Tony Cox Named 2023 Citizen of the Year

Tony Cox was honored as the Citizen of the Year, sponsored by Island Vista, at Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Annual Meeting April 13.

Cox is an Horry County native. Though he left the Grand Strand briefly for his education at The University of South Carolina and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, he always knew The Beach was the place for him. He worked in real estate and worked until his retirement as the executive vice president of real estate at Burroughs and Chapin Company.

But more than his trade, Cox is a dedicated public servant. Giving back is a way of life – not just for Cox, but for his family too. His wife Marilyn is a retired educator who just finished a term serving on the foster care review board.

Cox’s first public service started at the closing of the U.S. Air Force Base in Myrtle Beach when he was appointed to serve on the redevelopment authority. He then served seven years on the planning commission for Horry County and helped lead the commission in creating the first ever county-wide zoning ordinance. Cox spent more than a decade on the South Carolina Real Estate Commission where he was a past chairman.

Since 2017, he has served on the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission representing South Carolina’s Seventh District. He has previously been both chairman and vice-chairman and was appointed to a new term as the chair earlier this year.

When he’s not volunteering or representing the Grand Strand, you’ll find him spending time outdoors with his family. He and his wife Marilyn have two adult children and a handful of grandchildren. They are members at Ocean Drive Presbyterian Church.