A photograph of Cecil Hart sits beside a French Legion of Honor Medal at Port Royal Plantation Beach Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Consulate General of France in Atlanta) 

Anne-Laure Desjonquères, consul general for Atlanta (left), presents the Legion of Honor Medal to Marian Hart (right) on behalf of her father-in-law during a ceremony in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of the Consulate General of France in Atlanta)

Pacolet WWII veteran who received France’s highest honor dies at 100  

By: Skylar Laird, SC Daily Gazette, 

www.scdailygazette.com

November 11, 2025

Before he sold furniture in South Carolina, Cecil Hart survived a German U-Boat attack and fought to liberate northern France during World War II.

For Hart’s service during the war, he received France’s highest honor in a ceremony earlier this year. Hart died Oct. 30, just over a month after receiving the medal, at 100 years old, said his son, Curtis Hart.

Originally from a cotton farm in Pacolet, a small town in Spartanburg County, Cecil Hart enlisted in the Army in 1943 as an ambulance driver.

“One day, he was working that farm, and the next day, he was in France,” his son, Curtis Hart, told the SC Daily Gazette on Tuesday, September 11.

Fighting in World War II

Growing up, all Curtis Hart knew about his father’s time in the war came from the military yearbooks his father kept. Although Hart asked his father questions about his service abroad, like many World War II veterans, he didn’t want to talk about it, Hart said.

That changed when Cecil Hart, in his 90s, went on an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., his son said.

For years, Cecil Hart resisted a friend’s invitations to go on the trip because he didn’t like having too much attention on himself. Knowing how much Hart would get out of the trip, the friend finally told him, “You can go peacefully or another way,” Curtis Hart recalled.

During the several days Cecil Hart spent in D.C. with other veterans, he toured monuments and received thanks for his service. Cleaning out his father’s house over the past week, Curtis Hart found all the pamphlets and other memorabilia his father received on the trip, which was unusual for a man who didn’t much like clutter, he said.

“I think that was the first time in his life that he really realized what he’d been a part of,” Hart said.

After he came home, Cecil Hart began to talk a little more about his experiences during the war. But it was after he learned about the application for the Legion of Honor Medal that he really started to open up, Curtis Hart said.

“It brought back a lot of memories he had about the war,” Hart said. “Some were good, and some were not good.”

Cecil Hart thought many of his memories were better left forgotten, his son said. The veteran recalled having very little food to eat and seeing fellow soldiers suffering from illness and injuries.

At one point, Cecil Hart survived an attack from a German submarine that killed most of his division while crossing the English Channel, according to the Consulate General of France in Atlanta, which presented the award. He fought in northern France on D-Day, in an invasion that left an estimated 4,000 Allied troops dead, with more wounded or missing.

Hart left the Army in 1946, having earned the rank of private first class. He received a number of medals for his service, including a Good Conduct Medal, which recognizes excellent behavior and efficiency, according to the consulate.

Hart also received the WWII Victory Medal, which was given to all veterans who fought in the war; the American Theater Ribbon, given to soldiers in WWII who saw active combat or other dangerous conditions; and the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Medal, for those who served in that area, with one Bronze Service Star, according to the consulate.

“We were very proud to be able to add a French Legion of Honor Medal to this list,” said Anne-Laure Desjonquères, the region’s consul general.

Even though his father often found it difficult to recount his experiences, Curtis Hart was grateful to learn more about his father. In the months leading up to the ceremony, the younger Hart listened to his father’s stories, taking notes so he would remember everything that happened.

To see his father recognized “meant a tremendous amount to us, mainly for his sake,” Hart said. “We were really happy for him.”

The Legion of Honor Medal

Cecil Hart’s daughter-in-law accepted the medal on his behalf during a Sept. 12 ceremony on Hilton Head Island because Hart, who died of congenital heart failure, was too sick to attend. The consulate tailors ceremonies to each veteran’s wishes, and Hart asked for a small recognition with friends and family, Desjonquères said.

The award, which Napoleon Bonaparte established in 1802, recognizes both French citizens and foreign nationals who contributed to France or upheld its ideals. For about 20 years, French officials have worked to track down World War II veterans who fought on French soil to recognize their part in ending the war, Desjonquères said.

“Our objective is to show that France doesn’t forget what it owes to the veterans who fought to liberate our country and Europe,” Desjonquères said.

Notable recipients of the award include Dwight Eisenhower, the World War II general and U.S. president; and Josephine Baker, the performer, World War II spy and Civil Rights Movement activist.

For the most part, the consulate hears about veterans through word of mouth, Desjonquères said.

In Hart’s case, Best Defense Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting military veterans, let the consulate know that Hart might be eligible for the award, she said.

A consulate employee reached out to Hart’s family and began processing an application for Hart to receive the award. Each application undergoes a vetting process to ensure the veteran really did fight in France, which is sometimes as simple as looking at discharge records and sometimes requires reviews of old photographs or first-person accounts, Desjonquères said.

When it comes to those who fought in World War II, the consulate works as quickly as possible, keeping in mind veterans’ advanced ages, she said.

An estimated 45,000 of the more than 16 million Americans who fought in the war were still alive going into 2025, according to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

Around 750 of those veterans live in South Carolina, the museum estimated. 

Life after the war

Just as abruptly as Cecil Hart headed to France in 1943, he went straight back to work in South Carolina, Curtis Hart said.

For a while, Cecil Hart had a job hauling feed and seed in Spartanburg, his son said. There, he met his lifelong wife, then Betty Crosby, who walked past on her way to and from her office every day.  Hart was embarrassed every time he saw her because he was always dirty from the hard work, their son said. The two remained together for 63 years, until she died in 2009.

Eventually, Hart got a job selling furniture and dedicated the rest of his life to that career. He opened Stuckey Brothers & Hart Furniture in Beaufort with a friend in 1965, then gradually expanded to four stores in Spartanburg and Beaufort counties, Curtis Hart said.

“He was one of those guys that that was all he did,” said the son, who lives on Hilton Head Island. “He didn’t play golf. He didn’t have a hobby. The furniture store was his hobby.”

Even after Cecil Hart sold the stores so he could retire, he continued helping out at his son’s furniture store, his son said. He stayed remarkably healthy, living independently and regularly driving across the state even at the age of 100, Curtis Hart said. For all 70 years of his life, he received nothing but unconditional love from his parents, he said.

“I was very fortunate for him to be my dad,” Hart said. “We had an incredible relationship.”

Tantamount to all else in Cecil Hart’s life was his faith. Hart was an active member of multiple Baptist churches during his lifetime, most recently First Baptist Church of Hilton Head Island, Curtis Hart said.

“We rejoice in that, that he’s in heaven today and we will see him again,” Hart said. 

Rural King opens first South Carolina store in Spartanburg 

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Rural King, a family-owned retailer known for its focus on farm, home and outdoor living, has opened its first South Carolina store in Spartan-burg, marking a major expansion for the company into the Palmetto State.

Located at 205 W. Blackstock Road, the new store celebrated its grand opening October 17-19, featuring special deals, giveaways and in-store promotions. Members of the retailer’s RK Rewards program earned double points on qualifying purchases and enter drawings for one of 100 $25 gift cards. Complimentary bottles of Rural King-branded water were offered to shoppers throughout the weekend.

“Spartanburg is the perfect place for Rural King’s first store in South Carolina,” said Steve Barbarick, the company’s CEO. “We look forward to becoming part of the fabric of this rural community by creating jobs, supporting local families and offering the products our customers count on every day.”

Founded more than six decades ago and headquartered in Mattoon, Illinois, Rural King operates more than 130 stores across the Midwest and Southeast. The Spartan-burg location includes modern touches such as self-checkout stations and mobile payment options while maintaining the retailer’s reputation for personal, community-centered service.

The store carries well-known brands including Carhartt, Blackstone, Ariat, Wrangler, Black Rifle Coffee Company, Walnut Creek Foods and Henry Rifles. Shoppers will find products ranging from livestock and pet supplies to tools, outdoor gear, home décor, and seasonal items.

As part of its community focus, Rural King supports organizations such as 4-H, FFA, and the Gary Sinise Foundation, emphasizing its commitment to veterans, first responders and youth programs.

For more information about the store or products, visit RuralKing.com, RKguns.com, or RKtractors.com.

Rural King, also known as RK Holdings, LLP, planted its roots as America's Farm and Home Store in Mattoon, Illinois in 1960. Since that time, Rural King has grown to more than 140 stores in sixteen states.

Camelot Center, located at 1600 John B. White Sr. Boulevard, recently sold for $7.7 million. Marcus & Millichap photo 

Camelot Center sells for $7.7 million amid strong investor interest

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A 14-suite retail center on Spartanburg’s west side has sold for $7.7 million, reflecting continued investor confidence in the city’s growing commercial real estate market.

Marcus & Millichap, a national commercial real estate brokerage, announced the sale of Camelot Center, a 66,560-square-foot shopping complex at 1600 John B. White Sr. Boulevard.

Built in 1987 and fully leased, the center is anchored by NAPA Auto Parts and Dollar General. Other tenants include State Farm, Pizza Hut and several local dining, beauty, and financial service businesses.

“We had a very competitive bidding process and saw strong interest from investors drawn to the property’s stable cash flow and location in a high-growth market,” said Chris Garavaglia, managing director of investments with Marcus & Millichap. “Spartanburg continues to be in high demand, and with the center 100% occupied, the new owner plans to hold the asset long term and capitalize on the market’s ongoing momentum.”

Garavaglia, along with Alex Perez and Austin Sweet from Marcus & Millichap’s St. Louis office, marketed the property on behalf of the seller, an East Coast family office. Ben Yelm, the firm’s South Carolina broker of record, assisted in the transaction.

Camelot Center sits on nearly eight acres in a corridor that has seen steady retail and service growth in recent years, reflecting Spartanburg’s expanding population and business base.