Local businessman, Rotarian, and beloved community leader James Cleveland “Jim” Black was honored in grand fashion on June 28, as friends, family, and dignitaries gathered to celebrate his 90th birthday.
Though Black officially turned 90 on June 30, the milestone was marked early with a birthday celebration hosted in his honor. Among those in attendance were Manning Mayor Julia Nelson, members of the Manning City Council, and State Rep. Fawn Pedalino, who presented Black with a House Resolution recognizing his decades of service and dedication to Clarendon County and its residents.
“Jim Black has always believed strongly in personal involvement with his community,” the resolution read. “He exemplifies those South Carolinians who give tirelessly of themselves to the welfare of this great state’s citizenry.”
Black, the longtime owner of Santee Motors and Santee Leasing, has been a pillar of the Manning business community for over 55 years. In 2003, he was named South Carolina Car Dealer of the Year and received the prestigious Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award. He also served on the board of Synovus (formerly National Bank of South Carolina) for more than four decades and held leadership roles with the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce, Clarendon Memorial Hospital Foundation, and several civic organizations.
A devoted Rotarian, Black was president of the Manning Rotary Club from 1972–73 and was named Rotarian of the Year in 2009. He was also recognized for his leadership in the Adopt-A-Highway Litter Control Program and for his service on the USC Sumter Board of Trustees.
A man of faith and generosity, Black has supported numerous causes over the years, including Manning United Methodist Church, Epworth Children’s Home, Clarendon County Relay for Life, and the Clarendon School District Education Foundation. After losing his daughter Kinsey to breast cancer at the age of 30, he championed breast cancer awareness and funded two scholarships in her memory.
“Jim Black is an incredible person, father and humanitarian,” said his son, Jeff Black. “Of all his titles and honors, ‘father’ is his proudest achievement.”
Black was married to his late wife, Nell, for nearly 60 years, and together they received the Key to the City of Manning in 2010 for their unwavering support of their hometown. In addition to his sons, Jim Jr. and Jeff, Black is remembered as a proud Paxville High School graduate—once dubbed “the next Clark Gable of Hollywood” by classmates—and a lifelong Gamecock supporter. He famously turned down a full football scholarship to USC in order to marry and pursue a career as an insurance agent, eventually moving into the automotive business and co-owning Longstreet Chevrolet in Kingstree for 25 years.
From business and banking to faith and family, Black’s legacy continues to shape the community he has served for a lifetime.
