Group forming to oversee plan to display Confederate flag

The group that will oversee the proposal on how to display the Confederate flag at a state museum is taking shape.

S.C. House Speaker Jay Lucas, R-Darlington, announced two of his three appointments Wednesday to the S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum Commission – Roy Christie of Laurens and Sam Howell of Charleston.

Lucas’ third appointment requires a recommendation from the S.C. division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and will be made at a later date.

Senate President Pro Tempore Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, named his three appointees to the commission in July. They are George Dorn and Voight Shealy, both of Lexington; and Leland Summers of Lancaster, S.C. commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Republican Gov. Nikki Haley has appointed one of the three members that she can name to the commission – Robert “Alex” Miller Jr. of Columbia, according to her office.

The commission was created as part of the state government restructuring that took effect July 1 and will oversee the director of the state’s military museum, which includes exhibits spanning the state’s history. The legislation that created the commission requires that two of its nine members be approved by the Confederate heritage groups.

The General Assembly approved removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds in the aftermath of the June 17 slaying of nine African-American church members in Charleston. Photos subsequently surfaced of the accused shooter, Dylann Roof, posing with the Confederate battle flag.

During the flag debate, the S.C. House passed a resolution that directs the Relic Room to present a budget to the Legislature for displaying the flag by Jan. 1.

In letters to his appointees, Senate leader Leatherman said he expects additional state funding of the Relic Room to be given strong consideration.

Relic Room director Allen Roberson said Wednesday he plans to start work on a proposal to display the flag within the next two weeks. Roberson said he will have conversations with the commission about that plan.

The Confederate flag that was taken down July 10 from the State House currently is boxed up in the Relic Room’s climate-controlled collections area, Roberson said. It is stored with acid-free paper and not exposed to light, Roberson said. He added the flag is under lock and key, and protected by an alarm system.

Commissioner Summers, a Sons of Confederate Veterans member since 1993 and state commander since 2013, was an outspoken opponent of removing the flag from the State House grounds. “The flag should have never been moved,” he said Wednesday.

But, Summers added, his mission as a commissioner will be ensuring protection of the state’s history and heritage. “I want to make sure that the flag is displayed (in) as prominent location as it can be.”

Another commissioner, Howell, has previous experience with the S.C. Historical Society, the University of South Carolina’s South Caroliniana Library society and the Friends of the Hunley.

Howell said he likely will be guided by the recommendations of the museum’s professional staff about how best to display the flag.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 6:40 AM with the headline "Group forming to oversee plan to display Confederate flag."