Grounded in Service, Bearing Fruit: The Rhodes Way
From the band field to the battlefield and from the
classroom to the boardroom, Tim Rhodes has spent a lifetime keeping step with a
mission greater than himself.
There is an adage which says a tree is known by its fruit.
If true, one need look no further than the family of South Carolina School
Boards Association (SCSBA) President and Abbeville County School District Board
Chair Tim Rhodes to see how deeply his roots run in public education.
His nearly two decades of service on his local school board
and eight years of leadership with SCSBA speak volumes about his commitment to
public education. But perhaps the sweetest fruit of his investment is closer to
home. All four of his children – Brittany, Hannah, Philip and Anna Grace –
graduated from the Abbeville County School District, each earning the
distinction of valedictorian at Calhoun Falls High School.
And those apples certainly did not fall far from the tree.
An only child raised in Calhoun Falls by two textile mill
workers, Rhodes learned early the value of hard work, family support and a
well-rounded public education. His father was a weave superintendent, while his
mother worked in the mill’s cloth room until a disability ended her career.
Together, they cultivated an environment where opportunity was encouraged and
achievement was expected.
“My parents and family around me at that time were very
supportive of anything I really wanted to do,” Rhodes said.
He took full advantage of those opportunities, playing
baseball, participating in Future Farmers of America (FFA) and performing with
the Abbeville County Red Regiment marching band. He eventually became captain
of the drumline, an early indication of a leadership instinct which would
follow him throughout his life.
After graduating from high school, Rhodes attended Anderson
College before joining the U.S. Army, following a family tradition of military
service. He served 13 years in the Army and Army Reserve, including service as
an airborne combat engineer.
His military experience reinforced a lesson first learned on the marching field. Individual excellence matters, but collective success requires everyone to move in the same direction.
“Every role taught me the same lesson. We rise higher when we move together,” Rhodes said in his SCSBA presidential acceptance address. “From the band field to the battlefield, from the classroom to the boardroom, progress happens when everyone keeps step with the mission – becoming first in service, first in moral excellence, first in generosity, first in love.”
For having once led the drumline, the symbolism could hardly be more fitting.
“When I began this journey it became evident there is no progress without unity,” Rhodes said. “And this unity is not accidental. It is chosen. It is cultivated. It is lived.”
His leadership has also extended to the state level, including an appointment by Gov. Henry McMaster to the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Task Force. There, Rhodes helped examine issues such as teacher compensation, classroom safety and the resources educators need to remain in the profession.
His concern for teachers is personal. Decades after leaving the classroom, he still remembers educators whose influence helped shape his future.
There was Mrs. Carter, who taught English, spelling, reading and writing with patience and high expectations. And there was Mr. Johnson, a science teacher who expected nothing less than excellence.
For all his professional and civic responsibilities, Rhodes’ most enduring source of encouragement remains his family.
He and his wife of 38 years, Lois Garner Rhodes, have four children, five grandsons, including two stepgrandsons and a granddaughter on the way.
“My family has been very supportive of me being on the board and being part of SCSBA,” Rhodes said. “Sometimes they wonder why I do this type of service, but they understand that I always want to see every child in Abbeville County succeed, along with students from across the state.”
He describes his beautifully blended family as a reflection of the unity he hopes to inspire throughout South Carolina. Different ages, cultures and ethnic backgrounds come together around a common commitment to love and respect.
A deacon and member of the praise team band at Northside Baptist Church, Rhodes continues to find opportunities to serve and, fittingly, to make music.
His professional life reflects the same consistency. For more than two decades, he has worked as a quality assurance coordinator at Prysmian Group North America.
Even with these responsibilities, Rhodes makes room for young people through activities such as coaching, mentoring, chaperoning and supporting agricultural education.
His motivation is simple.
“I want every child to have any and all opportunities to succeed in whatever path they choose,” he said.
Neither family circumstances, finances nor geography, he believes, should determine a child’s access to opportunity.
And when his calendar finally allows for a little quiet, Rhodes enjoys deer and duck hunting, although he admits the solitude may be his favorite part.
“I think it is the quiet time in the blind that I like the most,” he said.
He also enjoys drawing landscapes and animals, as well as building and collecting Lego sets, particularly those from the Star Wars collection.
These interests reveal another side of Rhodes, a man whose sunny disposition, sense of humor and playful curiosity remain intact despite the weight of his responsibilities.
He is still the student who remembers his teachers; still the son of textile mill workers who understood the value of opportunity; still the soldier who learned the importance of teamwork; still the drumline captain who knows a group cannot move forward except together; and still the father who wants every child to have the same opportunity to succeed as his own.
“When they succeed, you and the board and the district you serve will be successful,” Rhodes said.
For Rhodes, leadership has never been about standing above others. It is about inspiring others to move forward together.
And as Rhodes’ leadership at SCSBA nears the end, he remains committed to ensuring every child in South Carolina has the opportunity to take root, grow and bear fruit of their own.