McLeod President Emeritus Receives State’s Highest Civilian Honor from Governor McMaster

Robert L. Colones, President Emeritus of McLeod Health, received the Order of the Palmetto from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Monday, May 16, 2022.  The Order of the Palmetto is the State of South Carolina’s highest civilian honor presented in recognition of a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service and contributions on a national or statewide scale.

During the presentation at the McLeod Medical Plaza, Donna Isgett, President and CEO of McLeod Health, opened the program welcoming Colones’ family members, friends, and colleagues. “For those of you in the room who know Rob you know he doesn’t like this because he is such a humble servant and his only purpose is to serve it is not to be recognized for that service. Yet, he made us a national leader in quality and he has led an organization that is noteworthy enough to be recognized with the highest state honor.”

Isgett was followed by remarks on Colones from Thornton Kirby, President and CEO of the South Carolina Hospital Association. Kirby said, “Rob, we honor your extraordinary greatness and leadership with this statewide distinction. On behalf of the South Carolina Hospital Association, we admire your strength of character and commitment and are sincerely grateful for all your work on behalf of others. You are certainly worthy of this superlative recognition.”

The Honorable Terry Alexander, South Carolina House of Representative for District 59, serving Florence and Darlington Counties, offered remarks on Colones’ contributions to the region. “It is also my privilege to be among you to witness such an honor being bestowed on an extremely deserving gentleman and a very dear friend of mine both personally, professionally and spiritually. Under his leadership, McLeod Health is constantly seeking to improve its patient care by delivering excellence in quality. Rob encourages his teams to understand that the drive to constantly improve is not just a noble quest, but the right thing to do for patients and each other. We are so thankful for his incredible work.”

Representative Alexander then introduced Governor McMaster who offered remarks and formally presented the Order of the Palmetto to Colones. “The reason I’m here today is because it is about the quality of people in South Carolina and the Order of the Palmetto is essentially another quality award. And from a quality perspective this man has done just about everything for everybody — it’s really quite remarkable all that he has achieved,” said Governor McMaster.

In accepting the Order of the Palmetto, Colones said, “God gave me a team of great people…those who exceed my strengths…and who shore up my weaknesses. The right people at the right time in the right place and for that, I am eternally grateful. A recognition like this one is always about more than just one person – it includes my family, my co-workers and mentors.”

In closing, Isgett added, “One of my favorite things that I often refer to is we are better together…because we are better together. But at McLeod Health, we are much better because of Rob. Thank you for building an organization that is made up of local people caring for local people.”

Isgett and the McLeod Health team also presented Colones with a Palmetto Tree for his home to commemorate the event and to serve as a reminder of this honor for years to come.

Former McLeod Health recipients of this honor include: Mr. Laurence McIntosh, previous McLeod Health Board Chairman in 2002 by Governor Jim Hodges; Mrs. Dot Johnson, Nurse and McLeod Advocate in 1997, awarded by Governor David Beasley; Dr. Conyers O’Bryan, Jr. in 1994, awarded by Governor Carroll Campbell; Dr. William Hester, McLeod Physician and Medical Director of the Residency Program, in 1990 awarded by Governor Carroll Campbell; and Dr. John M. Wilson, a Darlington Physician in 1988 awarded by Governor Carroll Campbell.