City of Barnwell honors, remembers two men of service

The City of Barnwell recognized two beloved community figures at their July 1 council meeting; the late Eugene “Buddy” Darnell and the late William F. “Billy” Guinyard. 

“Here in the last several months, our community has been hit pretty hard with losing people in our community,” said Mayor Ron Still. “Tonight, we’re going to recognize two of those individuals.” 

Darnell’s daughter, Jodi Croft, and son-in-law, Doug Croft, accepted a plaque from the Barnwell Police Department (BPD) and a resolution of recognition from the Barnwell City Council. 

The daughter and son-in-law of the late Eugene “Buddy” Darnell accepted a plaque and a resolution of recognition in his honor. Pictured are Jodi …

“The hallmark of his service was the respect of his officers, his compassion for the citizens of Barnwell, his sense of fairness for all parties involved in the criminal justice system, and his desire to protect all of the citizens of Barnwell,” states the resolution. 

Darnell retired as BPD chief after serving the city for 22 years – making him one of the city’s longest serving chiefs from 1981 to 2003. He was a founding member of the Barnwell Rescue Squad where he served as captain, and was also an appointed municipal judge for the City of Barnwell. 

Jodi Croft, the daughter of the late Eugene "Buddy" Darnell, hugs Mayor Ron Still at the City's July 1 meeting where Mr. Darnell's legacy was …

The resolution states Darnell will be “remembered for his 24 years of unparalleled public service to the City of Barnwell.” 

Belinda Guinyard, the daughter of the late William F. Guinyard, hugs City of Barnwell administrator Lynn McEwen after a resolution of recognition was …

According to the resolution of recognition presented to the family of William F. Guinyard, he was a man who dedicated his whole life to serving the City of Barnwell. 

Accepting the resolution from Administrator Lynn McEwen and Mayor Still were Guinyard’s wife, Shirley, his daughter, Belinda, nephew Ijeoma Ekechukwu, and mentee Adrian Crawford. 

William F. Guinyard was recognized by the City of Barnwell for his lifetime of dedication. A resolution of recognition was presented to his family. …

Guinyard served the City of Barnwell Planning Commission for over 40 years, from March 1979 to February 2020. On this commission he also served as chairman. 

He also was the director and co-owner of Guinyard and Sons Funeral Home located on Allen Street, and owner of the Hope Memorial Park Perpetual Care Cemetery on Tale Road. 

Both Guinyard and Darnell had many community and civic affiliations statewide and across Barnwell County. 

Other news: 

• The city approved the first reading of an amendment to a 2022 ordinance pertaining to building and property maintenance codes. These codes are approved by S.C. Labor, Licensing, and Registration (SCLLR) and are mandatory for municipalities to adopt. According to city attorney, Tom Boulware, money will have to be set aside in the budget to fund this process. 
• The Main Street section of road and parking lot in front of city hall was paved on July 8. It was funded through Barnwell County CTC funds. 
• The recreation department is gearing up for fall sports and thankful for a successful Independence Day celebration on June 28. 
• BPD Chief Butts got approval from the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy to hold training classes at the department for all agencies across the county to attend throughout July, August, and September. “This will bring training from other agencies that will be coming to visit the City of Barnwell…the benefit of it is the department has to pay no money for the classes.” This training is additional to the training Chief Butts has already scheduled for officers throughout the year, and is an initiative he has been working on since being sworn into the department in February. 
• A second downtown development proposal has been sent to Representative Lonnie Hosey asking for funding for various beautification initiatives. A draft for the mural to be located on a downtown building is still in the works. A public forum was held on Monday, July 8 at 5:30 p.m. at city hall. 
• September 7 is the grand opening and dedication day of the newly built fire department, which is now complete. The old fire department has been demolished.