| HIST |
of Sumter, South Carolina
HENRY CLARKE BYNUM
Posted Friday, May 8, 2015 6:00 am
Henry Bynum, 82, husband of Patricia "Pat" Ann Lanius Bynum, went to his heavenly home on May 7, 2015.
Born on Oct. 10, 1932, at Tuomey Hospital in Sumter, he was the third of four children born to the late Adelaide Esther Clarke Bynum and William Edwards Bynum. Mr. Bynum grew up at 131 Church St. in Sumter and his first job was delivering The Sumter Daily Item. Mr. Bynum graduated from Edmunds High School in 1950. He received a bachelor of science degree from Wofford College in 1954, where he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and the tennis team. It was while working at Lake Junaluska Assembly in North Carolina that Mr. Bynum met his future wife and they were married on April 17, 1955, in Shelbyville, Tennessee. While serving two years in the U.S. Army, the Bynums lived in Nuremberg, Germany.
Mr. Bynum began working in the insurance business in 1959 and was later the owner of Bynum Insurance Co. His two sons, Clarke and Edward, joined him in the insurance business.
Mr. Bynum was a devoted lifetime member of Trinity United Methodist Church, and a member of the Boyle Bible Class. He served as chairman of finance, chairman of administrative board, chairman of staff parish, chairman of long range planning and building committee, and delegate to annual conference.
Mr. Bynum was a summer resident of Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, for more than 40 years. He served as a trustee of Lake Junaluska Assembly and a board member of Intentional Growth Center at Lake Junaluska. He served also as projects chairman of Junaluska Associates and received the Chief Junaluska Award in 2001.
Mr. Bynum served as president of the YMCA board of directors and chairman of the Wilson Hall school board. He was a member of the National Bank of South Carolina advisory board; a board member of Sunset County Club; and a former member of the Sumter Rotary Club. He served as president of the Sumter Independent Insurance Agents. Mr. Bynum had been a member of Mount Vernon Coffee Club for 47 years. He enjoyed playing golf with his friends and family members.
Mr. Bynum was preceded in death by his son, Henry Clarke Bynum Jr., in September 2007; and by his two brothers, William "Billy" Edwards Bynum Jr. and Alvis Jesse Bynum.
He was also predeceased by his sister, May Clarke Bynum Sharp; and his brother-in-law, Robert Glenmore Sharp.
Mr. Bynum is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Pat; and his daughter, Louise Lanius Bynum Mitchum and her husband, Robert "Eddie" Mitchum of Warrenton, North Carolina. Also surviving are his son, Edward Kennedy Bynum and his wife, Yvette Dibrell Bynum, of Sumter and daughter-in-law, Mary Lynn "Sissy" Satcher Bynum of Columbia. Survivors also include his sisters-in-law, Anna Shuler Bynum and Marjorie Fleming Bynum. Eight grandchildren survive Mr. Bynum: Kellie Mitchum Davis and her husband, Jeremy; Satcher Bynum Armstrong and her husband, Branford; Henry Clarke Bynum III and his wife, Stephanie; Ann-Lanius Bynum Noblitt and her husband, Matt; Benjamin Wright Bynum; Edward Kennedy Bynum Jr.; Ellis Roberson Bynum; and Lottie Marie Bynum. Two great-grandchildren also survive Mr. Bynum, Mary Clarke Morgan Armstrong and William Branford Armstrong Jr.
A memorial service celebrating Mr. Bynum's life will be conducted at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church with Dr. Steve Holler officiating.
Honorary pallbearers will be the staff of Bynum Insurance, whom he so enjoyed working with, and the Mount Vernon Coffee Club.
The family will receive friends following the service in the fellowship hall.
A private interment will occur prior to the service at Bethel United Methodist Church Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 226 W. Liberty St., Sumter SC 29150 or Lake Junaluska Associates, P.O. Box 67, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745.
Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home and Crematory, 221 Broad St., Sumter, is in charge of arrangements, (803) 775-9386.
Businessman remembered for quietly serving his community
Posted Friday, May 8, 2015 6:00 am
Sumter businessman Henry Bynum, 82, died Wednesday.
Bynum was the husband of Patricia "Pat" Ann Lanius Bynum for 60 years.
Bynum, a 1950 graduate of Edmunds High School, received a bachelor's degree from Wofford College in 1954. He began working in the insurance business in 1959. He was in business at Bynum Insurance with his sons, Ed Bynum and the late Clarke Bynum, for many years.
"He was a wonderful father and business partner, and I was certainly blessed to have been able to work beside him each day," Ed Bynum said. "He modeled what being a Christian business owner was about for me and my brother Clarke."
Bobby Richardson, retired New York Yankees baseball player, knew Bynum since childhood.
"Growing up, we played a lot of basketball together at YMCA and hunted," Richardson said.
During Richardson's career with the Yankees, Bynum would come up to visit him in New York. Richardson will be the eulogist at Bynum's funeral.
"He was one of my closest friends, and I will miss him dearly," he said.
Jim Jones and his family have been close friends of the Bynums since moving to Sumter in 1966. He said Bynum and his father were golfing buddies and that their families had been involved in business together throughout the years.
"His legacy to me can be summed up in these four things: a man who loved his hometown and invested himself in its betterment; a man that instilled Christian values in his children; a man who faithfully loved his wife, Pat; and a man who passionately served the Lord throughout his life," Jones said. "Henry, just like his siblings Billy, May and Alvis, made Sumter a better place to live."
Dr. Bob Wimberly, a retired Sumter dentist, knew Bynum since 1965. They were golfing buddies who spent a lot of time on and off the course together.
"He had a great sense of humor that many people would not have known about if they weren't close to him," Wimberly said.
Mayor Joe McElveen said Bynum's impact on the community was unparalleled.
"Henry Bynum was the perfect gentleman, soft-spoken and humble," McElveen said. "He and his family have been quietly involved in many community organizations throughout the years."
Steve Creech, former mayor of Sumter, said his father and Bynum were close friends.
"He was a leader in the insurance business and the community," Creech said. "He was also a dedicated family member and a good Christian. He will be missed by everyone."
Bynum served as president of the YMCA board of directors and as chairman of the Wilson Hall School Board. He was a member of the National Bank of South Carolina Advisory Board, a board member of Sunset Country Club and a former member of Sumter Rotary Club. He served as president of Sumter Independent Insurance Agents. Bynum was a member of Mount Vernon Coffee Club for 47 years.
A memorial service will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church.
- Konstantin Vengerowsky
Henry Bynum leaves lasting family legacy
Posted Sunday, May 10, 2015 6:00 am
BY GRAHAM OSTEEN
Sumter mourns the passing of Henry Clarke Bynum, husband of Pat, and father of Edward, Louise and the late Clarke Bynum.
Mr. Bynum was 82 and the last of four well-known Sumter siblings: Billy, Alvis and May Bynum Sharp, all of whom preceded him.
Sumter businessman Jim Jones summed it up in Friday's edition: "Henry, just like his siblings Billy, May and Alvis, made Sumter a better place to live."
Like most of the many Bynums I've known, he was tall, kind, easy to like and a good businessman. His obituary noted that his first job was delivering The Sumter Item on a bicycle in the 1940s, so I'd like to think that's where he honed those shrewd business abilities.
Sumter has been shaped positively by many different families throughout the years, and the Bynums are among the finest. We're all better because of the impact Mr. Bynum had on his own children and their families, who continue to carry forth that same positive, productive spirit.
. . .
It's impossible to think of Mr. Bynum without mentioning his late son, Clarke, whose remarkable life was cut short by cancer in 2007 at the age of 45.
I've written a lot about growing up with Clarke and still think of him every day. In reading back over some of those stories, I came across one I wrote when Clarke and Gifford Shaw saved a plane full of passengers from a deranged hijacker.
Here are some excerpts that appeared in both The Sumter Item and The Hartsville Messenger almost 15 years ago, in December 2000. It was titled, "American Hero," and keep in mind that 9/11 happened just 9 months later.
. . .
I'm proud to say that the "tall American" from Sumter who saved 398 lives on a British Airways jet is a good friend of mine.
It has been a lot of fun and very emotional watching Clarke Bynum and Gifford Shaw get their 15 minutes of fame.
If you missed it, the story goes like this: Bynum and Shaw were traveling to Uganda for a two-week teaching mission. A deranged man burst into the cockpit of the British Airways jumbo jet and attacked the pilots. The attack caused the plane to plunge 19,000 feet and put 398 passengers and crew members in danger of crashing. Bynum and Shaw helped flight attendants wrestle the man out of the cockpit.
In his own words, Clarke Bynum discusses what happened aboard the British Airways flight from London last week:
"We weren't even supposed to be on the plane. We were five feet from the cockpit door in the second row in business class. We heard horrendous screaming in the cockpit. The plane started to dip and dive. It dropped 10,000 feet in a matter of seconds. I looked at Gifford and said, 'we're gonna die.'"
"A steward, a male attendant, came running by us into the cockpit, and the door shut back. I said I gotta go help ,and Gifford said 'go,' so I busted into the cockpit. The guy was built like an ox. The plane was diving, and I put my arms and shoulders around him and started hauling him backwards out of cockpit. Gifford had a foot or a leg, and I was thinking, 'does this guy have a gun or knife?'"
"God had us on that plane for a reason. He had us on that plane in that seat at that moment. God's mercy is real."
"We took him (the attacker) back to the area where stewardesses sit on takeoff and strapped him in. He was more subdued with four of us sitting on him. I was mashing his head into the ground. It's a weird feeling to look into the eyes of a Kenyan man whose sole purpose was to kill you. He was mumbling some stuff."
There were still two hours remaining on the flight and Bynum said he hardly remembers it. He was still in shock.
"I walked out and couldn't talk. I then proceeded to fill up four airsickness bags, but don't put that in the story."
Graham Osteen is Editor-At-Large of The Sumter Item. He can be reached at graham@theitem.com. Follow him on Twitter @GrahamOsteen, or visit www.grahamosteen.com. [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11] |
1932 - 2015 (82 years)
