Peter P. "Pete" Leventis Jr., a former Richland County Councilman and "guiding light" for a family that includes his son, state Sen. Phil Leventis, and his nephew, 2nd District congressional candidate Jim Leventis, died Sunday night. He was 70.
Leventis apparently suffered a heart attack while driving home from a Greek community dance at the Radisson Hotel in Columbia, Jim Leventis said. He said Leventis' car hit a utility pole, and his wife, Tina, suffered an arm injury.
Leventis "was like a father figure for a lot of people," including some outside his family, said his nephew, who also attended the Sunday night dance.
"He was really sort of a guiding light for us. He was a very strong person, very determined. When he got his mind on doing something, it was going to get done."
A Republican member of Richland County Council during the 1970s, Leventis "worked hard as a politician to make government work like a business," Jim Leventis said. "I think he made a real impact on the early forms of county government in Richland County."
Even though Jim and Phil Leventis are Democrats, "There were no basic philosophical differences," said the congressional candidate, a current member of the Richland District One school board.
In 1978, Pete Leventis said: "I'm a liberal in the sense of wanting to get things done, but a conservative in the sense of not wanting to spend money." Two years earlier, he offered to resign from County Council because he said council was dragging its feet on too many issues.
One of the more infamous incidents that occurred while Leventis was a council member took place during a 1973 meeting. During a spirited argument on septic tank regulations, Leventis and fellow councilman W.D. "Son" Grimsley came to blows. In the scuffle, Leventis' artificial leg came off. Leventis had lost his leg during World War II.
Born in Gastonia, N.C., Leventis was the son of the late Peter P. Sr. and Helen Kaperonis Leventis. He was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Dixie Beverage Co. in Sumter and was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
He was predeceased by a son, Peter P. Leventis III.
Leventis apparently suffered a heart attack while driving home from a Greek community dance at the Radisson Hotel in Columbia, Jim Leventis said. He said Leventis' car hit a utility pole, and his wife, Tina, suffered an arm injury.
Leventis "was like a father figure for a lot of people," including some outside his family, said his nephew, who also attended the Sunday night dance.
"He was really sort of a guiding light for us. He was a very strong person, very determined. When he got his mind on doing something, it was going to get done."
A Republican member of Richland County Council during the 1970s, Leventis "worked hard as a politician to make government work like a business," Jim Leventis said. "I think he made a real impact on the early forms of county government in Richland County."
Even though Jim and Phil Leventis are Democrats, "There were no basic philosophical differences," said the congressional candidate, a current member of the Richland District One school board.
In 1978, Pete Leventis said: "I'm a liberal in the sense of wanting to get things done, but a conservative in the sense of not wanting to spend money." Two years earlier, he offered to resign from County Council because he said council was dragging its feet on too many issues.
One of the more infamous incidents that occurred while Leventis was a council member took place during a 1973 meeting. During a spirited argument on septic tank regulations, Leventis and fellow councilman W.D. "Son" Grimsley came to blows. In the scuffle, Leventis' artificial leg came off. Leventis had lost his leg during World War II.
Born in Gastonia, N.C., Leventis was the son of the late Peter P. Sr. and Helen Kaperonis Leventis. He was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Dixie Beverage Co. in Sumter and was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
He was predeceased by a son, Peter P. Leventis III.
Peter P. "Pete" Leventis Jr., a former Richland County Councilman and "guiding light" for a family that includes his son, state Sen. Phil Leventis, and his nephew, 2nd District congressional candidate Jim Leventis, died Sunday night. He was 70.
Leventis apparently suffered a heart attack while driving home from a Greek community dance at the Radisson Hotel in Columbia, Jim Leventis said. He said Leventis' car hit a utility pole, and his wife, Tina, suffered an arm injury.
Leventis "was like a father figure for a lot of people," including some outside his family, said his nephew, who also attended the Sunday night dance.
"He was really sort of a guiding light for us. He was a very strong person, very determined. When he got his mind on doing something, it was going to get done."
A Republican member of Richland County Council during the 1970s, Leventis "worked hard as a politician to make government work like a business," Jim Leventis said. "I think he made a real impact on the early forms of county government in Richland County."
Even though Jim and Phil Leventis are Democrats, "There were no basic philosophical differences," said the congressional candidate, a current member of the Richland District One school board.
In 1978, Pete Leventis said: "I'm a liberal in the sense of wanting to get things done, but a conservative in the sense of not wanting to spend money." Two years earlier, he offered to resign from County Council because he said council was dragging its feet on too many issues.
One of the more infamous incidents that occurred while Leventis was a council member took place during a 1973 meeting. During a spirited argument on septic tank regulations, Leventis and fellow councilman W.D. "Son" Grimsley came to blows. In the scuffle, Leventis' artificial leg came off. Leventis had lost his leg during World War II.
Born in Gastonia, N.C., Leventis was the son of the late Peter P. Sr. and Helen Kaperonis Leventis. He was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Dixie Beverage Co. in Sumter and was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
He was predeceased by a son, Peter P. Leventis III.
Leventis apparently suffered a heart attack while driving home from a Greek community dance at the Radisson Hotel in Columbia, Jim Leventis said. He said Leventis' car hit a utility pole, and his wife, Tina, suffered an arm injury.
Leventis "was like a father figure for a lot of people," including some outside his family, said his nephew, who also attended the Sunday night dance.
"He was really sort of a guiding light for us. He was a very strong person, very determined. When he got his mind on doing something, it was going to get done."
A Republican member of Richland County Council during the 1970s, Leventis "worked hard as a politician to make government work like a business," Jim Leventis said. "I think he made a real impact on the early forms of county government in Richland County."
Even though Jim and Phil Leventis are Democrats, "There were no basic philosophical differences," said the congressional candidate, a current member of the Richland District One school board.
In 1978, Pete Leventis said: "I'm a liberal in the sense of wanting to get things done, but a conservative in the sense of not wanting to spend money." Two years earlier, he offered to resign from County Council because he said council was dragging its feet on too many issues.
One of the more infamous incidents that occurred while Leventis was a council member took place during a 1973 meeting. During a spirited argument on septic tank regulations, Leventis and fellow councilman W.D. "Son" Grimsley came to blows. In the scuffle, Leventis' artificial leg came off. Leventis had lost his leg during World War II.
Born in Gastonia, N.C., Leventis was the son of the late Peter P. Sr. and Helen Kaperonis Leventis. He was chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Dixie Beverage Co. in Sumter and was an Army veteran of World War II. He was a member of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
He was predeceased by a son, Peter P. Leventis III.
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