Rodney Ross Hull, 90, died at Still Hopes Retirement Community in West Columbia October 13, 2021. The son of Lorah Brewer Hull, Rod was a native of Hampton, Va., born September 13, 1931.
Rod graduated from Hampton High School and from King College in Bristol, Tenn., where he was a four-year letterman in basketball, baseball, and tennis.
Following graduation from King College in 1954, Rod served in the U.S. Army which brought him to Columbia by way of Fort Jackson. After meeting his future wife, Reba Sims, in Columbia, Rod stayed upon his discharge from the Army. They married on November 1, 1958.
Rod was a regional supervisor for the Employment Security Commission until 1960 when he joined Allied Chemical. He spent 30 years in a variety of roles at Allied retiring as general manager in 1990. However, Rod quickly realized he wasn’t ready for full-time retirement. He went on to serve as a distinguished lecturer at the USC School of Business and president of Chernoff-Silver.
Rod took a great interest in serving his community through a variety of civic, cultural, educational, and business organizations. He was president of the S.C. Textile Manufacturers Association in 1983 and served on the boards of Heathwood Hall, the S.C. Commission on Technical Education, the Columbia Urban League, the United Way of the Midlands, the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Museum of Art, and the S.C. Economic Education Commission. Governor Richard Riley awarded Rod the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor, in 1981.
An adopted Gamecock and avid Carolina fan, Rod was named an honorary lifetime member of the USC Alumni Association and served on the board of the USC Business School Foundation and the USC Educational Foundation.
For more than 60 years, Rod was an active member of Trinity Cathedral serving as a member of the vestry, senior warden, and president of the Trinity Foundation. At Still Hopes, Rod enjoyed his five years of service on the board of directors.
He was a member of Forest Lake Club, the Camellia Ball, and the Quadrille.
While Rod’s business and civic successes were important to him, his greatest joy came from his family. From annual family vacations at the beach to carpooling his daughters to cheerleading and basketball trips, Rod was a constant and loving figure in their lives. He received his favorite name “Pop Pop” when his only grandson, John, arrived, and he treasured the time they spent together fishing in Alaska, on the beach at Litchfield, and playing golf in Columbia.
Rod is survived by his wife, Reba Sims Hull, daughters Reba Campbell ( David) of Columbia and Elizabeth Foster of Mt. Pleasant, S. C.; grandson, John Ross Peters of Nashville, Tenn.; a brother and sister in-law, Frank and Phyllis Hull of Columbus, Ga.; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Jim and Anne Sims of Columbia; a niece, LeDare Windham (Bobby) and nephews Chip Hull (Laura), and Wesley Hull (Christie), and their families.
The funeral service was held Saturday, October 16, at 11 a.m. at Trinity Cathedral followed by burial in the Trinity Churchyard. The family received friends from 5–7 p.m. Friday, October 15, at the Campbell residence at 1425 Medway Road, Columbia, and immediately following the service in Satterlee Hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to Still Hopes Retirement Community (residents assistance fund), 1 Still Hopes Drive, W. Columbia, S.C. 29169, or the Trinity Foundation (altar guild fund), 1100 Sumter Street, Columbia, S.C. 29201.
Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel is assisting the family.
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