The Friends of the Richland County Public Library recognized Christie Zimmerman Fant with the Lucy Hampton Bostick Award at its Annual Meeting on Sunday, September 9. The annual award is presented to a South Carolina author, someone who has written a significant literary work on South Carolina or someone in the Midlands who has advanced interest in books or libraries.
As the first head of the Historic Preservation Division at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Fant led citizens and local historical societies through the process of identifying and surveying significant historic sites statewide in response to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Fant was heavily involved in the local historic preservation efforts and was a driving force behind the founding of the Historic Columbia Foundation and its acquisition of the Robert Mills House and Hampton Preston House.
For many years, Fant wrote a column entitled “The Social Whirl” for The State that recounted the activities of Columbia residents and highlighted notable visitors to South Carolina. She also wrote the first comprehensive pictorial history of the South Carolina State House and, at the request of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina, she edited and compiled information for the book South Carolina Portraits.
The Friends’ Lucy Hampton Bostick Award was established in 1978 to honor the memory of Ms. Bostick, the Richland County Public Library’s director from 1928-1968. Bostick is credited with fostering interest in Southern literature and history, improving cultural life in Columbia and promoting library appreciation throughout the state.
The Friends of RCPL is a nonprofit organization charged with raising support for and awareness of the library. Memberships start at only $25. For more information, call 929-3475 or visit www.myrcpl.com/friends.htm .
