Jack West, Winthrop University advocate and S.C lobbyist, dies from coronavirus
Jack West of Camden died Wednesday afternoon, according to a message sent from his church to his fellow parishioners, as well as an e-mail from a top official at Winthrop University.
The West family’s legacy is visible on Winthrop University’s campus. Jack West’s mother, Lois West, was a Winthrop alum and a strong university supporter. The Lois Rhame West Health, Physical Education and Wellness Center was dedicated in her name in 2007.
Lois, former first lady of South Carolina, died in 2014.
Jack West, a legislative lobbyist and son of former governor John West, is at least the eighth person in South Carolina this month to succumb to coronavirus. He was 71.
“The family of Jack West wanted you to know of his passing today from complications from the Covid-19 virus,’’ according to the notice sent out Wednesday from Bethesda Presbyterian Church. The notice said his wife is under quarantine but has had no symptoms.
Winthrop’s Interim President George Hynd addressed West’s passing in a prepared statement.
“The West family has provided notable leadership, resources and time to this institution for decades. Jack continued the work at Winthrop started by his late parents, the late Governor John West and First Lady Lois West `43,” Hynd said. “He, along with his sister, Shelton West Bosley, oversaw the move of the West Forum to Winthrop in 2008 and worked diligently to support its programs in civic and political engagement.”
The West Forum was started at the University of South Carolina in 2002 by West’s father to train political and civic leaders, according to Winthrop.
“Jack will be remembered as a tireless advocate in inspiring and educating South Carolinians to become good citizens. His impact on Winthrop cannot be understated,” Hynd said in the statement.
Jennifer Disney, professor and chair of the department of political science at Winthrop, said the loss of Jack West is a huge one for the state and Winthrop.
“Jack West was the smartest, kindest man who loved mentoring Winthrop University students who interned with him through the John C. West Forum on Politics & Policy,” Disney wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “The West Forum has done so much for so many in its mission to educate the next generation of leaders in South Carolina. My heart goes out to his family. He will be sorely missed.“
Katarina Moyon, director of the West Forum at Winthrop, said in a statement that West was a strong advocate of education in South Carolina.
“He supported West Forum initiatives such as speaker panels and our yearly Institute to inspire women students to become politically active citizens,” Moyon said. “He also was a supporter of the Winthrop Poll. Jack always managed to provide a colorful story, a helping hand, or a kind word at just the right time. We will all miss him greatly.”
S.C. House Majority leader Gary Simrill, R-Rock Hill, a Winthrop alum, has served on the West forum board for years and was a close friend of Jack West.
Simrill said Jack West served the state of South Carolina and Winthrop with devotion all his adult life.
“I was privileged to serve on the John C. West Forum with Jack,” Simrill said. “He was a humble leader and an even better friend. His legacy of statesmanship and caring will endure in our hearts.”
Debbie Garrick, development officer and former director of alumni relations at Winthrop, said Jack and his family greatly impacted the university.
“He was always available to faculty who needed him regarding the West Forum,” she said. “This was a family that was very generous with their time. They loved South Carolina, they loved creating good citizens, they loved doing the right thing. Jack embodied that.”
John West signed the bill that allowed men to attend Winthrop.
S.C. Rep. Kambrell Garvin, a Winthrop alum, reflected on his experience with Winthrop’s West Forum in a tribute to Jack posted to his Facebook page Wednesday.
“This experience allowed me to travel to Columbia weekly where I shadowed experienced lobbyist Lisa McGill Sweatman, Ron Fulmer and Jack West,” reads Garvin’s post. “This opportunity enabled me to learn State House workings and see the legislative ‘sausage making’ process from the perspective of lobbyist. Just five years later, I found this experience to be incredibly helpful as I navigated my new role as a state legislator.”
In his post, Garvin said West attended his wedding and was present at other important moments in his life.
“In recent years, Jack would often pull me to the side to share something that he felt I needed to know or watch for. He also took great pride in the fact that he played a role in my journey and would often jokingly (or not so much) plant seeds about all that he imagined in my political future,” reads the post.
“Today, my friend Jack West was taken from the world far too soon as a result of this vicious COVID-19. Life is short; I’m thankful to have been Jack’s friend,” Garvin wrote.
West’s passing would mark the first coronavirus-related death in Kershaw County, a small county northeast of Columbia that has been ground-zero for the virus since it first was confirmed in South Carolina three weeks ago. More cases of the virus have been found there than anywhere else in South Carolina.
The virus has swept through South Carolina since state health officials reported South Carolina’s first cases March 6. State health officials have confirmed more than 400 cases of coronavirus, a disease that attacks the lungs and makes breathing difficult.
West’s condition has been the source of great concern in Camden and Kershaw County since he was hospitalized earlier this month.
Well respected in Camden as a community leader, West most recently served as a lobbyist for the S.C. Children’s Coalition, the S.C. Stevedore’s Association, the Carolina Sporting Dog Association and the S.C. Cities Coalition, state records show.
His father, John West, was a popular governor in the early 1970s, who later served as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The elder West died more than a decade ago.
Details on Jack West’s funeral were not available Wednesday night.
West was an attorney and active member of Bethesda Presbyterian in Camden.
Johnny Deal, Winthrop class of 1984, attended church with West and his parents.
‘Jack West was a very close family friend while growing up in Camden. His mother and my grandmother were best friends for many years,” Deal wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “I always thought it very cool to have the Governor of S.C. attend our worship services. Jack was very involved in the life of Camden, Bethesda and Winthrop and will be missed by many.”
Church officials were not immediately available.
His former pastor, John Hallman, said West was a kind person adept at making friends and bringing people together. Hallman said he received four to five calls from church members about West’s death.
‘You’d have to look long and far, to me, to find a better person,’’ Hallman said. “He was just somebody that I could count on. If I needed something done, I could call Jack. He would always do that, and he did it with a smile.’’
Bill Funderburk, a Camden lawyer and the husband of Democratic state Rep. Laurie Slade Funderburk, said West was friendly and well thought of like his governor father, but focused more on local issues than international issues.
Funderburk was a Camden High School classmate, graduating with West in 1966.
“It’s a shock to know that one of my friends has gone; this virus is taking people from all walks of life,’’ he said.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 11:20 AM.
