Longtime social worker, community activist, and Network Cochair Marjorie Hammock died on Saturday at age 88. She fell ill on a jazz cruise in the Caribbean last month, but was home in Columbia when she transitioned.

We dedicated our first-Thursday jazz workshop to her, as she loved jazz and was a regular at GROW. Friends filled the room to share stories and toast her memory. It was a bittersweet evening. You can see pictures of the gathering in our Photo Album.

Marjorie was deeply loved for the important work she did and the many lives she touched. She was hired in the late 70s to set up the Department of Corrections’ first social work office, and spent many years counseling inmates and implementing new protocols. Her vast range of experience made her able to comfortably relate to those on any rung of the social ladder.

You can listen to an oral history she recorded in 2019 HERE. It’s a fascinating look at her long life from the time she was born in Atlanta, through her formative years in Connecticut, and her college experiences at Spelman and Howard universities. She also talks about her professional life and her political awakening.

The Network benefitted from Marjorie’s leadership for some 15 years. “She is irreplaceable,” Brett Bursey said. “You can’t buy the kind of respect she commanded among her fellow social workers, South Carolina legislators and academics, and grass roots activists. We were fortunate to work with her as long as we did, and our organization’s roots are deeper and healthier because of her.”

Always an advocate for young people, Marjorie was a huge fan of the Modjeska’s Simpkins School. She attended seven sessions, and enjoyed handing out the diplomas at graduations.

If you’d like to honor her memory by making a donation to the school, you can do so HERE. Your contribution will go toward paying stipends for guest speakers and scholarships for students.