Donald Raymond Songer PHD

A Celebration of Life for Donald Raymond Songer, Ph.D., 70, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2015, at Ashland United Methodist Church, 2600 Ashland Road, Columbia, SC 29210. A reception will follow in Ashland Hall. Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, Irmo, is assisting the family. Dr. Songer passed away Sunday, November 29, 2015. Born in Miami, FL, he was a son of the late Gerald Raymond Songer and Elizabeth Curran Songer. He was a graduate and Salutatorian of Miami High; Phi Beta Kappa at the University of Florida, where he received his B.A. and M.A. in Political Science; and received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Dr. Songer was an active member of Ashland United Methodist Church where he taught adult Sunday School class for 25 years; was a featured children’s Bible story teller; and led missions initiatives including Seeds of Hope Farmers’ Market. He was active in the community, coaching youth soccer and basketball; teaching at the Shepherd’s Center; and serving as a Reading Buddy at Seven Oaks Elementary School. Dr. Songer was also involved in community theatre, performing in over 30 shows at Town Theatre, Village Square Theatre and others; favorite roles were Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond, Father in Cheaper by the Dozen, and Pirate in Peter Pan. Dr. Songer taught at the University of South Carolina since 1986 and was a Professor of Political Science at the University at the time of his death. He taught previously at Oklahoma Baptist University, Macon Junior College, and Meredith College. He researched and wrote extensively about the United States Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Canada, and other appellate courts in the Americas and the Common Law world. Dr. Songer authored or co-authored several books, including Continuity and Change on the United States Courts of Appeals, The Transformation of the Supreme Court of Canada, and The View from the Bench and Chambers: Examining Judicial Process and Decision Making on the U.S. Courts of Appeals. In addition, he published over 75 peer-reviewed articles in academic journals such as the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, and Law and Society Review. Professor Songer brought almost $2 million in funded research grants to the University of South Carolina. During his tenure at USC, he received numerous awards, including the American Political Science Association Law & Courts Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2015); Mortar Board Excellence in Teaching Award (1993, 2003, 2008, 2014); Michael A. Hill Honors College Outstanding Faculty Award; and USC Educational Foundation Award for Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Dr. Songer mentored numerous graduate students at USC who went on to faculty positions at colleges such as Michigan State University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Georgia. Under Dr. Songer’s leadership, the public law program at USC was ranked in the top five in the United States. Surviving are his wife of 41 years, Valorie Marlow Songer; children, Michael Johnson Songer (Erica) of Washington, DC and Julie Songer Belman (Travis) of Winnsboro. He is also survived by his grandson, James Glenn Belman; brother, Richard Noble Songer (Carol); and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister, Frances Songer Finch. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Ashland United Methodist Church or to National Parks Conservation Association (npca.org/give/more-ways-to-give).