An Aiken County interchange on Interstate 20 could quickly carry the title of the primary Jewish lady to serve within the South Carolina Home of Representatives.
The S.C. Home of Representatives Invites and Memorial Resolutions Committee permitted a decision sponsored by S.C. Rep. Invoice Clyburn renaming I-20’s interchange with Bettis Academy Highway after former S.C. Rep. Irene Rudnick at a Wednesday assembly.
“There have been some individuals locally asking the query why nothing’s named after Ms. Irene Rudnick,” mentioned Clyburn, a Democrat who represents the north aspect of Aiken. “That is been beneficial throughout occasion strains and coloration strains so I feel that is value stating.”
Clyburn mentioned it meant quite a bit to introduce the decision.
“My neighborhood and my group are higher off due to Irene Rudnick,” he mentioned. “The communication all through our metropolis is pretty much as good as it’s due to Irene Rudnick.”
Rudnick’s son, Morris, mentioned he was honored by the decision and appreciative of the county’s legislative delegation and Clyburn for introducing it.
Helen Rapoport, Rudnick’s daughter, mentioned the decision meant quite a bit to her.
“I simply noticed how my mom lived a lifetime of service to Aiken County,” Rapoport mentioned. “She utterly devoted herself to public service.”
Rudnick, who died on Feb. 2, 2019, was described as a “bitzuist” – somebody who says little and will get quite a bit achieved – in her obituary.
She served for 14 years within the South Carolina Home of Representatives and is Clyburn’s quick predecessor in District 81. She represented the district from 1972-1976, 1981-1984 and 1987-1994.
Her obituary provides her workplace was in her husband’s furnishings retailer, Rudnick’s Furnishings Barn on Park Avenue, for a time and had an indication studying “Welcome, Come On In” on the door. A list within the Jewish Service provider Venture provides Rudnick ultimately needed to transfer her workplace out of the shop due to her rising regulation observe and political profession.
Rudnick additionally served as superintendent of the Aiken County Public Faculty District and briefly taught at Warrenville Elementary Faculty whereas she maintained her regulation observe.
She was instrumental within the founding of USC Aiken. Her obituary says she helped set up fundraising receptions, letter writing campaigns, and different efforts to extend consciousness for the creation of USC Aiken. As soon as the varsity started, Rudnick taught authorized courses there from its opening in 1961 till December 2018.
Rudnick was born Irene Krugman in Columbia in 1929. She was class valedictorian at Columbia Excessive Faculty and graduated with honors from the College of South Carolina.
In faculty, Krugman received the Hemphill Award for Oratory and served as president of the Alpha Kappa Gamma ladies’s management society, Pi Delta Kappa and the Hypation Literary Society, supervisor of the talk crew and as secretary of the Worldwide Relations Membership. Rudnick was additionally concerned in theatrical productions, the YWCA Cupboard, Hillel and Alpha Psi Omega.
She then turned one of many few ladies to attend the College of South Carolina Faculty of Regulation. Throughout regulation college, she was a member of the editorial employees of what would turn out to be the South Carolina Regulation Evaluation, chair of this system committee of regulation federation and a member of the Honor Council.
After regulation college, Krugman opened her regulation observe, met the person who would turn out to be her husband, Harold Rudnick, and moved to Aiken.
Rudnick additionally served as president of Adas Yeshurun Synagogue for many years and likewise served as president of the Hadassah Sisterhood. Rudnick swept the synagogue’s steps, polished its silver, cooked and cleaned for occasions, and hosted group and interfaith teams. She additionally taught Sunday Faculty beginning as a teen and persevering with till late in her life.