Charles Howard Hellams

On September 28, 2026, surrounded by his beloved family, he finally found time. Or, as Emily Dickinson wrote far more eloquently, "Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me.” Burial will be in the cemetery of Dials United Methodist Church in Gray Court (Laurens County) on Monday, October 5, 2026 at 11:00 AM.

A celebration of his life will be conducted at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia on Tuesday October 6, 2026 at 2:00 PM in the Family Life Center. The family will receive friends in Smith Chapel following the ceremony.

Like most creative people, Howard grew old, but never grew up, even at the time of his death at age 85. He loved children, puppies, good wine, and a good story. Like wine, Howard's stories often got better with age.

He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, the son of Charles Edwin and Daisy Smith Hellams and graduated from Greenville High School in the class of 1959.

Every report card he ever received included the teachers' comment "Howard feels the need to entertain his classmates."

He was a 1963 graduate of the College of Journalism at the University of South Carolina, where he was a member of Sigma Chi, Managing Editor of the Garnet and Black yearbook, Treasurer of the Student body, Chairman of the Honor Board, a member of Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities, and a member of Blue Key, Sigma Delta Chi and Kappa Sigma Kappa honor societies.

He was also a member of the Epsilon Epsilon Epsilon, a politically incorrect "honor" society founded in part to celebrate Howard's dubious achievement of being on the Dean's List and Academic Probation at the same time.

His most significant accomplishment at the University of South Carolina, however, was falling in love with his college sweetheart and bride to be, Brenda Williams of North Augusta.

As a sophomore at USC, he got a job as a sportswriter for the The Columbia Record, the city's afternoon paper. Howard was not important enough to be fired by The Record but was fired anyway. The next day, he was hired by the morning newspaper, The State, which was owned by the same company and was right down the hall from The Record.

At The State, he was named Hunting & Fishing Editor, although he didn't know a shotgun from a fly rod. This appealed greatly to his love of the absurd.

After writing for the South Carolina State Development Board (now the South Carolina Department of Commerce) for three years, in 1967 Howard opened an advertising agency until he could find a honest job.

He never did.

The ad agency was known as Harper Hellams & Paige, even though the firm never employed anyone named Harper or Paige. Those were the names of Howard's children, and he borrowed their names so the agency would sound like a big deal, instead of the one-man-band it actually was.

It's probably a good thing the kids didn't have traditional Southern names like Melba Jean and Bubba.

Harper Hellams and Paige was fortunate enough to win more than 400 national and regional advertising awards, including the Clio Award in New York and awards from the New York Art Directors Club and the Hollywood Radio and Television Society. The agency's work was also displayed in the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as in a number of advertising textbooks and professional journals.

When Howard was not persuading people to buy things they didn't want, he found time to serve as President of the Columbia Advertising & Marketing Federation and the Columbia Communicating Arts Society.

He was also a member of the board of directors of the American Advertising Federation, a member of the board of New York Advertising Club, Who's Who in the American Advertising, the Board of Trustees of Historic Columbia Foundation, and the Board of Visitors of Columbia College. He was also a Deacon at both First Presbyterian and Trinity Presbyterian churches.

He served for Ten years in the 108th Division of the U. S. Army Reserve. Like most free spirits, he was fish out of water in the military. Nevertheless, he became the most popular soldier in his unit after he was put in charge of payroll and promotions.

At the time of his death, Howard was writing a book about Italy, based on the adventures--actually misadventures-he and Brenda enjoyed while trundling through Italy over the past 25 years.

He is survived by his dear wife of 63 years, Brenda Williams Hellams; his son Harper Hellams, and Harper's wife Eileen of Miami; and the three prettiest and smartest granddaughters in the known universe, Lauren Goldstein Escalona, Sophia Hellams and Gabriella Hellams. He was predeceased by his parents, his sister Norma Hellams Phillips, and his daughter Paige Hellams Goldstein, who left this world far too soon.

Howard loved all of them madly.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Dials United Methodist Church, 11828 Highway 101, Gray Court, SC 29645, or to First Presbyterian Church, 13245 Marion Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, is assisting the family.