South Carolina has lost a hero

William Hayne Hipp, 80, of Greenville, S.C. passed away on Thursday, August 27, 2020.

Hayne was born in Greenville on March 11, 1940, to the late Francis Moffett and Mary Looper Hipp. He was a son, husband, father, grandfather, brother, business leader and philanthropist with a far-reaching legacy. A great loss for the hundreds of friends and others whose lives he touched, healed and inspired.

A third generation Greenvillian, Hayne devoted his life to creating positive change for the people and communities of South Carolina. In particular, he supported groups and nonprofit organizations committed to encouraging opportunity and diversity, including helping start the Greenville Urban League (now the Urban League of the Upstate) and the Alliance for Quality Education (now Public Education Partners).

In 2003, Anna Kate (his wife of 57 years) and Hayne, in conjunction with The Aspen Institute co-founded Liberty Fellowship, a network of values-based leaders committed to the betterment of life and opportunity for all citizens of South Carolina.

Anna Kate and Hayne were instrumental in raising funding for the development of the Liberty Bridge in Falls Park which was named for his grandfather Liberty Corporation founder W. Frank Hipp and his family for their commitment and contributions to Greenville.

In addition to his community and civic work, Hayne served for 27 years as CEO of Liberty Corporation, a publicly held organization which included insurance companies and television stations with additional investments in media, real estate and technology ventures. He also served as a member of numerous local, state and national boards.

Hayne was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. He was honored with induction into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame. The Town of Pawleys Island presented him with a key to the city for his civic work there.

Always ready for a challenge, one of Hayne’s greatest conquests was hiking the 2,164 miles Appalachian Trail which he finished in July 2013 at age 73. He enjoyed sharing the story of how he earned his trail name, Reboot, after accidentally burning his boots then hiking miles in sandals.

A graduate of Washington and Lee, Hipp earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and completed additional studies at Harvard University

Hayne is survived by his wife Anna Kate Reid Hipp, by his daughters Mary Henigan Hipp of Greenville and Anna Hayne “Tres” (Robert) Small of Athens GA; a son, Francis Reid (Brice) Hipp of Greenville; six grandchildren Camilla, Hayne and Reid Hipp of Greenville and Hannah, Clara and Samantha Small of Athens GA; his brother John (Carter) of Atlanta; his sister Mary Jane (Charlie) Brock of New York; sister-in-law Elese Reid of New York; two nieces Susanna Brock and Morgan King and two nephews Walker Brock and Austin Hipp.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Fall Park Endowment c/o Community Foundation of Greenville, 630 East Washington Street, Suite A, Greenville, SC 29601 or the charity of one’s choice. A private memorial service will be held.

Here is a link to an article that we ran in 2010 entitled, Hayne Hipp, Founder of the Liberty Fellowship