Palmetto State News

The Georgetown County Board of Elections and Voter Registration recognized retiring board member Billy Altman on Jan. 11 for 20 years of service. The January meeting was Altman's last as a board member. He and his wife are moving to Columbia.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed the 20 years I have been involved in the voting process in Georgetown County," Altman told those in attendance. "We’ve come a long way, we’ve seen a lot of new things, and we have had some issues that we overcame. I think the voting process is probably one of the most important -- if not the most important -- public processes that a county, a state or a country has, and I hope I have contributed something to that."

Altman was born in Johnsonville, the third oldest of six children. His family lived on his grandparents' farm growing up and helped out with daily tasks. Altman was the first in his family to go to college. He attended the University of South Carolina and studied electrical engineering. He is a proud Gamecock to this day. Shortly after college, he entered the Air Force as an enlisted officer and married his high school sweetheart, Ann. They've been married for 56 years.

Altman is retired from ExxonMobil, where he worked in several roles. The majority of his career was spent in California. But his work also allowed him to travel the world, including Japan, Nigeria, Malaysia, Venezuela and more. He retired after 31 years, finishing his career in Houston, Texas. He and Ann then settled in Murrells Inlet.

Altman was appointed the Georgetown County Board of Elections and Voter Registration in 2004. He immediately developed a reputation being a dedicated and competent volunteer, which led him to be elected board chairman. He served in that position for many years.

"Billy’s contributions to Georgetown County are unmatched and are very essential and still impactful to the way elections are conducted in this county," said Aphra McCrea, director of Georgetown County's Office of Elections and Voter Registration. "We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to have known Billy and to have worked with him over the last 20 years."

We wish the Altmans well in their new community.

Original source can be found here.