COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina is remembering the life and legacy of Donald Fowler who was a longtime professor at the school.
It was announced on Tuesday night that the former South Carolina and national Democratic Party leader passed away at the age of 85.
Dr. Fowler participated in every presidential election since 1964, starting on the local level but then soon transitioning to national leadership and campaigns.
A former Democratic National Committee chair and former state party chair, Dr. Fowler said his passion for the party came from the party’s push for the Civil Rights Act.
Don Fowler was also well known for educating students at the University of South Carolina through his courses on politics and the mass media since 1964. Fowler would often bring the nation's most prominent political leaders and journalists into his classrooms.
Kirk Randazzo, a professor of Political Science and the chair of the department for the University of South Carolina, has known Dr. Fowler for more than 15 years.
"I actually first met him when I was a graduate student at USC before I went onto get my PhD and then got to know him really well when I returned as a professor in 2008," said Randazzo. "He and I shared a lot of things in common. Not just a love of politics, but also some other things as well. I think that helped us create a very special bond."
Randazzo says he's grateful that he got to know Dr. Fowler and that he had a profound impact on his career and his life.
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Dr. Fowler was considered one of the key players in the Democratic Party. He served as the chair for the state democratic party and was the chair for the Democratic National Committee for several years.
"Because of Don's involvement, he really helped remake the Democratic Party, not just in South Carolina but also across the country," explained Randazo. "In the state in particular, he was one of the key players that helped integrate the Democratic Party and help sort of spread the tent and make it much more inclusive, much more diverse."
The chair of the department says Dr. Fowler's ideas for progressive policies and the ability of the government helping average people led to him being one of the biggest influencers of his time.
While Dr. Fowler spent a lot of time in the political world, he also spent decades teaching at the University of South Carolina. Most recently, he had taught at the school over this past summer.
"He's 85-years-old and had been teaching a couple of courses for us every semester for the last thirty to forty years. So even well passed an age when most people would retire and just sort of enjoy their lives, Don very much took and sort of got his energy, took a lot of joy in being in the classroom and interacting with students."
The University of South Carolina is in talks to find out ways they can honor and remember the legacy of Dr. Fowler.
Randazo believes Dr. Fowler left a legacy in academia, politics, the state of South Carolina and the country.
"He was one of those individuals that was passionate about politics, passionate about teaching and passionate about people and it didn't matter whether somebody was a democrat or a republican or completely non-partisan at all," explained Randazo. "Don just loved interacting with other people and he always treated folks with respect, with courtesy, with civility and I think that was one of the things that made him rare and so incredibly special."
Randzao says one of the things he believes Dr. Fowler would want to be remembered as is someone who got along with everyone, no matter what political side they were on.
"That's something that I think has been lost a little bit in today's political circles and I wish people would get more of that back. Be a little bit more like Don, still engaged in incredibly heated debates, but at the end of the day recognize that we're all people and we all want what we think is best for this country."
Randzao went on to say, "He will be sorely missed. He was more than a friend, more than a colleague. He was an example of what is best in all of us. I would hope that he would know that and I would hope that his family would know that."