SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday awarded former state Sen. Roger Nutt, whose Alzheimer's diagnosis led to his resignation from the upper chamber, the state's highest civilian honor.
Surrounded by his family, friends and former colleagues, the Spartanburg Republican said he was shocked to receive the Order of the Palmetto, an award he learned he would be getting about a month ago to honor his decades of public service.
"Certainly surprised when I got the news," Nutt told reporters at the Spartanburg County Courthouse, calling the building's construction one of his greatest accomplishments while office. "Because I think people who do things that are really, really big get the Order of the Palmetto."
Nutt formerly served on Spartanburg County Council for a decade, then was elected to the state House in 2020 before successfully running for the Senate four years later.
He announced his decision in August 2025 to resign his Senate seat after he received an Alzheimer's diagnosis, initially believed he said at the time to be COVID-related symptoms.
At the time of his announcement, Nutt, a father of three, was 59.
State Sen. Lee Bright, who had previously served in the upper chamber, won a special election to fill Nutt's seat.
"Roger, of course, has had a very long and impactful career serving here in Spartanburg," said Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, calling Nutt's time in the Senate "brief but impactful."
Tuesday's event coincided with another ceremony.
McMaster also ceremonially signed legislation — S. 146, later named the "Senator Roger A. Nutt Act" — sponsored by Nutt to ensure assisted living facility residents can have visitors despite a declared state of emergency, like the COVID pandemic.
"This is a special man," McMaster said of Nutt. "... This man did something good. He did it in a hurry. It was needed."
State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, R-Spartanburg, said it was tough to see Nutt leave the chamber.
"Even if he disagreed with you, ... he did it in a way that he wasn't nasty about it, it wasn't mean-spirited," Kimbrell said. "And if y'all haven't noticed, that's kind of missing in politics these days."
Since his resignation, Nutt's wife, Tracy, told reporters he is doing well.
"He's doing wonderful. He's doing wonderful," she said as the family readies to celebrate Nutt turning 61 years old on Sept. 20.
"Can't wait," Nutt said.
Beyond the upcoming celebration, Tracy told reporters they are focused on trying to reach another milestone: finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease.
"We're just hoping for possibly some new cures, or a cure," she said. "... (We're) hoping for some new studies to come out and explore it kind of fast, because we have a big generation that's coming up that is coming down with this condition."
