Richland One Hall of Fame Induction Gala set for January 31

COLUMBIA, SC – The 11th annual Richland One Hall of Fame Induction Gala will be held Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln Street.

Richland One will induct seven new members into the district’s Hall of Fame, which was established in 2004 to recognize graduates of Richland One schools and other persons throughout the district’s history who have made significant contributions to Richland One, their communities, their professions and society as a whole.

A red-carpet reception at 6:00 p.m. will kick off the evening’s festivities, with the program/dinner beginning at 7:00 p.m. Attire for the gala is black-tie optional. Valet parking will be provided.

The featured entertainer for this year’s gala is Khristian Dentley, a member of the 10-time Grammy Award-winning group Take 6, which was inducted into the GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame in April 2014. Dentley went to school in Richland One at Sandel Elementary, St. Andrews Middle and Columbia High schools. Saxophonist Dante’ Lewis’ Band also will perform at the gala. Lewis is a graduate of Eau Claire High School. A dance with DJ “World-Famous” Johnny Green of Kiss 103.1 FM will begin immediately following the program.

Gala tickets are $75 each ($125 per couple) for the general public. Tickets are $55 for Richland One employees. Any proceeds from the gala will benefit the district’s Academic All-Stars and Classroom Innovation Teacher Grants programs. To purchase tickets, call the Richland One Office of Communications at (803) 231-7504.

The seven members of the 2014 Richland One Hall of Fame induction class are:

• Eleanor Beardsley, a 1982 graduate of W.J. Keenan High School and a Peabody Award-winning journalist who is a correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR) in Paris, France
• Dr. Joe E. Brown, a retired educator and businessman who served in the S.C. House of Representatives (District 73) for 21 years and whose leadership roles included serving as chairman of the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus

• Charles E. “Charlie” Farrell, a 1962 graduate of A.C. Flora High School, a former fighter pilot and owner of The Farrell Group, a Columbia-based firm that specializes in training programs to develop clients’ skills in leadership, teamwork and personal productivity

• Ethel J. Finley (posthumously), a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School and a longtime Richland One teacher who played a pivotal role in desegregating the Columbia YWCAs

• Wilbur E. Johnson, a 1972 graduate of C.A. Johnson High School who is managing partner of Young Clement Rivers law firm in Charleston and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Board of Directors

• Dr. Harry M. Lightsey, Jr. (posthumously), a 1948 graduate of Dreher High School, an attorney and a longtime USC law professor and dean whose career also included serving as president of the College of Charleston

• Isaac E. “Ike” McGraw, Sr., (posthumously), a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School who was an educator, an agricultural agent and one of the first African-Americans elected to the Richland One Board of School Commissioners

For more information about the Richland One Hall of Fame, go to www.richlandone.org or contact Karen York in the Richland One Office of Communications at [email protected] or at (803) 231-7504.