Well-known Lowcountry author, Pat Conroy, is inducted today into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.

Conroy is the hailed author of Lowcountry epics like “The Prince of Tides”, “The Great Santini”, and “The Lords of Discipline.” Many think as South Carolina-focused as his books are that he’s was born in South Carolina, but Conroy is acutally an Atlanta native. He claims to have moved 23 times before he turned 18. But when his family moved to Beaufort, while his father was serving at the Marine Air Corp Station, Conroy took a stand to root himself, and call Beaufort “home.”

Following the military footsteps of his father, Conroy was educated at The Citadel in Charleston. After which, he took an unprecedented turn towards teaching in a one-room schoolhouse at Daufuskie Island. He based his book “The Water Is Wide” on his experience there teaching the sheltered students and dealing with the rudimentary thinking of the native adults. The novel was later turned into a film starring Jon Voight called “Conrack“, named from what the children would call Conroy since they couldn’t pronounce his last name.

Dedicated in 1973, The South Carolina Hall of Fame inducts one living and one deceased person a year. Previous inductees have included President Andrew Jackson, Cheraw-native jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and former South Carolina Governor Strom Thurmond.

Conroy currently lives on Fripp Island with his wife and fellow-author Cassandra King.

The 2009 Induction Ceremony will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 18, at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Admission is free. Call 843-916-7238 for more information.

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