Knights rallied in Spartanburg for state convention May 2-4

SPARTANBURG — Over 300 Knights and their families attended the 86th annual State Convention of the Knights of Columbus held May 2-4 at the Marriott Conference Center.
The weekend included the election of new state officers, an awards ceremony, Mass and a formal banquet.  
The honoree for this year’s convention was past State Deputy Ray Hock, who attended with his wife Trudy.
On May 3, delegates voted in the following state officers: Joseph Gubeli, deputy; Thomas Monahon, secretary; Richard Gabriel, treasurer; Richard Stachelek, advocate; Richard Marino, warden; and Father James Parker, chaplain.
The convention concluded with an awards breakfast May 4. The honored guests were William Barnett III, mayor of Spartanburg; and Patrick S. Korten, of Washington, D.C., who is the Knights of Columbus vice president of communications.
The breakfast included numerous awards to both councils and individuals, and charitable presentations were made to the Lowcountry Crisis Pregnancy Center in North Charleston; the Diocese of Charleston and the Seminarian Fund; the Catholic Committee on Scouting; Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner; The Oratory in Rock Hill; the Monastery of St. Clare in Travelers Rest; and several other organizations.
The Columbus HOPE Foundation made presentations to Special Olympics of South Carolina; the Washington Center of the Greenville County Department of Special Needs Board; the Saleeby Center in Beaufort; and the Pee Dee Center in Florence.
Also, the Knights presented the following awards:
  State Council Youth of the Year, Katlyn Gould;
  State Family of the Year, Marc and Lynn Connelly and family, Father Maurice R. Daly Council No. 6076 in Spartanburg;
  State Knight of the Year, Wayman Jerome Johnson, Msgr. George Lewis Smith Council No. 3684 in Aiken;
  Golden Knight of the Year, Scott DeBauche, Prince of Peace Foothill Council No. 9184 in Taylors.
The Knights were established by Venerable Michael McGivney in 1882.