The 56th Bruce Welge Citizenship Award was presented to Heath Mew at Trinity Methodist Church of Clio on Sunday, April 26, 2026. Heath is the son of Dustin and Emily Mew and grandson of Mark and Carolyn Heath all of Clio and Mark and Faith Mew of Dillon.
Trinity sponsors the Welge Award annually in honor and memory of Bruce Welge, classmate of D.G. McIntyre at The Citadel. Bruce, from Chester, Illinois, would visit the McIntyre family in Clio and Trinity. Upon graduation from The Citadel, he was selected for paratrooper and ranger training at Fort Bragg and Fort Benning. Bruce became a Green Beret and was killed in Vietnam. His parents started a memorial fund for a deserving area student who exemplifies patriotism and good citizenship. This award honors their son’s love for the McIntyre family, Trinity, and Clio.
Heath will graduate from Latta High School and plans to attend North Greenville. He works as a freelance photographer for sports, events, and individual photographs. He is a member of Mt Calvary Baptist Church in Dillon where he worked in the sound booth, served as an usher, and was very active in the Youth Group. Heath also worked on the summer maintenance staff at Camp Pinehill and used his photography skills to create a promotional video for Camp Pinehill Baptist Retreat.
Heath’s high school career shows leadership in both academics and sports.He was a member of the National Honor Society, a Palmetto Boys State delegate, and Future Farmers of America completer. In FFA he served as both treasurer and chaplain, and competed in Greenhand Knowledge Bowl at the state convention, placing 2nd in the state.
In sports,Heath played basketball, baseball, and golf, and maintained the 4.0 Student Athlete status. Heath served as team captains in basketball and baseball ,and pitched in the State Championship Series in 2024.
Northeastern Technical College/the High School Sports Report named him Male Student Athlete of the month – January 2026. He was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Team for 4 years presenting lessons to large and small groups at school and county level.
Guest speaker for the service was Roger D. Marlowe, Sergeant Major, Retired from Manning,S.C. His military career began when he enlisted in SC Army National Guard and served with Battery B, 4th Battalion,178th Field Artillery. He continued service with the Tennessee Army National Guard expanding his experiences in multiple roles. Returning to SC he served with Battery C, 4th Battalion, 178th Field Artillery in Manning and was assigned to the 151st Field Artillery Brigade in Sumter, where he served as a Personnel Noncommissioned Officer and then on to Battalion Operations Noncommissioned Officer with 3rd Battalion, 178th Field Artillery Brigade in Lancaster. Marlowe was then assigned to to Joint Forces Headquarters in Columbia where he served and was promoted to rank of Sergeant Major recognizing his exceptional leadership and dedication. He later served in Afghanistan with Task Force Phoenix, 218th Training Assistance Group where he was Command Sergeant Major, mentoring Afghan military leadership.
