his honor where his former automobile dealership was located. Date Published: September 23, 2008 Sumter smile celebrated Portrait of the late Mayor ‘Bubba’ McElveen to be unveiled Item file photo The late W.A. “Mayor Bubba” McElveen is shown working in his historical files in his “Bubba Archives,” now located at the Sumter County Museum. A portrait of McElveen in the Sumter Smiles series will be unveiled at 2 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Park. The public is invited to attend the event, which takes place during Art in the Park. By IVY MOORE Item Features Editor ivym@theitem.com A painting of the late Wilson Ashley “Bubba” McElveen Jr., former mayor and unofficial folk historian of Sumter, will be unveiled Saturday. The portrait by Susan Kolpack will be revealed at 2 p.m. during the Art in the Park event sponsored by the Heart of Sumter Neighborhood Association. McElveen’s family will be present. Kolpack and Betty Reese, two local artists, started the “Sumter Smiles” series in the summer of 2006 as a project to create portraits of some of the city’s best-known personalities. At the time, Reese said, “We were just trying to think of a unique way to get some of the people who are mainstays of Sumter. Personalities in Sumter are not captured or kept in picture form of any kind that I know of.” Kolpack started the series with a painting of Samuel “Shorty” Holmes, and Reese followed with her portrait of activist Colleen Yates. The artists continue to alternate paintings of well-known Sumterites. “We came up with the idea of ‘Sumter Smiles’ because it’s almost like the tourism logo, ‘Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places,’” Reese said, “so we tried to tie it in with that, more or less just to preserve history of Sumter’s important and historical people.” Kolpack said she was honored to paint McElveen, who is remembered not just for his outstanding and longtime service to Sumter, but also for his personality, kindness and friendly nature — a perfect example of the Sumter Smiles mission, she said. McElveen served as Sumter’s mayor from 1980 to 1988 and spent most of his “retirement” devoting himself to historical events related to Sumter and writing a weekly column called “Love from 208” for The Item. In his first column, he wrote an abridged autobiography to introduce himself to those readers who might not know him. A lifelong resident of Sumter, he graduated from The Citadel in 1949 and joined his father in the automobile business for two years, then joined the U.S. Air Force, which he always loved. After his father’s death, Mayor McElveen ran the Pontiac business for 30 years. Married to Barbara Gene Moore, whom he always called “Miss Barbara,” McElveen began his public service on Sumter’s zoning board. He also served on the Bi-Racial Committee during the Civil Rights Movement, the Housing Authority and was elected in 1972 to Sumter City Council. “In 1980,” he wrote, “I became ‘Mayor Bubba’ (a term coined by the local press) and served until 1988. Since that time I have devoted many hours to Sumter’s history. I must have more than 500 pictures of old Sumter, including a postcard collection of more than 150 views. I also have an office downtown called the ‘Bubba Archives.’” In 2004, McElveen received the Order of the Silver Crescent — the highest state honor awarded a civilian for community service — from Gov. Mark Sanford. After his death on Nov. 9, 2006, Item Editor Hubert Osteen noted in a column: “As a goodwill ambassador for the Gamecock City, Bubba McElveen was that and more. His passion for Sumter history was spread far and wide, through his columns and ‘A Look Back’ feature in The Item, his weekly e-mail newsletter Love from 208, and two books, ‘A History Of Sumter As Recalled With Post Cards’ and ‘A Look Back’, a collection of Item features. He conducted historical tours throughout the county and gave talks before numerous groups and organizations. “This was a man who brought a lot of joy into people’s lives. He lived a full life, and we wish it could have been longer. We needed him — all of Sumter needed him.” The unveiling of the Sumter Smiles portrait of the late W.A. “Bubba” McElveen will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday during the Heart of Sumter Neighborhood Association’s Art in the Park event. The public is invited to attend. Reach Features Editor Ivy Moore at ivym@theitem.com or (803) 774-1221. Sumter Smiles: Mayor Bubba portrait unveiled  [4, 7, 8]
  MILI	he was a U. S. Air Force veteran and served in the Korean War  [4]
  Occupation	Sumter mayor from 1980 to 1988, columnist, local historian; he was the former owner and operator of McELveen Pontia GMC  [4, 5, 12]
  Religion	he was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Sumter, South Carolina, where he served as a deacon and elder  [4]
  _UID	A00462514A5243FB8104D3A8E399AA9CF3C9
  Death	9 Nov 2006	Carolinas Hospital System, Florence, Florence County, South Carolina
  Burial	12 Nov 2006	Tirzah Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Dalzell, Sumter County, South Carolina   [4]
  	Elmore-Hill-McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, Sumter, South Carolina
  Person ID	I116774	Singleton and Related Families
  Last Modified	27 Apr 2025

  
  

  Father	Wilson Ashby McELVEEN, Sr.,   b. 6 Mar 1900, Springbank Plantation, Williamsburg County, South Carolina d. 29 Apr 1955, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 55 years)
  Mother	Caroline Wardlaw REESE,   b. 11 Feb 1898, Abbeville, Abbeville County, South Carolina d. 8 Mar 1983, Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina (Age 85 years)
  Marriage	21 Jun 1923	Florence, Florence County, South Carolina   [13]
  _UID	59D8214138A6474ABF8A54B37C35F3665C85
  _UID	59D8214138A6474ABF8A54B37C35F3665C85
  Family ID	F45946	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Barbara Gene MOORE
  Marriage	29 May 1951	First Presbyterian Church, Sumter County, South Carolina   [3]
  _UID	22B875489FBF425AB5575BAE90FB9106C847
  _UID	22B875489FBF425AB5575BAE90FB9106C847
  Children	1. Nancy McELVEEN   2. Virginia McELVEEN   3. Living
  Family ID	F80611	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	13 Jan 2004

  
  

• Notes

  He apparently died from complications following heart surgery on Wednesday. [5]

  
  

• Sources

  [S25940] Herndon-McElveen. [S32572] W. A. McElveen opens Pontiac dealership in Sumter in 1949. [S2996] Margaret McElveen. [S7855] W. Ashby McElveen Jr. [S7856] McElveen dies. [S7857] “Mayor Bubba” dies. [S11090] Sumter smile celebrated - Late Mayor ‘Bubba’ McElveen’s portrait to be unveiled Saturday. [S11091] ‘Mayor Bubba’ unveiled. [S20514] . [S20914] McFaddin-Gately. [S24590] McFaddin-Black. [S3152] A man called Bubba. [S853] .