Litter warrior: Milhouse honored for cleaning Orangeburg

As Milhouse heard about the many highways and byways he has cleared of litter, the reality of his impact on his community began to sink in.

The Kiwanis Club of Orangeburg has presented its Citizen of the Year award to individuals who’ve made significant contributions to the community for the past 72 years.

The award is designed to be a surprise to the recipient. This year it went to Orangeburg’s well-known litter warrior. The award ceremony was held Thursday evening at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center in Orangeburg.

Milhouse, a man of few words, appreciated the award.

“I think it’s great. You’ve got to do something. It’s out there, plenty of it if you want some. I get out of the house early. I think I’ve got a job,” he said, referring to his effort to remove debris and trash left across his community.

“I was born here. It makes a difference. People see you and say, ‘God bless you,’ and ‘Thank you,’ and stuff like that. Even going to church on Sunday, we ride through the (Edisto Memorial) Gardens. I see trash. I’ve got to go back … and pick it up,” the 79-year-old retiree said.

Milhouse continued, “I’ve got my bag and my grabber in the truck. Every time I pull up to a stoplight or something, if I can get out to get it, I’m going to get it.”

“I’ll be 80 years old pretty soon. I walked 14,000 steps (Sept. 18). I walk 12,000 to 13,000 a day,” he said.

Milhouse was joined by his wife, Roxie, his son, Chris, and his daughter-in-law, Kristine.

Roxie said she is proud of her husband’s recognition.

“I really appreciate it because he really does work hard. He takes the whole thing very seriously. We were just out on a little quick vacation, and I think getting out there and getting the trash was the first thing he could think about the next morning,” she said.

“I worry about him some because he’s out there on the highway, and he goes some places I don’t want him to go, too,” Roxie said.

She said it was hard keeping her husband’s award a surprise.

“I would kind of negotiate behind the scenes. I might have messed up a little bit!” she said.

Dr. Gene Atkinson of the Kiwanis Club presented Milhouse with the award after citing his tireless efforts in removing trash from his community.

“Pat can be seen every morning going along the very city streets and roads in Orangeburg, removing this troublesome litter. In total, he’ll probably pick up hundreds of pounds of litter every year, as well as a couple hundred pounds of aluminum cans that he recycles,” he said.

“As you might suspect, Pat has also found many unusual items along the roadside over the years,” Atkinson said. That includes everything from laptops to counterfeit money.

The occasional Social Security card or driver’s license is also picked up.

“As a Good Samaritan, he will turn them into the Social Security office or motor vehicle office,” Atkinson said.

Milhouse even once found a nice gold bracelet along a roadway.

“When he took it to the pawn shop, they offered him $200! Pat stated, ‘If I had known whose it was, I would have gladly given it back to them, but unfortunately there was no way to be able to tell who the owner was,’” Atkinson said.

He described Milhouse as a “caring and good citizen to keep Orangeburg beautiful for so many years.”

“Pat Milhouse is a fantastic example of being a good citizen to make Orangeburg a better place in which to live,” Atkinson said.

Also during the ceremony, Kiwanis Club Secretary Ken Stovall was presented a plaque for 45 years of dedicated service to the club.