Georgetown County facilities to be named after beloved community leaders Linnen, Port

Georgetown County will permanently honor two beloved community leaders whose lives were defined by service, mentorship and a deep commitment to others. At its meeting Feb. 24, County Council agreed to name the Choppee Regional Resource Center in honor of Florene Linnen and the Northwest Regional Recreation Field Complex at Pleasant Hill in honor of R.L. Port. Both passed away in recent months, leaving behind legacies that shaped generations and strengthened rural communities across Georgetown County. 

Florene Linnen, who died Nov. 30, was widely known as a tireless advocate for rural families, particularly in the Choppee, Dunbar and Browns Ferry communities. For more than 50 years, she worked to improve the lives of local residents through nonprofit leadership, grassroots organizing and community health advocacy.

Her work was especially influential in the area of public health. Through leadership roles in community-based organizations, including the Diabetes Core Group, Linnen helped bring attention to serious health disparities affecting Georgetown County’s African American population. A comprehensive community health assessment she led in 2000 revealed stark inequities, including significantly higher rates of diabetes and premature death and barriers that often prevented residents from continuing care or taking prescribed medications.

Those findings helped drive her long-running advocacy for accessible, community-based health services in rural Georgetown County. Linnen was a leading voice behind the creation of the Choppee Regional Resource Center, working persistently to ensure health and wellness services would be brought directly into historically underserved communities. The facility opened in March 2005 and has since grown into a cornerstone of community health, education and engagement, offering programs and services for residents of all ages.

The center’s success reflects Linnen’s lifelong vision of equitable access, stronger health outcomes and a more connected community. Naming the facility in her honor ensures future generations will understand the lasting impact of her leadership and dedication.

R.L. Port, who died Feb. 7, leaves behind a different but equally powerful legacy — one built on mentorship, opportunity and the quiet, steady work of investing in young people. For decades, Port was a constant presence in Pleasant Hill, where he helped shape generations of youth through baseball and softball.

To Port, sports were never just games. They were classrooms without walls, where young people learned discipline, teamwork, respect and perseverance. Whether organizing teams, mentoring players, maintaining fields or encouraging participation, he worked to ensure children in his rural community had access to structured, positive recreation — opportunities not always guaranteed in very rural areas.

His influence extended far beyond the scoreboard. Parents trusted him, players looked up to him and coaches relied on his steady leadership. Many who passed through Pleasant Hill’s baseball and softball programs carried the lessons they learned into adulthood, crediting Port not only with athletic development but with shaping character and personal growth.

Port’s work also strengthened the broader community. Local games became gathering places that brought together families, schools and neighborhoods, helping preserve small-town traditions and reinforce community bonds. In 2009, he was inducted into the Dixie Softball Hall of Fame and is credited with helping bring softball not only to Pleasant Hill but to South Carolina.

Perhaps most fittingly, Port never sought recognition. His legacy lives not in headlines or trophies, but in the countless lives he influenced — young athletes who found confidence, families who found connection and a community made stronger through his steady commitment.

The requests to rename the facilities were submitted by the communities these leaders served — for Linnen, by community advocates, and for Port, by the Pleasant Hill Baseball/Softball Booster Club. County Council’s decision ensures their names, and the values they represented, will remain part of Georgetown County’s story for generations to come.