Here’s how fellow Fort Mill leaders will remember ‘matriarch’ Anne Springs Close
Anne Springs Close was a woman willing to both listen and act, to help build her town and set some of it aside for coming generations.
Those recollections and others poured in Friday morning with news that Close, 95, had died.
Close was an integral figure in the Springs family that led mill operations in town for decades. She is the namesake of the more than 2,000-acre Anne Springs Close Greenway.
Mayor Guynn Savage remembers Close as a woman of presence, energy, dedication and tenacity. Savage many times referred to Close as the matriarch of town. Close felt like family, Savage said.
“She was a guide, a role model, a gift and blessing — a friend to to all,” Savage said.
Savage said the town will let the Close family take lead on how best to honor Close. The mayor echoed sentiments of many, that Close impacted so many people in town that it’s all but universal.
“It would be hard to find any part or any person in Fort Mill that has not been touched by her generosity, leadership, vision and love,” Savage said.
Fort Mill school, online reaction
Fort Mill School District superintendent Chuck Epps released a statement Friday on behalf of his district. Hers was an incredible legacy of support and service, Epps wrote. Her philanthropic work with higher education and social service programs include food, summer reading, student loan and other programs for children. She is one of the few non-educators inducted into the school district hall of fame.
“Throughout our school district, as well as those in York, Chester and Lancaster counties, few students’ lives haven’t been positively impacted in some way by Mrs. Close,” Epps wrote.
The town issued its own statement outlining many of Close’s accomplishments, stating her loss will be “felt for years to come, but her legacy will live on for generations.”
Online reaction to the news was swift, too.
U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman tweeted that everyone in York County has been “positively impacted by the love and philanthropy of Anne Springs Close” and that her legacy will live on for generations. Visit York County tweeted that Close’s land preservation efforts can be felt nationwide. The Greenway page on Facebook had hundreds of comments and shares within hours of posting news of Close’s death.
Some commented they never got to meet or thank Close for her contributions. Others recalled attending Close’s horse camps in Fort Mill as youth, or sitting beside her in church. Many commented that Close made her community a better place.
Springs Close Foundation, Winthrop impact
Just last month the Springs Close Foundation announced Hugh William “Will” Close, Jr. would come on as board chairman in place of Anne Springs Close, his mother. She began as chairwoman in 1983 of the organization founded by her father, Col. Elliott White Springs, in 1942. In 2003 the separate Springs and Close family foundations were consolidated as the Springs Close Foundation.
That organization is now a $30 million foundation based in Fort Mill. It has awarded almost $120 million in grants to York, Lancaster and Chester counties.
In education, Close’s efforts reached well beyond Fort Mill or even those three counties. The state and country will feel the loss, said Winthrop University interim President George Hynd. Decades ago the Close family established the Close Scholars program at Winthrop for financial assistance.
“Those students over the decades have spent thousands of hours performing community service through a variety of local organizations,” Hynd said in a statement Friday. “Through those students, Anne Close reached thousands of people while at the same time shaping generations of Winthrop graduates for bright futures filled with a passion for serving others.”
Anne Springs Close Greenway
For many in Fort Mill already, and for many who still may come, the most identifiable legacy for Close remains the Greenway. The Nation Ford Land Trust owns the conservation easement on the property. Essentially, a voluntary legal agreement that ensures the property will continue Close’s legacy long after her lifetime.
“That’s forever,” said Steve Hamilton, Nation Ford Land Trust director. “There will be absolutely no development on that property other than a use that would be considered for a park. It’s a wonderful legacy that she left the community.”
Hamilton has his office at the Greenway, where he daily appreciates the natural setting. Something he shares with Close.
“She was very kind,” Hamilton said. “She loved to lead group hikes. She was difficult to keep up with. She kept that walking pace going.”
Close had varying levels of involvement with many other land preservation efforts in the region. Including early studies of property that’s now the ongoing Riverbend Park plan for almost 2,000 acres owned by York County on the Catawba River, and the 158-acre Murray White Preserve in Rock Hill.
Close was a great supporter of projects whether it hard her’s or someone else’s name on it, and was continually interested in what other groups were doing or how she could help, Hamilton said.
“She always took time to speak to somebody directly,” Hamilton said. “She gave everybody who was speaking to her the time to listen to them and respond. She was just a wonderful lady.”
In the fall of 2019 York County officials and land planners met to envision the future for the Riverbend Park project. They talked about public access to riverfront space on the Rock Hill side of the Catawba River. They noted challenges and opportunities. Land use experts continually brought up the Anne Springs Close Greenway as a model.
Told of those conversations, Close naturally vowed to give any help the county or consultant planners might want. Her site had just celebrated a quarter century of land conservation, and Close applauded efforts to set aside more land, for more people in the community, for many more years and generations to come.
“That’s the whole point of it,” Close said at the time. “I tell people it’ll be here for as close to forever as we can get.”
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This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 2:12 PM.
