We are deeply saddened to announce that Weldon Cecil Brandon, Jr., founder of The Brandon Agency, passed on peacefully at his home on May 21, 2021, while surrounded by his family.
Brandon, Jr. attended Reynold’s High School in Winston Salem N.C. and Davidson College where he lettered in golf and football. Following college, he entered the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant and served as an Army Infantry Intelligence officer in the Korean War. After returning from the war, Cecil began his professional career selling insurance. He soon transitioned to a job with Wachovia Bank in Charlotte.
At the age of 29, he left his banking career and moved to Myrtle Beach armed with a camera and a dream. Cecil was a passionate photographer and began taking scenic photographs that he would make into postcards and sell to local gift shops and hotels. Over time, hotels began to ask him to take pictures for them and make brochures. Soon after, they began asking him to make ads for magazines and newspapers. Cecil’s little postcard company would grow to become the largest independently owned advertising agency in the Carolinas.
Cecil was a visionary, an organizer, and had a passion for life. He loved his wife, his family, his friends, his employees, his country, and Myrtle Beach. He also loved golf, hunting, black labs, big winter trout, a sharp sports coat, shined shoes, a pocket square, cashmere sweaters, and ice cream.
He was a self-made entrepreneur that truly never took no for an answer. Some of his many accomplishments include:
- 1982 South Carolina Tourism Award
- 1985 American Advertising Federation Silver Medal for lifetime achievement
- 1994 Myrtle Beach Citizen of the Year Award
- 1995 Jason Ammons Free Enterprise Award
- 1996 South Carolina Tourism Ambassador of the Year Award
- 1996 Order of the Palmetto Award (the state of South Carolina’s highest honor bestowed upon a citizen)
- In 1996, The State newspaper selected Cecil as one of the top 25 most influential figures in South Carolina Sports History
- 1996 Habitat for Humanity Award
- In 1997, former Vice-President Dan Quayle presented Cecil with the Palmetto Patriot Award
- Inducted into the Carolina’s Hall of Fame in 2001
- In 2003, he received the Jimmy D’Angelo Golf Writers of America award
- Inducted into the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame in 2009
His complete obituary can be read at https://www.msfh.net/obituary/WeldonCecil-BrandonJr.
All at The Brandon Agency pass on their sincere condolences to the Brandon family. We feel privileged and honored to have known such a special person.