Anne Perrin Flynn awarded South Carolina’s highest civilian honor with the Order of the Palmetto

Anne Flynn, chair of the Noble Tree Foundation and immediate past-chair of the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education (USC Upstate), has been awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, by Governor Henry McMaster. Flynn has spent more than 45 years in volunteer leadership for the non-profit sector throughout South Carolina, focusing on conservation and gardening, education, and healthcare.

The Order of the Palmetto was established in 1971 by then Governor John West to recognize “a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service, and contributions on a national or statewide scale…. Business, political or personal accomplishment may be important factors, but noble works for others mark the true purpose.” The once in a lifetime recognition is awarded only to South Carolina natives or residents of the state, with notable recipients including economist Ben Bernanke, singer James Brown, and author Pat Conroy. The award was presented by Flynn’s oldest grandchild, Lucy Flynn, in a surprise ceremony at the Perrin Room of the USC Joseph F. Rice School of Law in Columbia.

“To say that I was stunned would be an understatement,” said recipient Anne Flynn. “My friends and family did an incredible job of keeping this a secret. When I arrived at the ceremony, I had absolutely no idea what was about to happen, which made the experience all the more meaningful and memorable. I am deeply honored by this distinguished recognition from the State of South Carolina and Governor McMaster. Once you see how much you have been given you can’t help but want to give back. I’ve always said that leadership is measured not by titles, but by service; not by recognition, but by the lives we touch. And that’s what I’ve tried to do for the people of South Carolina and the state that I love — get involved, stay involved and make your community a better place.”

Flynn grew up in Spartanburg, SC with her parents, Edward “Pat” Perrin and Anne Porchér Zeigler. She made frequent visits to the Lowcountry to visit her maternal grandparents, John Tatum Zeigler, Sr. and Anne Louise Zeigler, owners of a dairy farm that served as a major supplier for Coburg Dairy. Her childhood spent both in the Upstate and the beautiful garden of Anne Louise Zeigler shaped her deep love of South Carolina and all things green and growing.

After graduating from Mary Baldwin College, in Staunton, Virginia with a degree in sociology, Flynn settled down in Charleston, SC as a real estate paralegal for attorneys Edward Pritchard and Don Rutledge, of Pritchard, Myers, Morrison, and Bloom, where she also met and married Lawrence E. Flynn, Jr. (“Larry”). Together they settled down in Charleston, renting a small townhouse on the Ashley River owned by The Citadel, purchasing a home in Mount Pleasant, and then purchasing and, with plenty of sweat equity, restoring a house built in 1780 at 14 Queen Street.

After moving to Spartanburg to grow a family, Flynn threw herself into volunteering, fundraising, and leadership in state-wide and local non-profit organizations. She served as First Vice President and State Bylaws Chair of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina and Secretary and Chair of the South Carolina Mother of the Year Selection Committee. She also served in numerous leadership positions, many at the highest level, within other South Carolina non-profits, including: the Vera Davis Parson Garden Club; the Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve; the Arboretum Adventures Series Program and Cultivating Conversations Series for the School of Horticulture at Spartanburg Community College; the Spartanburg Regional Foundation, which supports the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System; the Charles Lea Foundation in support of the Charles Lea Center, which provides services to people with disabilities and chronic medical conditions; and as the first woman to chair the Spartanburg County Commission for Higher Education, which serves the Upstate campuses of the University of South Carolina.

She was the recipient of the 2025 Boots & Pearls Woman of Distinction Award in 2025 from the Girl Scouts of South Carolina–Mountains to the Midlands; the Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year in 2024 from The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Piedmont Chapter; the Mary H. Thomas Award for Civic Leadership and Community Change in the area of Community from the Spartanburg County Foundation; the winner of the 2023 Lip Sync Fundraiser with the Charles Lea Foundation; the Elaine T Freeman Award for Exceptional Commitment to the Charles Lea Center; and the Women United Leadership Award from United Way of the Piedmont.

In 2017, Flynn was named to the Roll of Honor by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina.

South Carolina native Anne Perrin Flynn has lived, worked, volunteered, and led in South Carolina for a lifetime.