Richland One Hall of Fame Gala to be held January 12

Four prominent community members who have distinguished themselves at the local, state and national levels in the fields of education, law, politics and business will be inducted into the Richland One Hall of Fame in January.

The fourth annual Richland One Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Gala, sponsored by the Partners In Education Foundation, will be held on Saturday, January 12, 2008 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St. WIS-TV anchor and Columbia High graduate Craig Melvin will serve as master of ceremonies. Entertainment will be provided by the Keenan High All Weathers Jazz Band.

Members of the 2007 Hall of Fame induction class are:

	Dr. Alma W. Byrd, an educator who served in the South Carolina House of Representatives and on the Richland One Board of School Commissioners.
	The Honorable Robert D. Coble, a Dreher High graduate who has served as the mayor of Columbia since 1990.
	The late Charles H. Dickerson, a Dreher High graduate who was president and chief executive officer of The R.L. Bryan Company.
	The Honorable Kay Patterson, a former Richland One teacher who has served in the South Carolina Senate since 1985.

A reception will be held at 6 p.m. prior to the gala. The program and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets for Richland One employees are $40 each or $75 for two. Tickets for non-district employees are $75 each. All tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at the door.

The Richland One Hall of Fame was established by the district in 2004 to pay tribute to the many distinguished Richland One graduates and others who have made significant contributions to the district, their communities, their professions and society as a whole. Biographies and photographs of the Hall of Fame inductees are posted on the district’s Web site at www.richlandone.org.

For ticket information and other information about the gala, call Nathalie Gregg, executive director of the Partners In Education Foundation, at 318-3005. For information about the Richland One Hall of Fame, call Karen York, the district’s communications director, at 231-7504.