COLUMBIA, SC- The South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs sends its condolences to the family of Major General (Ret.) George Willliam Goldsmith, Jr., a South Carolina native and avid advocate for Veteran, military, and civilian affairs in the Palmetto State.
General Goldsmith passed away on August 6, 2024 at the age of 85. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 14 from 11AM-12:30PM at the Northeast Presbyterian Church, 601 Polo Road. Following visitation hours, a service for General Goldsmith will be held at 12:30PM with Rev. Dr. George Crow as the officiant. Goldsmith will be buried with Military Honors at the Fort Jackson National Cemetery at 2PM.
Memorials for General Goldsmith may be made out to the South Carolina USO athttps://southcarolina.uso.orgor USO South Carolina, 3250 Airport Blvd., Suite 7, West Columbia, SC 29170.
Information provided by Moseley Funeral & Cremation Service
Life and Legacy
After graduating from Liberty High School in 1957, Goldsmith attended The Citadel, Charleston, SC,
graduating in 1961 and commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant through the ROTC program. In 1971, he received his master’s degree from Furman University, Greenville, SC. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the U.S. Army War College.Goldsmith entered the U.S. Army in February 1963 and served two years at Fort Benning, GA. as an Instructor in the Infantry School. After leaving active duty, he joined the 108th Training Division at Clemson, SC and served in this Division for 33 years. In 1995, he became the Commanding General on the 108th Training Division, Charlotte, NC.
From 1999-2001, he served as the Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Readiness Command, Fort Jackson, SC and Deputy Commanding General U.S. Army Reserve (IMA), Fort McPherson, GA. He retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in July of 2001. Following his retirement, he was honored by being appointed an Ambassador for the U.S. Army Reserve for the State of South Carolina, serving for 14 years.
Some of his military awards were the Distinguished Service MedalwithOneOak Leaf Cluster, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal from the North Carolina National Guard. His civilian career began atGreenvilleTechnicalCollegein 1966 where he wasCounselor, Evening Director, and Dean of Instruction.In 1972, he became the President of Beaufort Technical College, nowTechnicalCollegeof the Lowcountry.
From 2008-2014,was theSouth Carolina and North CarolinaProgram Support Managerfor the Armed Forces Employer Partnership Program helping members of theArmedForces find employment.Goldsmith was active in the Northeast Presbyterian Church where he served as Deacon, Elder, and Elder Emeritus. He attended the men’s bible study group on Tuesday mornings and was a member of the Good News Sunday School Class.
He volunteered with the United Way of Beaufort County,serving as President, and on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina United Way. Heserved as the 21stCommodoreof the Beaufort CountyWater Festival and as President of theBeaufortRotary Club. While living in Beauforthe was chairman of the Beaufort CountyHospital Building Fund.
After moving to Columbia, SC in 1998, he was appointed Chairman of the GreaterColumbia Chamber of Commerce’sMilitary Affairs Committee where he was instrumentalin obtaining approval from the Veterans Administration for a NationalCemetery at Fort Jackson. One of his proudest moments was the establishing of the USO at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. He was very fortunate to have worked with many volunteers from the Midlandswho faithfully supported the deployments ofSailors who completed the Task Force Marshall training at Fort Jackson. Heserved on the Board of the Gateway to the Army in the constructionof Centennial Park at Fort Jackson.
He was a member of theSpringValley Rotary Club,the Association ofUnited StatesArmy (AUSA) where he was President and StatePresidentfor many years.He was amember of theMilitaryOrder of World Wars (MOWW) and Employer SupportoftheGuardandReserve.He served on the board of the Gateway to the Armywhich led to the building of Centennial Park on Fort Jackson.
In 2016, he was presentedthe Order of the Palmetto, thehighest award given bythe state ofSouth Carolinaand the Order of the SilverCrescentin 2001. He was honored with the Paul Harris Fellow from the Beaufort and Spring Valley Rotary Clubs.In 2008 and 2015, he was chosen theMilitaryAdvocateof the year by the GreaterColumbia ChamberofCommerce. The Blue Star Mothers honored himin 2013 with thePalmetto Patriots’ Award, and in 2014 he was chosen as one of the first inductees into the Fort Jackson Hall of Fame.
