All these years later, people still call him mayor.
It’s a title LS Green will never shake. One that comes from the 12 years he led Mauldin’s City Council. One that has endured because of the singular place he holds in the identity of the Upstate city he’s called home since returning from World War II.
At 101 years old, he remains a fixture at community events and can be found exercising at the Mauldin Sports Center every day but Sunday. He grew up in a Greenville County farm house with no modern plumbing or electricity. He started working when he was 8 years old, stoking the home’s cooking flames and tending to his family’s cows and horses. When he was drafted at 21, he got a month-long deferment to help his father bring in that year’s cotton crop before heading to basic training in Columbia. It was the first time he’d been away from home for more than a few days. Within weeks, he was aboard the Queen Mary sailing across the Atlantic toward Europe and war.
His role as the owner of a successful Mauldin company made him a leader in the community and in 1992 he was elected mayor.
“I couldn’t tell you to save me what made me get into politics,” he said smiling. “I guess I wanted to be part of Mauldin’s growth.”
During his time in the position, Green spearheaded the city’s efforts to buy the former Mauldin Elementary School, laying the groundwork for the Mauldin Cultural Center, and shepherded the process of building a new City Hall. Both efforts, he said, were met with fierce opposition.
Green’s time as mayor ended in 2003. Now, eight decades after he went to war, almost seven since he started his business, and close to two since he stepped down as mayor, Green is active and enjoying time with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He often works in the neatly kept garden in his backyard where he grows tomatoes, squash, okra, peppers and green beans for his friends and family.
Read the full article by Conor Hughes at postandcourier.com.
