Layman Publishing Partners president Richard Layman was announced as a recipient of the Governor’s Award in the Humanities at a press conference hosted by South Carolina Humanities on August 11.
This recognition comes as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary.
“I am both gratified and humbled by this award. Gratified because it comes from an organization whose work I have admired and supported for as long as I have been in Columbia,” said Layman. “I am humbled because it points to the accomplishments of my company, in whose fifty-year record of achievements I take pride but can hardly claim sole credit.”
The annual South Carolina Awards in the Humanities is the premier statewide celebration of outstanding individuals and organizations who enrich the Palmetto State through creativity and education.
Established in 1991, the Governor’s Award in the Humanities initiative recognizes notable achievement in humanities; institutional and individual participation in helping communities in South Carolina better understand cultural heritage; excellence in defining South Carolina’s cultural life; and exemplary support for public humanities programs.
“Rick Layman has had a lasting impact on the literary humanities in South Carolina and far beyond, bringing scholarship, preservation and a deep appreciation for American literature to generations of readers and scholars,” said Dr. Jennifer “Bingo” Gunter, executive director of SC Humanities. “His contributions exemplify the power of the humanities to connect us to the stories that shape who we are, and we are proud to honor his remarkable legacy and lasting impact on readers, scholars and communities.”
This honor is reflective of Layman’s decades-long presence in South Carolina’s humanities scene.
After receiving his PhD from the University of South Carolina in 1975, Layman began working with Matthew J. Bruccoli as the sole employee at Bruccoli Clark, the progenitor of Layman Publishing Partners. Layman has written or edited twenty books on subjects including Dashiell Hammett, Ring Lardner and John Dos Passos, and has been editorial director of a host of award-winning reference series.
In addition to his professional pursuits, Layman is a trustee of the Literary Property Trust of Dashiell Hammett, he serves on the executive committee of the South Carolina Academy of Authors and he is a library affiliate of the Thomas Cooper Library at USC. Layman attended Indiana University, the University of Louisville and the University of South Carolina.
The South Carolina Awards in the Humanities recipients will be presented later this year with an event on October 15 at the South Carolina State Museum.