Former President Bill Clinton Honors Dick Riley At USC

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)–  Former president Bill Clinton was in the capital city to honor Dick Riley and congratulate his contribution to the South Carolina Political Collections at USC. Richard Riley has a long history in public service; from State representative, to senator, to South Carolina’s governor, and then U.S. Secretary of Education. Riley’s good friend, former president Bill Clinton, said he knew Riley was the right man for the job in his cabinet during his presidency because of his dedication to education.

“That the future of the country depended upon our ability to educate everyone. And I knew that he believed that ability is evenly distributed but opportunity is not. And that the first step to closing the gap is believing it can be closed,” Clinton said. 

Now, Riley keeps on giving to for the good of education. Adding more than 3,000 items, to the South Carolina Political Collections. Riley hopes people will respect politics more in the future and remember the legacy he’s leaving behind.

“One thing, I hope people who look through this collection would say public service can be worthwhile, exciting, and interesting,” Riley said.

Riley’s archives join those from Gov. Henry McMaster and S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal to name a few. Riley says one of the biggest highlights are all of his speeches with handwritten edits on them.

“But if you really are going to be good at public service, you have to be committed to the public good. That has to be underneath everything. The public good, the good for everybody. You can really do more things in public service,” Riley said.

The Richard W. Riley collection will be on display at the Hollings Library through December 23rd. Riley says he hopes anyone who sees the collection will understand his deep love and respect for South Carolina and our great nation.