Former City Councilman Dead At Age 92

Carroll Huff, former Travelers Rest City Councilman, died on Wednesday, January 6th at St. Francis Hospital. Born in Travelers Rest, Huff was a lifelong resident of the town he loved and served in municipal government. He was elected to Travelers Rest's first City Council when the town was incorporated in 1959 and served on the Council until 1997. His tenure on the Council is the longest in Travelers Rest city government history.

Huff, in 1997, told The Greenville News, "When we first started on the Council we were trying to operate the city without taxes. None of the Council members were paid anything. Our police chief had to use his own personal car and ran only a night shift. We've come a long way since then."

In 1973 Huff was Travelers Rest's Mayor Pro Tem and ran for the office of Mayor against incumbent George Coleman. He lost by a slim margin of only 38 votes but was happy to continue his service on the City Council. The 1973 race for mayor and his final 1997 run for re-election were the only two elections Huff ever lost.

Huff, as one of the town's founding fathers always felt the importance of listening to people and understanding what they wanted. He often said, "We can't please everyone but we can listen."

Huff spearheaded the efforts for the Travelers Rest branch of the Greenville County Library's move from the upper floor of the Travelers Rest Savings And Loan building to a newer building in a strip mall on South Main Street. Huff was president of the Friends of the Library organization and was honored for his service when the library's conference room was named the Carroll Huff Room in 1972.

Huff served his country in the Korean War in the U.S Navy onboard the USS Mississippi. He was the former owner of Enoree Grocery and was also a retired Chapel Director at Furman University and a member of Enoree Baptist Church.

Mr. Huff is survived by his wife of 69 years, Sarah Styles Huff; daughter Bess McCall (Wayne), brother Prue Huff, sister Penuma Moore and two grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Carroll Anthony Huff Jr.

A memorial service will be held at a later date, according to Howze Mortuary's obituary.