The State this afternoon is honoring veteran political journalist Lee Bandy, who will be retiring at the end of the year. Bandy has been covering South Carolina politics in Columbia and Washington, D.C., for four decades.
From his beginnings with the paper covering U.S. Sens. Strom Thurmond and Fritz Hollings and the rest of South Carolina's influential congressional delegation to walking and talking with voters during this year's gubernatorial election, Bandy's career has chronicled the state moving through both painful and prosperous times.
Although he will leaving full-time work at the newspaper, he will continue to write a weekly column about the 2008 presidential race and South Carolina's role in picking the next president. The State's Impact section on Dec. 24 will be devoted to Bandy and his years serving readers.
Lee Bandy retire? Never! He eats, breathes and sleeps the political news. Always entertaining, usually factual, his column is the third read in our home each Sunday - after the comics and the obituaries! A man of deep faith with a great singing voice, Lee has been a treasured friend for many years -and will continue to be. Matthew 25.21.
Posted by: Mickey Lindler | 13 December 2006 at 06:08 PM
Congrats, Lee, on a distinguished career. Always a good read and on point. Sunday's paper won't be the same.
Good luck as you slow it down.
Posted by: Ed Mellette | 13 December 2006 at 09:13 PM