Cornell Alvin Johnson Supervisor of Negro Schools

The Partners in Education Foundation of Richland County School District One held a gala to inaugurate the first class of the district’s Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center where the Hall of Fame will be located.

Craig Melvin, WIS TV anchor, served as master of ceremonies. Remarks were given by Henri Etta Baskins, chair of the Partners of Education Board; Ron Anderson, vice chair; and Kathy Garrick, events committee chair. Music was provided by Regina E. Williams, Twila Goodwine, Bob Michalski, Donnell Edwards, and the Sunrise Jazz Ensemble.

The family of C.A. Johnson attending the Gala are(seated, l–r) Sandra Holbert, Cornell A. Johnson Jr., Ethel Berry, Jaren Boykin, Willis Charles, (standing, front) Porter Holbert, Melanie Boykin, Derran Day, Cathlyn Boykin, Brittney Boykin, Judith Day, Evan Day, (standing, back) Greg Johnson, Col. Al Boykin, and Thomas Jones. Hall of Fame inductees were

• Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Charles F. Bolden Jr. – A former astronaut and space shuttle captain, Bolden is a 1964 graduate of C.A. Johnson High School.

• Henry Jennings Cauthen – A former president and general manager of S.C. Educational Television Network (SCETV), Cauthen is a 1949 graduate of Dreher High School.

The family of Rev. Joseph Darby attending the Gala are (seated) Carolyn Murphy, Mary Darby, Annie Mae Gore, (standing) Jeremy Darby, Rev. Joseph Darby, and Jason Darby. • Kimberly Aiken Cockerham – The first African–American woman to be crowned Miss South Carolina, Cockerham went on to the win the title of Miss America 1994. She is a 1992 graduate of Columbia High School.

• The Rev. Joseph Darby – A 1969 graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, Rev. Darby is pastor of Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston and is an NAACP leader.

Kimberly Aiken Miss America 1994 • Harris E. DeLoach Jr. – A 1962 graduate of Eau Claire High School, DeLoach is president and CEO of Hartsville–based Sonoco.

• The late Cornell Alvin Johnson – Johnson served as principal of Booker T. Washington High School and a supervisor of Negro Schools in Columbia. He was a graduate of the old Howard School, and C.A. Johnson High School was named in his honor. He was represented by his son, C.A. Johnson Jr.

• Dr. Kary B. Mullis – Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in chemistry for discovery of the polymerase chain reaction, Mullis is a 1962 graduate of Dreher High School.

Dr. Kary B. Mullis Nobel Prize Winner 1993 • Dr. John R. Stevenson – The first African–American superintendent of Richland One, Stevenson led the district from 1986 until his retirement in 1994. 

Families of Hall of Fame inductees attend gala

The family of Henry Cauthen attending the Gala are (front) Laurie Woodall, Megan Woodall, Jeanette Woodall, (back) Greg Woodall, Henry Cauthen, and Josh Woodall. The family of Kary B. Mullis attending the Gala are (seated) Nancy Mullis, Kary B. Mullis, Max Gergel, Pat Foster, (standing) Robert Mullis, Janie Mullis, Al Montgomery, Sheila Montgomery, Bob Haynes, Jean Montgomery, Diane Mullis, and David Mullis. The Rev. Joseph Darby AME Minister, Civil Rights leader Henry Jennings Cauthen Founder of SCETV The family of Harris DeLoach attending the gala are John Florence, Jeannette Florence, Harris DeLoach, Louise DeLoach, John Wilson DeLoach, and Amy DeLoach. Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Jr. astronaut Dr. John R. Stevenson Superintendent of Richland One Harris E. DeLoach Jr. CEO of Sonoco Products Company