Richland One to induct five into District’s Hall of Fame in February

Richland One will induct five new members into the Richland One Hall of Fame in February, district officials announced at a November 19 news conference.

The Richland One Hall of Fame recognizes 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.

Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor awarded by the Richland One Board of School Commissioners; 101 men and women have been inducted since the Hall of Fame was established in 2004.

The members of the 2025 Richland One Hall of Fame induction class are:

At a November 19 news conference, Richland One announced the five persons who will be inducted into the district’s Hall of Fame in February. Pictured are (from left) Dr. Steve Aaron Wilson; Reverend Dr. Simon P. Bouie; Ida Renee Williams Thompson; Kerry Abel, son of Herman Lessley Abel, who will be inducted posthumously; and Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin.

• Herman Lessley Abel – Mr. Abel was a 1947 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. He began his career in Richland One in 1957 and served as a math teacher, coach, assistant principal and principal until his retirement in 1987. He was the first African-American teacher and coach at Olympia High School. Mr. Abel passed away in 2011.
• Judge DeAndrea Gist Benjamin – Judge Benjamin is a 1990 graduate of Columbia High School. President Joe Biden nominated her to the Fourth Circuit of Appeals and, in February 2023, she was confirmed by the United States Senate as the first African-American in South Carolina’s history to serve on the Court.
• Reverend Dr. Simon P. Bouie – Reverend Bouie is a 1957 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School. He served as a pastor in South Carolina, New York and Pennsylvania, and retired as pastor of the historic Zion AME Church in Philadelphia. As a student at Allen University, he was arrested, jailed and convicted after a sit-in protest at the Eckerd’s Drugstore in downtown Columbia. His conviction was later overturned by the United States Supreme Court. In October 2024, the state of South Carolina expunged his criminal record.
• Ida Renee Williams Thompson – Mrs. Thompson is a 1972 graduate of W.J. Keenan High School. She was a school librarian in Richland One who went on to serve as the district’s media consultant and later as director of Instructional Technology Services until her retirement in 2016.
• Dr. Steve Aaron Wilson – Dr. Wilson, a native of Fairfield County, served as principal of W.J. Keenan High School in Richland One for 10 years and later served as an executive director of schools before being named superintendent of the Calhoun County School District. He retired in 2022.

The Richland One Hall of Fame Induction Gala will be held Saturday, February 15, 2025 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The red carpet reception will begin at 5 p.m. and the program will begin at 6 p.m.

Additional details about the gala, including ticket information and sponsorship opportunities, will be announced in the coming weeks and posted on the district’s website (www.RichlandOne.org).

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