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It is with great regret and sorrow
that I must inform you of the death of our classmate, Sonny DuBose, on December
28, 2011 in Tarboro, North Carolina. He is survived by his daughter, Sabre
Simone; his sons, Jon and Chris; and five grandchildren.
Graveside services will be held at New
Zion Methodist Church, 7169 Salem Road, New Zion, South Carolina 29111 on
Saturday December 31, 2011 at 10:30 am. Visitation will follow immediately in
the Church Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be
made to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675-8517.
Well done, Sonny. Be thou at peace.
Remembrances:
Class Memorial Pages\D-1 Sonny DuBose.pdf
Obituaries:
William H. "Sonny" DuBose
William H.”Sonny” DuBose, a ninth generation South Carolinian, former football
player for the Pittsburg Steelers and author of “The Road to Brown” died on
Wednesday in Tarboro, NC. He was 72.
DuBose, who resided in Tarboro, had been in declining health for several years,
his son Jon DuBose, M.D. said. Sonny DuBose was raised in rural, South
Carolina and graduated from Berkeley High School. He was elected Governor of the
Palmetto Boys State in 1956 and attended the United States Military Academy for
one year until an athletic injury disqualified him from military service. He
transferred to Presbyterian College, and in spite of his injury, played college
football as a linebacker from 1959-1962. An active team member for Presbyterian
College, he participated in the 1960 Tangerine Bowl. He graduated from
Presbyterian College with Honors and was offered a position with the Pittsburg
Steelers and remained at the professional level for the next two years.
Sonny DuBose returned to
South Carolina and became involved in the real estate market then developing in
Irmo and Hilton Head Island. Elected councilman for Lexington County, he
understood the needs of the local electorate for improved infrastructure and
schools in the community. Sonny DuBose opted to become involved in public
service work in 1999, joining the staff of the South Carolina Department of
Energy. His efforts led to being recognized with a Joint Resolution by the South
Carolina House and Senate in April 2001 for efforts to convert landfill gas to
reusable energy. He retired in 2008 due to medical illness. Sonny DuBose was
born on August 2, 1939, in Sumter, SC, one of 2 children. His father, H.C.
“Harold”, was a farmer.
In addition to his
daughter Sabre Simone, an architect, DuBose is survived by his sons: Jon, a
physician for Vidant Health and an active member of the North Carolina National
Guard who has deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and Chris, a nuclear power plant
operator with Progress Energy. He has five grandchildren (Ashby, Abbey, Lauryn,
Hannah, and Cade). Joan DuBose, his wife of thirty five years resides in
Farmville, North Carolina.
Graveside services will be held at New Zion Methodist Church 7169 Salem Road,
New Zion, South Carolina 29111 on Saturday December 31st, 2011 at 10:30 am.
Visitation will follow immediately in the Church fellowship Hall.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or
charity of your choice.
Wounded Warrior Project
PO Box 758517
Topeka, KS 66675-8517
877.TEAMWWP (832.6997)
William H. “Sonny” DuBose (Ex-Cadet, ’61)
*Aug 2, 1939 – Dec 28, 2011* Died in Tarboro, North
Carolina
Interred in New Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery,
Clarendon County, South Carolina
William H. "Sonny" DuBose Sonny DuBose was born in Sumter,
South Carolina as a ninth generation South Carolinian. His father, H.C.
“Harold” DuBose, was a farmer. Sonny graduated from Berkeley High School in
Moncks Corner, and his bright spirit led to his election as Governor of the
Palmetto Boys State in 1956. Boys State was founded in 1935 by the American
Legion to teach about government and politics and to spark interest and pride in
government on a local as well as national level. The South Carolina program was
named from its beginning in 1940 as Palmetto Boys State. The experience
galvanized in Sonny a love for public affairs, and he developed an ambition to
become Governor of South Carolina.
Sonny entered West Point on 2 July 1957 and joined Second
Company in Beast Barracks, where he immediately made friends among fellow Plebes
and admirers among the Cows and Firsties. His bright spirit attracted attention
and fostered good will among everyone. He was an enthusiastic member of the
1957 “C Squad” football team, but an injury sidelined him for part of the
season. This setback did not dampen Sonny’s spirit, as he found other channels
for his prodigious energy, especially being a DJ for the cadet radio station
KDET, where he spent much time during Christmas, 1957. During his plebe year,
Sonny was always a sparkplug and positive force to encourage his classmates. He
was a lifelong patriot and strong supporter of the nation’s military.
Sonny left West Point after plebe year and enrolled at
Presbyterian College, located in Clinton, SC. He became a star linebacker on
the Presbyterian Blue Hose team, and began to fulfill his football dreams, even
while studying and starting a new family. He loved the football game and was a
team leader. His football career at Presbyterian from 1959 to 1962 included
participation in the January, 1960 Tangerine Bowl against the Middle Tennessee
Blue Raiders. The Blue Hose went 9-1 during the regular season, but lost in the
bowl game when the Blue Raiders squeaked out a 21-12 win. Sonny was a
co-captain of the 1961 team, and his achievements in football led to an
opportunity to play at the professional level for two years with the Pittsburgh
Steelers.
Sonny graduated from Presbyterian College with honors.
After he returned to South Carolina, he became involved in real estate
development in the town of Irmo and on Hilton Head Island. He engaged in
business and was elected to the Council of Lexington County, South Carolina, and
understood the needs of the electorate for improved infrastructure and community
schools. Afterwards, Sonny became involved in state government, joining the
staff of the South Carolina Department of Energy in 1999. He worked on
renewable energy, and he was recognized in April 2001 by a Joint Resolution of
the South Carolina House and Senate in April 2001 for his efforts to convert
landfill gas to renewable energy. Sonny was vitally interested in public
affairs and justice, and in 2002 he published a book entitled The Road to
Brown: The Leadership of a Soldier of the Cross, Reverend J. A. DeLaine.
Reverend DeLaine was an African-American pastor and civil rights activist in
South Carolina.
Sonny retired in 2008 due to declining health. At the
time of his death, he had been married to his spouse Joan for thirty-five years.
He is survived by his daughter Sabre Simone, an architect, son Jon, a physician
for Vidant Health and active member of the North Carolina National Guard who has
been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and Chris, a nuclear power plant operator
with Progress Energy. Sonny also has five grandchildren.
Assembly/Taps Memorial Article:
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