Spartanburg Medical Center NICU nurse Patty Hall has been taking care of premature babies for 41 years. Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System photo 

Spartanburg NICU nurse spends entire 41-year career caring for premature babies

Written by Taylor Deaton, courtesy of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System

For Patty Hall, RN, nursing and the NICU are the same. 

That’s because Hall has spent her entire 41 years as a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Spartanburg Medical Center. 

“I came here at 20, and I’m still here,” Hall said. “The NICU is all I know now, and that’s alright with me.” 

After observations in various units during nursing school at the University of South Carolina – Upstate, Hall graduated knowing she wanted to call one of the women’s services units her home. 

“I did six months in labor and delivery [after graduation] and then came here to onboard, and I knew. I knew I was good here,” she said. 

For Hall, being a NICU nurse offers some of the most rewarding aspects of health care, like watching a premature baby grow during their time in the NICU and seeing them afterward when their parents bring them back in to visit. 

NICU nurses also form special connections to parents through caring for their little ones in the hospital.  

“Getting to help moms hold their baby for the first time, even though they’re 2 pounds, and helping them deal with the situation of having to go home and leave their baby here is part of what makes the job so rewarding, Hall said. 

“It’s a trust issue,” she said. “They have to be comfortable with you and know that you’re going to care for their child because it’s a new reality.” 

That trust is Hall’s motivation for every shift, even after 40 years. 

“Occasionally, you’ll have a mom say, ‘I can go home now because I know they’re going to be taken care of,’ and that’s the best thing you can give them: the ability to go home and rest,” she said. 

Hall shared that some parents get emotional at discharge because of the special bond they form with the NICU nurses during the hours spent in the unit. 

Hall has even worked with nurses whom she would have taken care of as babies when they were in the NICU. 

Over the years, Hall has cemented her career as a NICU nurse through the relationships she has formed with babies and parents during their most vulnerable moments.  

To learn more about NICU services provided at Spartanburg Medical Center, visit Neonatal Intensive Care | Spartanburg Regional. 

Juana Silva claims the top prize at the 2024 APEX Showcase. Spartanburg Methodist College photo 

SMC senior Juana Silva wins 2024 APEX Showcase

Information courtesy of Spartanburg Methodist College

Juana Silva’s grandmother was an entrepreneur and always dreamed of someone else in her family starting their own business. Silva dedicated herself to becoming the one to make that dream come true. Her new business, Decals by Silva, not only lived up to her grandmother’s wishes but also earned her first place in the 2024 APEX Showcase at Spartanburg Methodist College.

“I was very excited and blessed, and it was an incredible moment that I will cherish forever,” Silva said of being named the winner. “I’m grateful to everyone who supported and helped me through this project.”

Decals by Silva is an Etsy-based business that allows customers to personalize various objects with custom-made vinyl decals. Silva used the six-week Capstone project at SMC to grow her business through targeted marketing efforts to students and online customers. Ultimately, she exceeded her goals for increased orders and revenue during the project.

“Juana’s drive and passion from day one of her Capstone and her confidence and poise in presenting her results to the judges set her apart from the other contestants this year,” said Dr. Courtney Shelton, vice president for student & professional development at SMC.

Silva plans to invest the $1,000 first-place prize into her business and expand her product line with custom t-shirts and a broader selection of colors and designs for her decals.

“I am very excited to expand my business,” she said. “I feel like I’m honoring my grandmother’s wishes, and she would be very proud of me.”

The APEX program is the culmination of SMC’s Camak Core professional development program, featuring students presenting the results of their senior Capstone projects. This year, the APEX Expo featured 32 students presenting their projects. The top three moved on to the finals, presenting to a panel of professional judges and a packed house at SMC’s APEX Showcase in the Gibbs Auditorium.

Silva credited the faculty and staff and the Camak Core for helping her accomplish her goals with her business.

“The professional development classes helped me develop and grow the skills I needed to succeed,” she said. “The Capstone project was the perfect challenge to put those skills to the test, and I’m very grateful for the lessons I’ve learned.” 

BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD Synnex announces 2024 celebrity lineup 

The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX recently announced the celebrities participating in this year’s tournament taking place June 3-9 at Thornblade Club in Greer and The Carolina Country Club in Spartanburg.

New celebrities to the tournament this year include: 

• Former NFL Wide Receiver Brice Butler

• Former NFL Quarterback Ryan Leaf

• American Idol Winner and Musician Phillip Phillips

• Golf Social Media Influencer Roger Steele

• Former NFL Quarter-back and College Football Hall of Fame Inductee Vince Young

Returning celebrities include:

• Current 4x World Champion Boxer Canelo Álvarez

• Television and Film Actor Brian Baumgartner (“Kevin” - The Office)

• On Patrol: Live PD Captain Danny Brown

• Television and Film Actor Andy Buckley (“David” – The Office)

• ESPN Golf Analyst Michael Collins

• NBA Charlotte Hornets Guard Seth Curry

• Country Pop Musician Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts)

• Gold Rated BMW Motorsport Works Driver Connor De Phillippi

• Actress and Model Debbe Dunning (“Heidi” – Home Improvement)

• Comedian and Actor Larry the Cable Guy

• Olympic Curler and Gold Medalist Matt Hamilton

• Sports Radio and Television Personality Ann Liguori

• Golf Channel Contributor and Podcast Host Will Lowery

• Pop Singer-Songwriter and Record Producer Ben Rector

• Country Pop Musician Joe Don Rooney (Rascal Flatts)

• Television and Film Actor B. Sweeney

• MLB World Champion David Wells

• Emmy Award-Winning Director and Actor Justin Wheelon

• NHL Defenseman James Wisniewski

"We are pleased to welcome a great lineup of new and returning celebrities to the 2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX,” said Bob Stegner, president of South Carolina Charities, Inc., the tournament’s non-profit foundation. “Seth Curry and Vince Young will add excitement to the tournament along with additional newcomers and returning celebrities. We also look forward to Phillip Phillips showcasing his talent on and off the course.”

South Carolina State Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver (far right), along with Governor and First Lady McMaster (2nd and 3rd from right) present 2025 S.C. Teacher of the Year Braden Wilson with a 2024 BMW X5. BMW Manufacturing photo 

BMW Manufacturing presents South Carolina Teacher of the Year with new BMW X5

Information courtesy of BMW

Columbia - State Super-intendent of Education Ellen Weaver announced recently that Braden Wilson, a Social Studies teacher at Palmetto Middle School in Anderson School District One, has been named 2025 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. The event was held on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia.

As part of the celebration, BMW Manufacturing, the program’s premier sponsor for 27 years, handed Wilson the keys to a 2024 BMW X5 xDrive40i. 

“There are no words to express how honored I feel right now and how humbling it is to represent a group as amazing as South Carolina educators,” Wilson said. “I don’t think teachers get by without the help of each other. Everything I do in the classroom is because the teachers I work with at Palmetto Middle School help each other. It’s never an ‘I’ or a ‘we’ thing. People are stronger when they work together.”

“An important part of every student’s future begins in the classroom, and we understand the critical role that teachers play in the success of our youth,” said Max Metcalf, manager of Government and Community Relations at BMW Manufacturing. “We at BMW are grateful to all the state’s teachers and their commitment in providing a stimulating environment for our children’s education.”

The Manhattan Green Metallic BMW X5 presented to Braden Wilson has Black Sensafin Uphol-stery with 22-inch M double-spoke bi-color wheels. It includes the M Sport Package, panoramic Sky Lounge LED roof, and the BMW Curved Display with configurable 12.3-inch instrument cluster and 14.9-inch central information display. This year is the 25th anniversary of the BMW X5. Wilson will drive the X5 during her year-long sabbatical from the classroom as South Carolina’s public education ambassador. 

Along with the use of a BMW X5 for one year, Wilson receives a $25,000 cash award, a set of Michelin tires, a Bojangles $2,000 award, an exclusive Jostens Teacher of the Year ring, and complimentary admission to participate in Leadership South Carolina. She will officially serve as the state spokes-person for over 50,000 educators. 

Wilson said it was her sixth-grade history teacher who influenced her to teach. “Her class was the first time I loved learning in the classroom in general. At the end of the year, we had big portfolios on ancient civilizations, and she looked at mine and said, ‘you know so much. You would be a great teacher.’ And ever since then, that’s all I wanted to do.”

This year BMW Manu-facturing celebrates 30 years of assembling BMWs in South Carolina, with more than 6.5 million BMWs assembled during the three decades. The Spartanburg factory employs more than 11,000 people to assemble the X3, X5, X7 and XM Sports Activity Vehicles and the X4 and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The 1,150-acre, 8-million-square-foot campus includes three body shops with more than 2,600 robots, two paint shops, and two assembly halls. The plant generates about 20 percent of its own power from methane gas and uses hydrogen fuel cell technology to power about 800 pieces of material handling equipment. The BMW Group announced in 2022 that it would invest $1.7 billion in its U.S. operations, including $1 billion to prepare the Spartanburg plant to assemble fully electric vehicles and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff. When completed in 2026, Plant Woodruff will assemble the sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at BMW Manufacturing. By 2030, the BMW Group will assemble at least six fully electric models in the U.S.  

South Carolina State Museum announces 80th anniversary D-Day Salute to be held on Saturday, June 8

Columbia  – The South Carolina State Museum will host a special event to honor the sacrifices of World War II veterans with the 80th Anniversary D-Day Salute on Saturday, June 8th from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The day will include special performances, a new exhibition opening and an exclusive new planetarium experience. General admission to this event will be free for active military, veterans and their families. 

The event will feature music from the 282D Army Jazz Band and ColaJazz Foundation who will be performing popular tunes such as "Take the 'A' Train" by Duke Ellington, "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller, and more. Plus, guests will be the first to see the new planetarium experience, “D-Day and the Moon,” showing exclusively on Saturdays in June. The show takes audiences on a journey through the past and present to uncover how the moon played a pivotal role in planning D-Day and how tracking our night sky can benefit us today. 

The museum will also open the new exhibition, “Shared Sacrifice: South Carolina in World War II,” on this day. The exhibition explores the powerful stories of South Carolina men and women who contributed to the war effort, as well as Black South Carolinians' pursuit of “Double Victory” over fascism abroad and segregation at home. Featuring engaging displays of objects from the museum’s collection, archival newsreels historic photographs and oral histories, “Shared Sacrifice” highlights the individual experiences of brave South Carolinians who served in World War II. 

“South Carolinians demonstrated tremendous courage during this conflict,” said Dr. Ramon Jackson, State Museum Curator of African American Culture and History. “They were Black and white, rich and poor, and came from every corner of the state. World War II transformed their lives and ushered in a modern world.” 

The exhibition includes a holiday card mailed home to Columbia, SC from Pearl Harbor, HI by soldier Jack Williams only one day before the infamous attack; a uniform worn by Laurens, SC’s Ernest Henderson, Sr. who trained the legendary Tuskegee airmen; a flight helmet worn by Doolittle Raiders member Horace "Sally" Crouch of Columbia, SC; Red Cross Motor Corps uniform worn by Kate Montgomery Ward of Spartanburg, SC; a variety of military equipment used in the European and Pacific theaters and much more. 

Entrance to the 80th Anniversary D-Day Salute and the new exhibition "Shared Sacrifice: South Carolina in World War II" is included with museum general admission, which is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors (ages 62+), and $10 for kids (ages 3-12). Infants 2 and under are free. General admission to the 80th Anniversary D-Day Salute on Saturday, June 8 is also free for active military, veterans and their families. Planetarium and 4D theater show tickets are an additional charge. 

Since opening in 1988, the South Carolina State Museum has been committed to collecting, preserving and showcasing the rich culture, art, natural history, technology and innovation of the Palmetto State. 

For more information about the museum, visit scmuseum.org.