Visitors to Charleston International soon will be greeted with a new name on the passenger terminal.
The board that operates the airport has voted to name the main building after the late U.S. Sen. Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings, who died April 6 and was laid to rest Tuesday.
After a half-hour, closed-door session to discuss legal issues related to the proposal, 10 of the 11 members voted Thursday in favor of the measure, The Post and Courier reported.
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Keith Benjamin of the City of Charleston, representing Mayor John Tecklenburg, said the mayor asked him to abstain on his behalf.
"The mayor wanted it to be the Ernest F. Hollings Charleston International Airport, and when it became clear that it was just the terminal, he decided to abstain," Tecklenburg spokesman Jack O'Toole said.
The board said it did not want to rebrand the entire airport, saying the Charleston International name is widely known.
The next step will be to place new signage at the airport entrance and on covered walkways in front of the terminal as well as creating an interior display about Hollings' life and legacy, said board member Helen Hill.
"I look forward to this board designing something to let the people know what he gave to this community," she said.
"Sen. Hollings' public service touched generations of South Carolinians and will be felt for generations to come," board chairman Walter Hundley said. "Naming the newly-renovated terminal after him ensures all who travel through Charleston International are reminded of this great statesman's contributions."
