Two of Clarendon County’s newest facilities will carry the names of late councilmen Andrew Carl “A.C.” English Jr. and the Rev. William James “W.J.” Frierson Sr., whose combined tenure on council spanned more than four decades.
County Council approved resolutions Sept. 14 naming the buildings the A.C. English Animal Control Facility and the Reverend W.J. Frierson Public Services Facility.
English died April 19, 2026, after serving four terms on council. Frierson, who died Dec. 26, 2025, served eight terms over 30 years.
Their families joined council members for photographs as the resolutions were read during the meeting.
Chairman Jay Johnson III thanked English’s family for supporting his years in public office.
“You don’t really realize until you sit up here that this is not just a one-person job,” Johnson said. “This is a family thing. Once you get involved in it, everybody’s got to be on board.”
Before approving the names, council adopted a policy governing how county-owned facilities may be named.
Under the policy, a facility may be named for an individual only after that person has died. County Administrator Walt Ackerman said the rule is intended to prevent the county from having to reconsider a name if concerns about a living honoree later arise.
The restriction does not prevent council from naming facilities for communities, geographic locations or other places.
Naming proposals will be reviewed by the county administrator, who will coordinate with affected departments and make a recommendation to council. Final approval must come through a resolution adopted by council.
English was first elected to council in 2008 and remained in office through January 2025.
After serving as an officer in the U.S. Army, he returned to Manning and spent more than four decades with The Bank of Clarendon, rising to president and cashier. He continued as a member of the bank’s board of directors until his death.
His leadership roles also included president of the Independent Bankers of South Carolina and membership in the South Carolina Bankers Association.
English belonged to the Manning Rotary Club for five decades and was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. He spent 11 years as a trustee for Clarendon County School District Two, including two years as chairman, and was a trustee for Central Carolina Technical College.
He was also a member of the Presbyterian Church at Manning, where he was a deacon and elder.
The Animal Control facility bearing English’s name will allow Clarendon County to operate its own animal services program. The county currently contracts with a local nonprofit organization for those services.
Once the building opens, the Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office will oversee animal intake, housing and related operations at the facility.
A native of Clarendon County, Frierson devoted much of his life to ministry as well as public office. He spent 18 years as pastor of Lovely Hill Baptist Church in Holly Hill and was vice moderator of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Missionary Baptist Association.
Frierson was a member of the Manning Branch of the NAACP and served on the board of Phoenix Center Charter High School and the School Improvement Council of Clarendon County School District Two.
His leadership extended beyond the county through his work on the state Commission on Judicial Conduct Panel and the Legislative Committee of the South Carolina Association of Counties.
The Public Services facility named for Frierson will house the county’s Public Works and Fleet Maintenance operations. The expanded maintenance space will allow employees to service county vehicles and heavy equipment, including dump trucks, motor graders, bulldozers and generators.
The county’s current maintenance facility does not have enough space to accommodate some of its larger equipment.
Ackerman said during his September project update that both buildings had made significant progress in recent weeks. Paving was underway, and contractors were completing interior work.
He estimated the county was less than two months away from being able to move into the facilities.
The resolutions also direct the county to install appropriate signs and plan public dedications recognizing the lives and contributions of English and Frierson.
