Former Spartanburg Mayor Robert “Bob” Rowell, a longtime public servant and Spartanburg businessman, died Tuesday, August 30, 2016. Rowell was 83.
Rowell was elected in 1989 and served until 1993. Rowell resigned the mayor’s office six months prior to the conclusion of his term after being appointed to a seat on the South Carolina Public Service Commission. He was succeeded by then-Mayor Pro Tem James Talley.
“He was a great mayor at a time when we needed great leadership,” Mayor Junie White said. “He started rebuilding interest in the City’s downtown at a time when not many people were talking about that. We’re going to miss him tremendously, and our prayers are with his family.”
Rowell played an important role in advocating for a countywide referendum to fund the construction of a new headquarters branch for the Spartanburg County Library, which at that time was located on South Pine Street, and pushed for the new facility to be located downtown. The referendum passed in November 1992, and later the downtown site on South Church Street where the headquarters branch sits today was chosen. It was a critical step in the very early stages of building renewed interest and investment in Downtown Spartanburg following many years of neglect and disinvestment in the city’s central business district.
“Mayor Rowell was always an avid supporter of library services, and while he was mayor prior to the downtown library opening (in 1997), he was a real advocate for the library coming downtown to stimulate downtown development,” said County Librarian Todd Stephens. “He set things in motion while he was mayor that led to the successful passage of the referendum. He was a very critical proponent.”
Prior to serving as mayor, Rowell served on the City of Spartanburg Commission of Public Works from 1982-1988, and, in a rarity for a city resident, was twice elected in the countywide election to serve as Spartanburg County Council Chairman, in 1974 and 1978. “As the chief county official, I’ve tried to provide objective leadership in my decisions without partisanship to the city or county,” Rowell told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal on the night of his county council chair re-election, Nov. 7, 1978. “I suppose some people think that because I live and work in the city, I’m anti-county. That’s not the case. Geographic boundaries don’t concern me.”
The relationships he built with County Council and county administrators would be put to good use after he was elected mayor and the city and county negotiated new management agreements for both the Memorial Auditorium and the Downtown Memorial Airport, which until then had been jointly owned by both local government entities. The new deal put the auditorium under County ownership and the airport under City ownership.
Rowell also served along with Talley in a local group of elected and business leaders that worked to lure and eventually land BMW in Spartanburg County.
“Bob was such a dedicated person — he was intense about his work,” former Mayor Talley said. “He was extremely sharp. He was a good friend. When he left the city to go to the state Public Service Commission, I became mayor, and while he was always willing to offer his advice if you asked for it, he was never overpowering with it. But if I came to him, he always gave good direction.
“I mostly remember his passion for getting work done and making sure the city budget was always in line. He was very thoughtful about citizen participation. The biggest project we had going at the time was working with the county to get BMW here, and finalizing the downtown airport and auditorium deals with the county. He was instrumental in improving the way the city and the county worked together.”
Rowell was born in Branford, Fla., on Dec. 6, 1932. A graduate of the University of Florida, Rowell served in the Army from 1955 to 1957, then served in the Army Reserves from 1957 until 1966, rising to the rank of Captain.
He had a successful career in finance and banking. A trust officer for Commercial Bank and Trust Company in Ocala, Fla., from 1961 to 1966, Rowell moved with his family to Spartanburg in 1966 to work as a trust officer and later Vice President of South Carolina National Bank and First National Bank of South Carolina. He retired from banking in 1987.
Rowell served on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Municipal Association ad was a longtime member of the Spartanburg Rotary Club. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Edith, and their three children: Craig, Calla and Christopher.
Robert “Bob” Rowell
Public Service
S.C. Public Service Commission, 1993-94
Mayor, City of Spartanburg, 1990-93
City of Spartanburg Commission of Public Works, 1982-88
Spartanburg County Council Chairman, 1974-82
Deputy Insurance Commissioner, State of Florida, 1957-60
Professional
VP & Trust Officer, First National Bank of South Carolina, Spartanburg 1966-87
Trust Officer, Commercial Bank and Trust Company, Ocala, Fla., 1961-66
Sales Representative, Illinois Mutual Life Insurance Company, Orlando, Fla., 1960-61
Military
Captain, U.S. Army Reserves, 1957-66
Active Duty, U.S. Army, 1955-57
Education
Graduated from University of Florida, 1955