HOPKINS - A Cameron native on Monday was named South Carolina's 2009 "Mother of the Year" in a ceremony at Columbia College.

Betty Ulmer McGregor, who grew up in Cameron and now lives in Hopkins, is the mother of five grown children - two Presbyterian ministers, one college professor, one civil engineer and one nurse) and grandmother of three.

McGregor and her husband, Sam McGregor, have been married for 58 years.

"Some people asked that if Betty was Mom of the Year, didn't that make me Father of the Year. I told them that only made me Husband of the Woman of the Year," Sam McGregor said.

He added, "I used to say when the kids were growing up that she was a professional mom. Betty is real sensitive to everybody's needs, but particularly those of her children. She delighted in doing things for them. She carted them all over the country to activities."

Betty McGregor said she believes: "Children are a gift from God, and we are given an opportunity to help them develop to their full potential - mentally, physically, socially and morally."

McGregor's "gifts from God" are her children: the Rev. Elizabeth Simmons, 56, senior pastor at Davidson College Presbyterian Church; Jean Trice, 54, nurse/office manager; James McGregor, 53, chief civil engineer and project manager for Exxon-Mobile; Dr. John McGregor, 49, professor/administrator at Clemson University and the Rev. Sam McGregor Jr., 43, pastor of Allison Creek Presbyterian.

Trice, McGregor's youngest daughter, is grateful for the solid foundation in faith she received from her mom and dad.

"One of the life changing lessons I learned was the value of my Christian heritage. My parents helped us cultivate our own Christian faith by taking us to Sunday School, church, children's and youth activities. I remember getting our allowance on Sunday mornings. The 25 cents would be stacked on her (mother's) dresser, and we were expected to put five cents in Sunday School, five cents in church and save a portion," Trice said. "The discipline and joys of being involved in a church family and tithing have been a major support system for me in dealing with life's challenges."

McGregor said she believes parenting means giving children roots and wings.

"Roots grow deep when parents demonstrate by example a deep faith in Christ and love and respect for one another," she said.

Remembering her roots, McGregor recalled as a child desperately wanting to ring the bell at her home church of Cameron Methodist Church. Finally they allowed her, at the age of 12, to ring the bell before Sunday services.

"I got carried away and rang it and rang it. Everyone in Cameron thought something was wrong, only to find out it was Betty getting carried away," she said, laughing.

McGregor believes families develop deep bonds when they eat together, sharing the day's events. In addition, she believes kids need to take on family responsibilities.

"Children need tasks in which they can succeed, thus enabling them to feel positive about themselves. They need to learn early financial responsibility through the handling of allowances," she said.

Growing up in a dairy farm family, there were plenty of opportunities for her children to learn responsibility: feeding baby calves, gardening, keeping farm records and operating machinery.

"As parents we need to spend individual time with each child," McGregor said, "to listen to their opinions and questions so that they will know how important they are. Each child should feel special."

Her youngest son, Sam, said in an e-mail, "My mom worked hard to support our interests. She encouraged us to find our own voice, and then she sacrificed so that she could find a way to help us achieve what we felt led to do."

McGregor said parents need to give their children wings.



"Their wings are made strong when we encourage individual creativity and give them room to explore and develop their talents and interests. Above all, teach them by example to be compassionate, kind and respect the faith and culture of others," McGregor said.

Lib Simmons, McGregor's eldest daughter, noted that, "While her family has been a priority in my mother's life, it has not been her only priority. 'I'm going to a meeting' were (and still are) oft-heard words at our house. I have always been proud of the way that my mother has exercised her gifts for leadership for the common good of the larger community and world. She has been a role model for me in this."

Another bit of motherly advice from the state's 2009 Mother of the Year: "Life is not about having any problems; rather it is about how we deal with them."

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