Herb Kirsh, 1946

Herb Kirsh loved his hometown and served his community well. As a businessman, Herb owned and operated Kirsh Department Store, a business started by his father in 1937. As a steward of his community, Kirsh was a charter member of the Clover Jaycees, served as chairman of the board for the Clover Community Bank and was president of the Clover Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Mr. Kirsh was an active member of Masonic Lodge 208 and the Shriners. Mr. Kirsh served on the Cover Town Council and was mayor of Clover from 1975 to 1978. He was recognized as Clover Man of the Year in 1976, and in 1999, the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce honored Mr. Kirsh as Citizen of the Year. In 2001, Mr. Kirsh was awarded the Mack E. McCarter Award for citizenship and community service.

Herb Kirsh also loved the state of South Carolina and took his passion for financial oversight to the statehouse where he served in the House of Representatives from 1978 to 2010 and is remembered as the longest serving legislator in the state of South Carolina.

Throughout his time in office, Herb received many honors. In 1985, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the South Carolina Municipal Association. He served as the county delegate to the State Democratic Convention. In 1976, the South Carolina Department of Revenue recognized him as Legislator of the Year. In 2001, the South Carolina Association of Auditors, Treasurers, and Tax Collectors honored Mr. Kirsh with an appreciation award for his service. In 2003, the South Carolina Association of Counties honored Herb with the Home Rule Guardian Award, and the South Carolina Department of Revenue recognized him with an outstanding service award. Mr. Kirsh was honored as Legislator of the Year by the South Carolina Housing Authority in 2005. During that same year, a 357-acre tract of land in York County was designated the "Herb Kirsh Wildlife Conservation Area" by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

In 2006, Mr. Kirsh was once again named Legislator of the Year by the State Retirees Association of South Carolina. In 2008, Herb served as chairman of the House Invitations and Memorial Resolutions Committee, and in 2009 he was recognized as the longest serving House member in the South Carolina House of Representatives. In 2010, Herb Kirsh was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor awarded by the governor of South Carolina to persons who make contributions of statewide significance. Most people in the small town of Clover and in the state of South Carolina remember Herb as a man of integrity - a man who lived a life of service to his beloved hometown of Cover and to his state of South Carolina.