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Education Hall of Fame announces 2018 inductees

The Henderson County Education Foundation on Wednesday announce the recipients of the 2018 Education Hall of Fame. Each year, individuals who have demonstrated measurable influence or made significant contributions to the grown and development of education in Henderson County are honored with the Hall of Fame Award. Since 2003, 124 individuals have been honored with induction into HCEF Hall of Fame.

This year’s inductees include:

Norma Welch Bridges began her teaching career in Henderson County in 1969 at Dana Elementary where she taught until her retirement in 1999. She returned to Dana as a tutor from 2003 to 2010 and served the children and families of Henderson County for 37 years. Mrs. Bridges was as leader in schoolwide initatives and also helped other districts improve by leading on School Accrediation Teams across Western North Carolina. Additionally, during her tenure she was awared the honor of Teacher of the Year.

Lynn Alta Clark, a North Carolina mountain native, began her teaching career in Cherokee County before joining Henderson County Public Schools in the early 1980’s. Mrs. Clark held various roles in the county including teacher, Leader Teacher and finally as County Office Coordinator. She was instrumental in the growth of technoglogical instruction in Henderson County Public Schools. Lynn Clark was a teacher’s teacher; mentoring and and providing demonstrations of high quality instruction to Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers.

James (Jim) Laughter Jr. started his career in 1959 at Hendersonvill High School before moving to Hendersonville Junior High in 1964. Mr. Laughter then began the Physical Education program at Bruce Drysdale School in 1972 where he worked until his retirement in 1991. He continued to volunteer coach and substitute until his full retirement in 2010, serving for 51 years. Jim Laughter was instrumental for his contributions to race relations, coaching the first integrated sports team in the 1964-1965 school year and he continued to impact the lives of his students and players throughout his career.

Tom McCrary began working in Henderson County in 1977 at Flat Rock Junior High, later Flat Rock Middle School, where heworked until his retirement in 2007. Mr. McCrary held various roles throughout his career at Flat Rock: English Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and in his last four years as a Reading Specialist. Tom was a teacher leader and a champion of students, serving on various committees and clubs throughout the school and also at the local state and national levels.

The inductees will be honored at the 16th annual Education Celebration, formerly the Hall of Fame Dinner, presented by Pardee Hospital, on May 1, 2018 at the Boone Building at the WNC Ag Center. In addition to celebrating the 2018 Hall of Fame inductees, Henderson County’s Principal of the Year, Chad Auten, and Teachers of the Year will be honored at the event. A reception will begin at 5:30 with dinner and program to follow at 6:00.

Education Celebration tickets can be purchased online at hcefnc.org/events/educationcelebration or by calling the Foundation at 828.697.5551. For more information about the 2018 Education Celebration or the Hall of Fame, please contact Summer Stipe at summer@hcefnc.org.