Dr Vivian Bowie Pilant

Dr. Vivian Bowie Pilant, 69, retired Director of School Food Services for the State of South Carolina and pioneer and champion of child nutrition, died Monday, March 29, 2010 at Huntsville Hospital in Alabama. She made her home in Columbia, South Carolina for a number of years. Funeral services will be conducted Friday at 10:00 a.m. at St. Peter's Episcopal Church with The Rev. Richard Zalesak officiating. Burial will follow in St. John's Churchyard at Ashwood. The family will visit with friends Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to service time in St. Peter's Parish Hall. Born in Columbia, Tennessee, she was the daughter of the late Wade Hampton Bowie, Sr. and Nora Clemens Bowie and a 1959 graduate of Columbia Central High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree (magna cum laude) from the University of Tennessee at Martin and Master of Science Degree and Doctorate (Ph.D) in Nutrition from the from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. She is also a registered dietitian. Her thirty year career in school food and nutrition services in three states includes a school district in Tennessee, a major city school district in Florida, and two state agencies in South Carolina. She served as State Nutritionist for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program for two years. She worked with the South Carolina Department of Education for twenty years, the last eighteen as the State Director of School Food Services administering Child Nutrition, Food Distribution, and Nutrition Education and Training programs. Dr. Pilant was a member of several professional organizations, including the American Dietetic Association, American School Food Service Association, and Society for Nutrition Education. She served on several national advisory committees and panels; made presentations on Child Nutrition issues to a variety of organizations; appeared on the NBC Today Show, C-Span, CBS's This Morning; and testified before Congress five times. During 1994-1995, she was president of the American School Food Service Association, a 65,000 member nation-wide organization of food service personnel and was President-elect of the South Carolina Nutrition Council. In October 1994, she was honored by the Governor for her service to the state with South Carolina's highest civilian award, the Order of Palmetto. In 1996, she was recognized as Outstanding Dietitian in the Columbia Midlands Dietetic Association, received a National FAME award in 1997 for her contributions to the Child Nutrition Program, and the Medallion Award from the American Dietetic Association. A breast cancer survivor since May, 1994, she was active in several support and cancer advisory groups and was a frequent speaker on Breast Cancer Awareness and Nutrition in Cancer Prevention and Recovery. In 1995, she was the Baptist Medical Center Foundation's featured breast cancer survivor for their fundraising event and was a Reach to Recovery volunteer for the American Cancer Society. She is survived by her husband, Tom Pilant of Columbia, South Carolina; daughters, Kim (Alan) Shacklock of Brentwood, Tennessee and Pam (O'Neill) Lawrence of Morgantown, Kentucky; grandchildren, Shera Lawrence, Sheena Brown, Sarah Day, and John Michael Day; sister, Barbara Bowie Hopkins of Birmingham, Alabama; brothers, Wade Hampton Bowie, Jr. of Topeka, Kansas and Thomas Clemens (Jan) Bowie of Carefree, Arizona; great-grandchildren, Breyden Brown, Wyatt Brown, and Amelya Brown; step-son, Steven (Sung-Mei)Pilant of Hinesville, Georgia; and step-grandson, Sebastian Pilant. Pallbearers are John Michael Day, Michael Brown, Alan Summerford, Wade H. Bowie, Jr., Wade H. Bowie, II, Thomas C. Bowie, and Noel Hopkins. The family suggests memorials to the Dr. Vivian B. Pilant Scholarship Fund, School Nutrition Association of South Carolina, P. O. Box 1795, Columbia, South Carolina 29202. Notes of sympathy may be sent to www.oakesandnichols.com.