August 2024 Faces - LOCAL Life SC - Colden Battey, Nate Pringle and Pat Branning

Meet three proud South Carolinians dedicated to making a difference

Local treasures

Story by Barry Kaufman + Photography by Lisa Staff

The pride of the Palmetto State doesn’t come from our gorgeous coastline, our grand live oaks or our mountains and rivers. It comes from our people. To know this state is to fall in love with this state, and from that feeling we all share comes a sense of community that stretches from the Lowcountry up the coast to the Pee Dee and across the Midlands to the Upstate. 

We’re all South Carolinians, and we all love the place we call home. But there are a few who put that love into action, building up our communities and making our state a place we all love even more. Scroll down and you’ll meet a few locals who not only carry that Palmetto State pride but let us see what a remarkable home we all share.


Colden Battey

This Beaufort attorney has profoundly impacted South Carolina’s civic and environmental landscape.

Colden Battey Portrait

One of the highest honors the State of South Carolina can bestow is the Order of the Palmetto. Established in 1971 to recognize outstanding service to the state and industrialists who located facilities in South Carolina, this recognition has been granted to Pat Conroy, Lou Holtz, James Brown and Hootie and the Blowfish. 

When Beaufort’s Colden Battey received his, it was in recognition of his lifetime of service, which included serving as board president of the Open Land Trust, establishing the Nemours Wildlife Foundation and decades of involvement in state and county politics.

“It was a real surprise and a great honor,” he said. “It’s nice to have something like that, but that’s certainly not why I do it. Like all of us, you do what you can and hope your friends and your children remember you.”

He may be the only person to whom the honor was a surprise. To many it was overdue, if anything. After all, Battey is one of those people who becomes serially involved in causes and organizations that make our community a better place. The United Way. The Beaufort Jasper Education Society. The University of South Carolina Beaufort. All have benefited from his tireless efforts and wisdom in the 60-plus years he has dedicated to service.

“If I see potential in what they do and believe it can benefit the community, I like to get involved,” he said. “I enjoy making things happen that can hopefully make a positive difference.”

Colden Battey
Colden Battey Jr., board president of the Open Land Trust and partner at Harvey and Battey law firm since 1963, received South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto, in April. Over his 60-year career Battey has made significant contributions through civic engagements, including co-founding the Nemours Wildlife Foundation, chairing the Beaufort County Council and serving as a commissioner with the South Carolina State Ports Authority. He also held leadership roles in various legal organizations.

And while his actions have helped people across the state, his heart remains true to the city where he grew up. 

“I think Beaufort is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I’d like to see as much of it preserved as possible,” he said. “There’s been a lot of growth here. It’s incumbent on all of us to preserve it and not have growth just for growth’s sake. I hope Beaufort continues as it is. Beaufort is a sophisticated little city for its size. It was the richest town in the country before the war,” he said, referring to the Civil War. 

His role as a County Council member, just as the concept of “home rule” was becoming the law of the land, put him in a position to help guide Beaufort’s growth, adopting state building codes, hiring inspectors, EMTs and EMS staff, adopting zoning standards and creating a recreation department. And when you look at the vast accomplishments he has achieved in his 89 years, it may be that what he did for Beaufort might shine brightest in his legacy.

“I was proud of doing that,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have an opportunity to be in the right place to do a few things.” 

Colden Battey - Beaufort, SC

From Beaufort to beyond

The name Colden Battey may be synonymous with the city of Beaufort, but his time away from the city helped shape him into the person he’d become. 

Being accepted to study at Tulane, Battey left his home and began one of his many journeys. “My dad took me down to Yemassee, put me on a train, and I arrived in New Orleans on a Sunday night with a 100-pound trunk,” he said. “My parents had always guided me to be independent.”

After receiving his degree, a commission in the Navy would begin his career as a leader. 

“One of the things I truly enjoyed was my time in the Navy. At 21 I got the chance to work with people and step into a leadership role,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with others and taking on leadership responsibilities. It’s something that has always been a passion of mine.”


Nate Pringle

This Bluffton native’s tour business showcases the town’s untold Black history.

Nate Pringle

In a place as multifaceted as Bluffton, no one person can truly “define” the town’s warmth, charm and history. That said, if you try to get Nate Pringle to talk about himself, you’re going to end up hearing a lot about Bluffton. 

“I’m not the guy to toot my own horn. That’s not to downplay what I try to bring to the community; it’s just that’s a normal thing to do,” he said. “I start talking about me, and I end up talking about Bluffton.” 

No one can define Bluffton, but Nate Pringle comes close. Born in Beaufort and raised in Bluffton, calling it home for all of his 67 years, he’s watched it grow around him. He was there when the schools integrated. He was there when people like Jake Martin, Ruth Brown, Michael C. Riley and Tony Hooks were building a community from a quiet town on the edge of the world. His time in Bluffton is a chapter in its history that is often overlooked, a blank void between the end of the Civil War and the arrival of the eccentrics and the artists in the ‘70s. 

“Those are stories people don’t hear about because people from that era didn’t boast about it because it was the natural thing to do,” he said.

Nate Pringle - Bluffton, SC
Nate Pringle and his brother, Ray, run Hidden Treasures Tours of Bluffton, leading golf-cart tours that explore Bluffton’s Black history. Their tours provide a unique perspective, sharing lesser-known and forgotten aspects of the town’s heritage. Nate also serves as president of A Call to Action, a nonprofit that preserves and promotes the culture, history and community of Bluffton.

His stories highlight the tapestry of this town – the people who built a town for themselves in an era where their rights were far from secured in a place that had seceded from the Union rather than see Africans freed from bondage. 

“They experienced things you wouldn’t think would happen in Bluffton because it’s not glamorous and charming,” he said. “But you can’t harbor resentment. It’s just a part of history, and you keep moving through it.”

And while he doesn’t resent some of the town’s darker chapters, he is not one to abide by people who get their facts wrong. 

“I was walking around once and saw a guy leading about 20 people on a walking tour, and he gave out some bad information about Campbell AME Church,” said Pringle. “I got with him at the end of the tour and volunteered to share some information.”

As a descendant of one of the nine freedmen who purchased the church in 1874, Pringle knows more than most about the church. “Then a light bulb went off. There’s no need to get mad at that guy. You can’t expect anyone else to tell your story because they didn’t walk in your shoes. You’re responsible for that.”

That idea germinated into the Hidden Treasures Tours of Bluffton tour, a golf-cart tour run by Pringle and his brother, Ray, that takes visitors through Bluffton’s history – all of its history.

“Everyone is telling the pre-Civil War part of history, so my thought is we could talk about what they call contemporary history, which is from the early 1900s to the present. Nobody talks about what happened during the Civil Rights era,” said Nate. “It’s become a calling. It’s something that intertwines into your daily life.”

Bluffton native’s tour  - Bluffton, SC

Setting the record straight

Since its inception, USCB’s Bluffton Ambassadors program has certified more than 200 individuals as truly understanding their town’s history, amenities, governance and planning. Crafted by some of the town’s preeminent citizens, it represents a proving ground for anyone who wants to represent their town. 

But that’s not to say it’s perfect, as Nate Pringle found out.

“When I took that class, I challenged them on some of their information,” he said. 

At issue was a section about oystering that failed to note the Oyster Corp. that had formed back in the 1970s. “They didn’t even know a thing like that existed, but I found some information in a book that I referred to one of the professors.”

Even without the book, Pringle knew about its being, as he is what historians refer to as a primary source. “When I was a kid, I lived down there.”


Pat Branning

This best-selling author captures the essence of Lowcountry cuisine and culture. 

Pat Branning

When Pat Branning first arrived in Beaufort in 1972, moving from Atlanta to take ownership of the historic Arthur Barnwell plantation house, she was welcomed with a greeting that would come to define her role in our state’s history — “Welcome to the land of shrimp, collards and grits!”

Already a foodie, before that was even a term, Branning found that the Lowcountry’s culinary milieu suited her perfectly. 

“When I first came to Beaufort, everybody made this blue crab dip, which was wonderful. Blue crab was prevalent back then, so everyone was cooking blue crab. You couldn’t go to any party without making it,” she said. It began an adventure for her across the state, taking her from the Broad River and its succulent clams to McClellanville, home of the famous crispy crab balls. “I’d just fill up a gas tank on a Sunday afternoon and roam around looking for shrimpers and things like that.”

Eventually, those stories and recipes would coalesce when she was urged to put pen to paper and write them down.

“I never thought I’d do a cookbook, but I had so many recipes, I thought I’d put something together for the annual bazaar at St. Helena’s Church in Beaufort,” Branning said. “I printed 1,000 copies and sold nearly every one the day of the bazaar.”

Clearly, Branning was onto something. But nothing could prepare her for the seismic reception her follow-up “Shrimp, Collards and Grits” would receive.

“Orders kept coming in and going out the door faster than I could keep up with them,” she said. “I think we sold 30,000 books in those first two years, with Cracker Barrel Country Stores placing an order for all their stores in the Southeast.”

Pat Branning, author
Pat Branning, author of seven best-selling books on the South Carolina Lowcountry, is a dedicated food historian and storyteller. Recently, she released the anniversary edition of her most popular book, Shrimp, Collards & Grits, featuring new recipes and stories. Her next book, Taste of the Tide: Inspired Seafood Recipes and Stories from Coastal Carolina is set for release in early 2025.

She recruited her son, Andrew, to take some photos and artists from Charleston to flesh out the recipes and stories with gorgeous illustrations, creating a book that has become ubiquitous throughout the Lowcountry. Others would follow, but it wasn’t long before Branning returned to the book that started it all, releasing an expanded anniversary edition.

“I ran into some people who had recipes that happened to be passed down through three generations. They were amazing ingredients we don’t put together anymore,” she said. “We added a dessert section – any cookbook has to have one.”

But beyond the recipes, the new anniversary edition expands on that first book’s blend of recipes and storytelling. “Some of the stories are quite an adventure,” she said. “We went out clamming with Craig Reeves at Sea Eagle Market, and we got into the mud and the water.”

Branning’s next book, Taste of the Tide: Inspired Seafood Recipes and Stories from Coastal Carolina (set for release in early 2025), will offer another glimpse into the culinary heritage that sets our particular slice of the state apart. “That’s bringing the flavors of the coast into your kitchen. Of course, I have to talk about the shrimpers and about what it’s like to be on a shrimp boat. I like to take people out on the water and describe what it’s like.”

Pat Branning - South Carolina

Let the flavors speak for themselves

Throughout her career, Pat Branning has looked at the Lowcountry’s culinary heritage from every angle, from setting sail with shrimpers to finding out what PGA Tour pros eat during the RBC Heritage. And while our state is famed for a litany of dishes, from Lowcountry Boil to She Crab Soup, which dish does she feel best represents the Palmetto State?

“Shrimp and grits  –  that’d be it. That’s what everyone wants,” she said. “It’s just good and wholesome, and people relate to it.”

And which recipe gives her the most headaches in the kitchen?

“Probably some of the seafood dishes. Trying to get the gumbo just right or getting the right flavors in a South Carolina clam chowder,” she said. This is why, in her book, you’ll likely find the simplest way to let the flavors speak for themselves. “Everything we do is for the home cook, and we try not to do complex things. It’s all very simple.”

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