Hall of Fame
The Boys & Girls Clubs Hall of Fame induction is held in conjunction with the
Breakfast of Champions. The Hall of Fame is to honor long-time supporters
and former Club members of the Boys & Girls Clubs. The Breakfast of
Champions is also a time when we honor Past Presidents and Chairs of the Boys &
Girls Clubs.
2003 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
BLANCHE R. BACON
Blanche
Robertson Bacon was born in Salisbury and has remained in Raleigh since her
graduation from St. Mary's in 1955. She is married to Zack Bacon.
Through her
affiliation with the Junior League of Raleigh, Blanche was elected to the Board
of Directors of the Boys Club in 1970 and served a 3-year term. She was
recruited to rejoin the Board in 1974 and remained an active Board member until
her retirement in June 1995. Blanche remains the only Board Member to
rotate off and later rejoin the Board of Directors.
One of her favorite
projects was organizing a basketball team at the Boys Club. Blanche
recruited a coach, raised money for the uniforms and shoes, and transported the
team to their games. They did not win a game all season!
From 1990-1993,
Blanche was elected Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the
Board of Directors. She was the first female elected to lead the
organization and, because of a change in fiscal years, is the only Chief
Volunteer Officer to serve an 18-month term of office. In 1991 Blanche
received the coveted Service to Youth Award from Boys & Girls Clubs of
America for "unusually devoted service to boys and girls."
Blanche has three
children. Robert Williams, Jr., his wife Caroline and three children live
in New York City, where they are active with the NYC Boys & Girls Clubs.
Daughter Blanche Williamson is a freelance photographer in New York City.
Youngest son Julian Williamson, his wife Beth and two children live in Raleigh.
Julian is presently on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs.
E. E.
"JACK" CARTER
1909-1994
The beginning of the Boys & Girls Clubs can be traced to 1961 and E.E. Jack"
Carter. As a long-time member of the Raleigh Civitan Club and and active
citizen in many charitable undertakings, Jack had heard of the good work of the
Police Athletic League in a number of southeastern cities, and was impressed by
their philosophy. While investigating that program Jack learned of the
Boys Clubs of America...and the rest is history.
Jack helped organize
a collaboration of civic organizations including the Raleigh Civitan Club, the
North Raleigh Optimist Club, the Junior League of Raleigh and the founding Board
of Directors that included some of Raleigh's most prominent community and
business leaders. Former Governor Terry Sanford was elected the first
President of the Board; Jack served as Vice-President before serving as
President in 1969-1970.
Jack was born near
Clinton and received a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering at North Carolina State
University in 1931 before serving in the U.S. Navy. Upon his honorable
discharge, Jack was asked by the War Department to Chair the U.S. 16mm Film
Library.
Jack was the founder
of numerous businesses , including Mastercraft Stage (now National Mastercraft
Ind., Inc.) and National Security Company, Inc. (purchased by ADT).
Jack and his wife
Muriel have three sons; Van, who lives in Greensboro; David, who lives in
Southern Pines; and Barry, who lives in Raleigh and served on the Board of
Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs for 30 years.
ERICK L. MAY, III
Erick Lumon May, III was born in Bethesda, Maryland where he lived until the
death of his parents in an automobile accident. Erick and his younger
brother, Corey, moved to Raleigh to live with their grandparents. In 1980
Erick joined the Boys & Girls Clubs. Like many members, Erick was a
regular participant in Club programs, especially sports, games room and the
learning center.
Tragedy struck again for Erick in 1992 when his
grandparents both passed away within months of one another. In spite of
this, Erick managed to excel in both academics and at the Club. In
recognition of his ability to persevere and overcome obstacles, President George
Bush named Erick as Boys & Girls Clubs of America's National Youth of the Year
in September 1992. President Bush notified the nation of Erick's selection
in a WPTF radio interview while flying over North Carolina, the only Youth of
the Year ever announced from Air Force One.
Erick was awarded the Julian
Robertson Arts & Sciences Scholarship Award to attend UNC-Chapel Hill where he
graduated in 1998. Erick also earned a Master's Degree at Florida A&M
University in 2000 before joining Wachovia Bank in Charlotte. He now works
for Morgan Stanley in New York.
In his spare time, Erick is active in
a mentoring group made up of African-American men involved in finance in the
eastern USA. He also served as a judge in the 2002 National Youth of Year
competition in Washington, DC. Erick's brother, Corey, also a former Club
member, now lives in Winston-Salem and is a physical therapist for Health South.
W. TRENT RAGLAND, JR.
William Trent Ragland, Jr. was born in Salisbury and grew up in Raleigh.
He graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill and served in the Navy during World War II,
later graduating from the Post Graduate School at the U.S. Naval Academy.
In 1954, Trent became President of Superior Stone
Company, a major producer of crushed stone in the southeastern United States.
Superior Stone merged with American Marietta that later merged with the Martin
Company to become Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin), where Trent served as
Senior Vice President. Upon his retirement in 2001, Martin Marietta
designated Trent the title of "Senior Vice President-Emeritus".
Prior to the formation of the Boys Club in 1966
Trent served as a National Associate for Boys Clubs of America. In that
role, he helped to raise money to support the expansion of Boys Clubs across
America.
Trent served on the founding Board of Directors of
the Boys Club and has served as a member of the Advisory Council for over 30
years. In 1975 Trent purchased 4 acres of land on Raleigh Boulevard as the
site for new Boys Club. The present facility is named for his father in
recognition of the financial contribution of Trent, his mother Alice, and his
brother William M. Ragland to this building program.
Trent and his wife, Anna, have three children.
Anna Raglan Hayes lives in Chapel Hill and Alice McKenzie Ragland and her two
children live in Raleigh. Trent Ragland, III and his wife, West, have two
children. Trent, III served as Chairman of the Board of the Boys & Girls
Clubs in 2002-2003.
2004 HALL OF FAME
INDUCTEES
BEN W. KILGORE, III
Ben was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.
While in college he spent his summers in Raleigh working at Pine State Creamery.
After graduating from the University of Kentucky in 1954, he moved to Raleigh to
work for Pine State where he was named President in 1970.
Ben's many business activities included serving as
President of the North Carolina Dairy Products Association where he received the
Distinguished Service Award in 1984.
Ben joined the Board of Directors of the boys Club
in January 1968 and served as President of the Board in 1972 and 1973.
Under Ben's guidance the organization began a day camping program at Camp
Charles M. Griffin, a 17-acre day camp donated to the Club years earlier.
The Lane Street facility was refurbished and plans were initiated to build a new
Boys Club.
Ben served as Campaign Chairman during the
successful 1977 $650,000 capital campaign to build the new Boys Club, and
remained a member of the Board of Directors until 1982 when he was named to the
Advisory Council of the Club.
Ben was awarded the Jaycees' Distinguished Service
Award in 1962 and was named by the Raleigh Kiwanis Club as Kiwanian of the Year
in 1968. He is a Past President of the Rex Hospital Foundation and Past
Campaign Chairman for the United Fund of Wake County.
Ben has been a member of the Wolfpack Club for 30
years.
Ben and wife, Jean, have three children, Ben Kilgore
IV, John Moore Kilgore and James D. Kilgore II. They are the proud
grandparents of Ben V, Rebecca, George, John L. and Katherine.
VERNON L. PERRY, SR.
After
graduating from St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina in May 1967,
Vernon accepted a full-time position with the Raleigh Boys Club as Program
Director and remained there until March 1974 when he was named Executive
Director of the Gaston Boys Club in Gastonia, North Carolina.
At the Gaston Club, Vernon helped
produce 4 NBA stars, 1 kidney specialist, 2 dentists and over 15% of the
membership during his 30-year tenure have college and advanced degrees. In
recognition of his lifelong commitment to the young people of Gaston County,
Vernon was the recipient of the United Way of Gaston County Harold T. Sumner
Award in February 2003 for Outstanding Support and Leadership. That same
year he was also awarded the Paul Harris Fellow Award by the Gastonia Rotary
Club.
Vernon's work in Gastonia has also
earned him accolades from Boys & Girls Clubs of America. In October 1999
Vernon was the Recipient of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Care Award, and in
2003 he was the recipient of the Boys & Girls Clubs of American Light the Path
Award. In 1979 Vernon chaired the Southeast Region Administrative
Conference.
In addition to his professional like,
Vernon is a Past Deputy Grand Master of the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of North
Carolina, past United Way board member, Past President of Gastonia Toastmasters,
and past board member of the Central Children's Home, formally known as Oxford
Orphanage.
Vernon is a member of the Deacon
board of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church of Gastonia and serves as Director of Church
Training.
Vernon and his wife of 36 years,
Patricia, a retired educator, have one son, Vernon, Jr. who lives in Durham,
North Carolina.
ELIZABETH K. WILKERSON
Lib
Wilkerson first became involved with the Boys & Girls Clubs at the invitation of
the late Janie Jolly Griffin. Janie, a former Board Member, had donated a
tract of land on Norwood Road as a camp for the Club.
Janie approached Lib and her husband, Dr. Charles B.
Wilkerson, about establishing a permanent memorial in memory of their son,
Chuck who died in May, 1974. In 1976 Janie arranged for Dr. Wilkerson and
Lib to meet with the Boys Club to discuss the building of a dining hall at Camp
Griffin named in memory of Chuck. The Wilkerson's concurred and the Chuck
Wilkerson Building Fund was started. Major donors included the Wilkerson
family and friends. The Chuck Wilkerson Dining Hall was dedicated prior to
the beginning of camp in 1978. When the camp moved in 1990, the sign from
the first dining hall was removed and affixed the the dining hall at the new
camp.
Lib attended Peace College and the University of North
Carolina-Greensboro. Upon completion of her education, she worked for 4
years with the State Board of Health, followed by 10 years with the Attorney
General's Office.
Lib's volunteer activities included teach Sunday School at
Edenton Street United Methodist Church and volunteering for 50 years at Rex
Hospital. Included in those years was service on the Rex Hospital Guild
Board and even one year as the manager of the Rex Gift Shop.
Described by friends as caring, loving and helpful to
everyone, Lib enjoys the company of her daughter Beth, Beth's husband, Benton,
her granddaughter, Jennifer and numerous nieces and nephews.
2005 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
WILLIE J. BURDEN
Not long after the first Boys Club opened on Lane Street,
Willie Burden became a member. Although already a teenager and an
accomplished athlete, Willie quickly understood the need for a safe place for
young people to go, a safe place where kids can learn and grow. When the
Club undertook its first capital campaign to build a new clubhouse, and The N&O
editorial cited Willie as an alumnus "who...witnesses for the the worth of the
Boys Club."
Willie's athletic ability earned him a
scholarship to N.C. State where was the 1973 Atlantic Coast Conference Football
Player of the Year. Since 1974, Willie has pursued a parallel career,
first as an assistant football coach and then in athletic administration.
From 1990-1998, he served as the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at N.C.
A&T University. Since 1999 Willie has served on the Graduate Faculty at
Georgia Southern University.
Willie received his
Bachelor of Arts from N.C. State, his Masters in Sports Administration from Ohio
University and his Doctorate in Educational Administration from Tennessee State
University.
Willie has garnered many awards during his
distinguished athletic and academic career. Among them are Calgary
Stampeders 59th Anniversary Dream Team, Advisor of the Year Georgia Southern
University student organizations, The Men of Valor Award from Georgia Southern
University National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and
induction in to the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame.
Willie currently resides in Statesboro, Georgia, with his wife,
Velma, and children Willie, Jr. and Freddie. His daughter Courtney still
makes her home in Raleigh. In 2001 and 2002, Willie was a volunteer at a
fundraising project for the Boys & Girls club in Statesboro and planning has
already begun on a collaborative research project concerning youth fitness and
nutrition at the Statesboro Club.
EARL
JOHNSON, JR.
Earl was born and raised in Raleigh and went on to the University
of North Carolina, finishing in 1954. After college, Earl served in the
U.S. Navy for 2 years before joining his father's insurance company. In
1962 he founded Carolina Crane which grew into Southern Industrial Constructors.
Earl's many business activities included serving as Chairman of
the National Crane & Rigging Association and later as President of Specialized
Carriers and Riggers Association where he was given the prestigious Golden Cable
Award. He currently is President of the Board of the Research Triangle
Institute International.
Among his civic duties, Earl
sits on the Lineberger Cancer Center Board of Visitors and Secretary of the
Board of Capital Associated Industries. He has also served as Senior
Warden of Christ Church.
Earl Joined the Board of
Directors of the Boys Club in January 1974. His first "big job" at the
Club was to serve as Chairman of the Building Committee when the William Trent
Ragland Memorial Clubhouse was built and opened in June 1978. Earl then
served as President of the Board in 1979. It was under Earl's guidance
that the Boys & Girls Clubs acquired the additional land on Raleigh boulevard
that later became the site for the Raleigh Girls Club. After leaving the
Board, he joined the Advisory Council and has remained active in the affairs of
the Club. Earl is currently serving as the Co-chair of the Endowment
Campaign.
Earl was also a member of the Board of
Visitors at UNC and the Board of the Ram's Club. He is Past President of
Carolina Country Club and currently serves on the Board of Oakwood Cemetery.
Earl and his wife Margie have three children, Earl III, Margie
(Springer) and Caroline (Douglas). They are the proud grandparents of Earl
and Sydney Johnson, Scottie, Curtis and Ford Springer, and Sam and Mary Scott
Douglas.
2006 HALL OF
FAME INDUCTEES
WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER
HARRIS
Chris
Harris joined the old Raleigh Boys Club on Lane Street the day after his 6th
birthday (July 5, 1972) and remained a Club member throughout high school.
While at Enloe High School he received the Coach's award for an outstanding
soccer season, a sport Chris learned to play at the Boys Club. In 1984,
Chris was awarded the Times Tip-Off college Scholarship and combined with a Boys
& Girls Club scholarship enrolled in East Carolina University.
In 1985, Chris was elected as President of the
Sophomore Class at ECU. In 1986, he entered the Air Force Reserve Officer
Training Program and in 1987 was a founder of East Carolina Friends, a big
brother/big sister program at East Carolina. Chris also served as a
Resident Advisor for two years before earning his B.S. in Business
Administration in 1988.
From 1989-1998, Chris served as an Officer in the
United States Air Force. For four years he served as Missile Combat Crew
Commander; later, he was selected by his peers to serve as Vice President of the
Company Grad Officers Association, representing 500 members. Chris served
on the faculty at Oregon State University as Assistant Professor of Aerospace
Studies, and later as the R.O.T.C. Liaison at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Since leaving the Air Force, Chris has worked with
The Vanguard Group as a Quality Control Manager, with Pfizer Pharmaceutical as a
Health Care Representative, and is now employed with Stryker Medical in
Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he is responsible for hiring and developing staff to
build high quality medical stretchers.
In his leisure time, Chris has been a certified
foster parent in four states and a certified adoptive parent in three states.
J. FRANK SCOTT
Frank
Scott was raised in rural Chatham County, attended Chapel Hill High School, N.C.
State University and the University of North Carolina, and moved to Raleigh in
1958 to join Merrill Lynch, where he currently serves as First Vice President
and Financial Advisor.
Frank initially got involved with the Boys Club back in the early
1970's when he was contacted by a Club volunteer soliciting his financial
support for an emergency facility repair. Frank joined the board of the
Boys & Girls Club in 1979 and served on the Board for 12 years. Even after
his leaving the active Board of Directors, Frank has continued to be an avid
supporter of the Club and its mission of youth development to those young people
who need us the most. Frank on occasion will call the Club Director to
learn of any special needs that a child might have with which he can assist.
Frank continues to support the annual Positive Place For Kids Campaign.
Frank also makes sure that no Club kids have a bad Christmas, providing funds
and instructing staff "to make sure that the child also buys their mother a
gift."
In addition to his past service with the Boys & Girls Clubs,
Frank has also served on the Board of the North Carolina Symphony and, the N.C.
Symphony Foundation, The Lucy Daniels Preschool, The Foundation of Hope, The
Salvation Army, the N.C. School Veterinary Medicine Foundation and the Capital
Area YMCA. In 2001, Frank was awarded the YMCA Lifetime Achievement Award
for his continued commitment and generosity to the Y.
Frank is a long-time member of Hayes Barton United Methodist
Church, and he and his wife Nancy have been married for 37 years and have two
daughters, Valerie Scott Booker, and Melissa Scott Black and four grandchildren.
2007 HALL OF
FAME INDUCTEES
JUNIOR LEAGUE OF RALEIGH
The
Junior League of Raleigh originated in 1927 as the Junior Guild. It became
the Junior League of Raleigh in 1930. With an active membership of
approximately 700 members and a total membership of more than 1,700 volunteers
it is the 14th largest league in America. To date the Junior League of
Raleigh has distributed more than $4 million and provided over 1 million
volunteer hours to community programs and projects.
40 years ago, the Junior League, after an extensive study by
League volunteers, voted to support the opening of a "Boys Club" with both
operating funds and volunteers. This funding was supplemented by a second
grant two years later that ensured that the Club could survive until additional
community-based funding was secured. In addition to program volunteers,
five League volunteers were added to the Board of Directors for 3-year terms.
Twenty years later, the Junior League endorsed the Boys Club as
the organization to lead the development of a Girls Club and provided
substantial operating funds to get a Girls Club open. finally, in 2006,
the Junior League stepped up again to provide funding to open the Brentwood Boys
& Girls Club that serves the growing Hispanic population in that section of the
city.
Not content to just provide funding, the Junior League has
provided volunteer leadership; more than 25 League members have served on the
Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs and hundreds of volunteer hours
have been spent working directly with Club members. In the beginning,
Junior League Provisionals sponsored Christmas parties for Club kids; this later
changed into Spring carnivals that have been held for more than 20 years.
RALEIGH CIVITAN CLUB
The
Raleigh Civitan Club was organized in 1921 by some of the leading citizens of
Raleigh. These individuals saw the need for people to be actively involved
in the life of the community and felt that becoming a part of Civitan
International seemed to fit that idea perfectly.
The first major project of the Raleigh Civitan Club was the
sponsoring of the Community Chest, the forerunner of today's United Way.
In 1948 they were instrumental in financing the building next to WakeMed for
Hilltop Home, a provider of specialized residential care for children with
severe developmental disabilities.
In 1966 and at the urging of long-time member E.E. "Jack" Carter,
the Raleigh Civitan Club purchased the first clubhouse for the "Raleigh Boys
Club", an old church located at 501 E. Lane Street. This was the home of
the Boys Club for a decade. In 1977, the Civitan Club became a major donor
to the Boys & Girls Club's first capital campaign by removing a reversionary
clause from the deed and allowing the Boys & Girls Clubs to sell the property
and use the proceeds for the new clubhouse on Raleigh Boulevard.
No less than 12 Civitan Club members have served with distinction
on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs, with two ascending to the
position of President of the Board.
In addition to continuing to support the Boys & Girls Clubs
through annual support the Raleigh Civitan Club has been deeply involved in the
support of the Tammy Lynn Center, the Boys & Girls Home of North Carolina and
Special Olympics.
2008 HALL OF
FAME INDUCTEES
LEVELLE MOTON
Levelle Moton is proof that Boys & Girls clubs
change lives. The Raleigh Boys Club provided stability in his life and
kept him on the right path when other kids in his neighborhood turned to drugs
and the streets. Club staff refers to members like Levelle as a "typical
Club kid" because of his personality, his zest for life and his love for the
Boys & Girls Club.
Levelle was a natural
athlete. Although he had never played on any sports teams before joining
the Boys Club, his talent in basketball quickly became evident. He is a
1992 graduate of Enloe High School where he was named the Cap 5 Basketball
Player of the Year as a senior.
After
college, Levelle played 2 years of professional basketball in Indonesia and two
years in Israel before settling in as a teacher and coach in the Wake County
Public School System. He was the Head Basketball Coach at West Millbrook
Middle School for 3 years before taking over the Sanderson High School program
in 2004.
Levelle returned to his alma
mater, North Carolina Central University as assistant men's basketball coach in
July 2007.
Levelle continues to be a part
of the Boys & Girls Club family by inviting Club kids to attend his summer
basketball clinics hosted by NBA starts for no charge. He has also spoken
to Club youth and volunteers across the state.
In 2004, Levelle was inducted into the North
Carolina Central University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Levelle and his wife Bridget reside in Durham and
are expecting their first child in March.
THAD WOODARD
When the Boys Club undertook its first capital
campaign in 1977, Thad Woodard was one of the leaders recruited, making him the
only community volunteer in Raleigh to hold a leadership position in every
capital campaign ever conduced by the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Thad has served as President of the North Carolina
Bankers Association since 1978.
Thad
joined the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs in 1980 and served as
its President in 1990.
In addition to his
work in three major capital campaigns, it is in the Club's annual fundraising
efforts that Thad has made his most significant contributions.
One of the great traditions in the Boys & Girls
Clubs is the annual competition between Thad and fellow inductee Smedes York.
first called our Children's Campership Drive, then the Positive Place for Kids
Campaign, this competition has become legendary in the Raleigh philanthropic
community, each trying to claim the title King Of Campaign.
Thad's commitment to help youth is evidenced by
his founding a program called Camp Challenge at Veda Mecum Springs, a
residential camping program that emphasizes financial literacy, public speaking
and leadership skills. Working with 4-H Clubs, Y's and Boys & Girls Clubs,
Thad's goal is to involve as many rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders...kids as he
describes as High Potential...Low Resources...as possible in this outstanding
program each summer.
Since 1979, Thad has
led the Warmth for Wake annual campaign and served as Chair of the Clarence E.
Lightner Youth Leadership Endowment Fund in 2007.
Thad is married to Jan Woodard and has 2
daughters, Amy and Anna.
Thad is the
first active Board member to be inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs Hall of
Fame.
Smedes York
A Raleigh native, Smedes York graduated from
Broughton High School, then received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
degree from North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the
basketball team under legendary coach Everett Case. He received his MBA at
UNC after serving two years as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
In 1977 Smedes was elected to the Raleigh City
Council and served until his election as Mayor in 1979 an office he held for two
terms (1979-1983).
Smedes joined the
Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls clubs in 1983 and served as its President
in 1988. Under his leadership the Boys & Girls Clubs undertook its second
capital campaign to build the Raleigh Girls Club and to purchase a 162-acre camp
in nearby Nash County. In addition, Smedes took a leadership role in the
Clubs 30th Anniversary Capital Campaign in 1997 and currently serves on the
Club's Advisory Council.
It is in the
Boys & Girls Clubs' annual campaign that Smedes continues to have a dramatic
impact on the Club's ability to serve the deserving young people in the
community. His annual competition with fellow inductee Thad Woodard is a
tradition in the Raleigh philanthropic community.
Smedes has served in a leadership capacity in many
organizations including the Trustees at NC State University and currently serves
on the Board of the Research Triangle Park Foundation, YMCA of the Triangle, the
Triangle United Way and the Urban Land Institute.
In 2007, Smedes was inducted in the Raleigh Hall
of Fame for his commitment and service to the Community.
Smedes and his wife, Rosemary, have two sons,
George and Williams, and two grandsons, Smedes and Bowen.
