2016 Greater Darlington Chamber Annual Banquet and Awards
Citizen of the Year 2016 Gloria B. Pridgen with 2015 recipient Howard Garland
By Jana E. Pye, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
The Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Awards Banquet and Celebration on Thursday, February 4, 2016 at the Darlington Country Club. The chamber chairperson Jannie Latham and executive director Sabrina Derry presided over the well-attended event, which awarded seven awards to community leaders.
The event has long been a night of surprises, as the family and friends of winners help to conspire to insure that each person awarded is completely unaware of their impending award. Lathan herself was surprised at the beginning of the awards program with recognition as chamber Board Member of the Year by fellow board member John Kimbrough.
One more surprise will be forthcoming in next week’s paper, as the chamber board has a special announcement to make.
In addition to each award, U.S. Senator Tim Scott sent along signed Certificates of Excellence to each winner.
The Educator of the Year award was presented to Arlene Wallace, Principal of Mayo High School for Math, Science and Technology. Dr. Greg Harrison, past winner of the award, presented her with the award. (The 2015 winner, Dona Jo Brown, was caring for ill family members.)
Educator of the Year 2016 Arlene Wallace.
Wallace was noted for the tremendous accomplishment of the magnet high school in Darlington that has been rated Excellent by the Department of Education of South Carolina since 2001, and received the Palmetto Gold Award each year; SAT and ACT scores exceed national average; named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, ranked #6 for SC schools by US News and World Report- Silver Award and in the top 5% of 21,000 high schools in the nation, among other tremendous accolades.
“Thank you for this honor, I am full of love right now. The love of the students, and the community. Thank you for the honor,” said Wallace.
She shared that she was told that she though she was there on behalf of her husband Roosevelt Wallace.
She continued: “Darlington and Darlington County have taken me in. During my down time, when I had two tragic events happen to me, I learned I am part of a family. You showed me you were my family. Thank you for your support. I want to help make Darlington and Darlington County the best we can make it. Thank you for this honor.”
Small Business of the Year award was presented to Vinny Monterosso, owner of the Italian restaurant Mamma Mia in Darlington, by 2015 recipient John Isgett of Raceway Automotive Group.
Small Business of the Year 2016 Vinny Monterosso of Mamma Mia with 2015 recipient John Isgett.
Monterosso, a native of Sicily, Italy, lived in New Jersey for over 25 years. With a desire to live in a smaller town, he set his sights on Darlington and opened Mamma Mia in 2011. He has assisted with many community events and his restaurant is known for it’s delicious Italian cuisine and a family friendly atmosphere.
“I have no words, I thank you everybody- the Chamber of Commerce and the people of Darlington.” said Monterosso. “You have given me a warm welcome like family, I appreciate you. I will do my best to spend my years in the business expanding. I am glad I am in this town, I appreciate all you give to me. I want my spend my life here.”
Future Business Leader of the Year award was presented to B.J. Goodson by Harriett Hobbs. “It was very evident at an early age that football was where he excelled,” said Hobbs. Goodson, a 2011 graduate of Lamar High School, graduated from Clemson University in December with a BA degree in sociology with aspirations of being a family counselor and one day coach football. He played on the Clemson Tigers football team his entire academic career, culminating in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship. He is looking with great anticipation to be drafted into the NFL. He was described as humble, hardworking, loyal, and a devout Christian. He was noted for being a leader on and off the field with commitment to the community, including Habitat for Humanity builds, visiting children in hospitals, and coming home to his high school to encourage the kids of Lamar. He flew in just for the night because he was told his mother was getting an award.
Future Business Leader of the Year 2016 B.J. Goodson with Annual Banquet co-chair Harriet Hobbs
“I want to thank God for this award,” said Goodson. “Without him none of this would be possible. Famly was always first for me growing up, I love you guys. My coaches are all year from Pee Wee going all the way up, I love you guys and I wouldn’t be here without you guys. Being able to represent Darlington County means a lot, I love the community. I like to represent where we come from. In Lamar, all we really have is family and football. And that is one thing I take a lot of pride in. I want to thank the community for this award, thank you. Go Tigers!”
Community Pride award was presented to the Darlington Raceway team by 2015 recipient Janie Howell. The group was noted for their accomplishments since 1950, and for hosting community events each year, and since new track president Chip Wile came on board in 2013 the support of the local community have been significant. Some of the events include: Turn 3 Theater Movie Nights (with sponsor Raceway Ford & Chevrolet) free movie nights for families each spring; Speed & Feed BBQ Cook-Off and Car Show in November each year; each spring, the track hosts a one-day running event, featuring a half marathon, 5K and 1.366-mile fun run; Darlington Raceway has partnered with the chamber to host Freedom Fest two years in a row, a July 4 community festival and fireworks show; a country concert supporting the Darlington County Education Foundation (DCEF) in May of 2015; a Touch-A-Truck event held in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage with proceeds benefiting the Junior League of Florence; and the track hosted a Walk with the Docs event, which raises funds for the free medical clinic in Darlington County.
Community Pride 2016 Darlington Raceway team, track president Chip Wile, with 2015 recipient Janie Howell.
The track also supports many blood donation events throughout the year for the American Red Cross, and made contributions to support local area charitable organizations, including The Lord Cares and Harvest Hope Food Banks, the YMCA of Darlington and the Darlington County School District. They are host of the Duke Progress Energy trucks during inclement weather as well.
Accepting the award on behalf of the team, track president Chip Wile said, “I don’t feel comfortable accepting this award because I don’t do anything,” and gestured to his team joining him at the front of the banquet room. “These folks are the ones that deserve all the credit. When I got here 2 ½ years ago, we had three events on the calendar. Practice Day, Infinity Day, and Cup Day. I recognized immediately that wasn’t good enough for these guys and our community. You are where we live, the folks that support us, and we feel it’s our obligation to be a good community partner. These folks deserve a lot of credit. They work extremely hard and put in extremely long hours. There are 12 folks at the Raceway, and we do all these events with these twelve folks. But we are honored to serve you and be a part of this community. We have won a lot of awards in the last twelve months. Darlington Raceway is back. It is back.” At that point, the entire audience burst into applause.
“We had the best crowd we’ve had in over ten years, and 2016 is shaping up to be even better. Like I said, we have won a lot of national awards, but this one means the most because it comes from you guys,” continued Wile. “We are so proud to serve you. Thank you so much.”
Citizen of the Year award was presented to Gloria Bruce Pridgen by 2015 recipient Howard Garland.
Pridgen spent decades as a servant leader in our community, her church and as Clerk and Treasurer for the City of Darlington. She is the mother of two sons, Reginald and Alex and has five wonderful grandchildren. She is a 1974 graduate of Mayo High School, and attended Florence-Darlington Technical College. While attending Florence Darlington Technical College, she worked at Electro-Motive Corporation. She began working for the City of Darlington in 1979. During her employment with the City, Gloria worked as Secretary for the Police Department and Office Manager for the City’s Water Department, and then as Assistant Clerk and Treasurer. In 1996, Gloria became the City’s Clerk and Treasurer, a position she holds today. Gloria attended the Clerk & Treasurer’s Institute in Columbia, SC for four years and two years later earned the Certified Municipal Clerk’s designation. She was also named a former Employee of the Year for the City of Darlington.
Pridgen is also a biblical scholar, and furthered her Biblical studies for four years at Pee Dee Bible Institute in Darlington. She has been a member of New Jerusalem Apostolic Church of Jesus since 1991 and serves as Church Secretary, and on many church groups and committees. She was ordained as a Missionary in 2014, and has provided comfort and support to thousands in this community and throughout the state.
Pridgen recently lost her mother, and was overcome by emotion as she accepted her award from Garland.
“First I want to give honor to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for such a great opportunity,” said Pridgen. “I thank and praise God for those who thought allowed me a chance to receive this great honor. I am so privileged. I just love each and every one of you. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you, thank you thank you. This past month has been such a trying time with the passing of my mother. The workers at the City of Darlington were so understanding; Howard allowed me to not work and come in at night when I was with in the hospital with my mom during the day. I appreciate how understanding you all were, I thank you so much. Thank you.
Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Jimmy Newsom by Lina Pearson, 2015 recipient.
During the turbulent times of the 1960’s and 1970’s, he worked with the community and worked for his belief in quality education for all children and one that now exemplifies the best education. He was a high school principal, a coach, and in 1993 he was named Superintendent of the Darlington County School District. During his time, Mr. Newsom provided quality guidance and leadership for the consolidation of two junior high schools and two high schools and the development of the magnet school for grades 9 – 12, which is now the pride of Darlington County.
Lifetime Achievement Award 2016 Jimmy Newsom with 2015 recipent Lina Pearson
His commitment to the Greater Darlington community is not only evident in his career, but also in his person life. He currently serves as chairperson for the Darlington County Free Medical Clinic, corporate fundraiser for the Friends of the Lamar Library, chair of the Lamar Civitans Silver Fox Tournament of Champions that continues to donate thousands of scholarships to Lamar students and contributes generously to the Lamar Athletic Department. He is honorary chairperson of Pee Dee Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. He is a member of the Lamar United Methodist church where he teaches Sunday School and serves as a Lay Leader. Among a long list of community involvement, he was noted for helping to establish the Lamar Egg Scramble Event.
“This is a bigger surprise than some of the others I’ve seen tonight, I think really that one of the honors of things I’ve done is I’ve been on every rooftop in the school district of Darlington County, “ said Newsom. “I’ve enjoyed my stay when I first came to this county, I thought I’d be here two or three years and move on. And I had other opportunities, but Lamar and Darlington County is home. I appreciate all the folks that I worked with the students, coaches, administrators; it’s a real privilege to serve this community, and Lamar. Thank you very much.”
Legacy Award was given to the late Dr. John McLean Wilson by chairperson Jannie Lathan.
Wilson, a Darlington native born in 1917, was a graduate of The Citadel and Duke Medical School. He was a highly decorated Captain in the US Army Medical Corps during World War II as a Battalion Surgeon and paratrooper in the 517th Airborne Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. He jumped behind enemy combat lines in Germany and France as part of a team, which established a field hospital. He also served with the 13th and 101st Airborne Divisions in the European Theater. His last military assignment was at the Regional Hospital in Fort Bragg, NC, as Chief of the Contagious Disease Section.
Legacy of the Year 2016 Dr. Wilson, accepted by son Dr. Tommy Wilson, with Chamber Chairperson Jannie Lathan
Upon his return to Darlington, he and his wife of 50 years, Amelia Talbert Wilson, founded the Wilson Clinic and Hospital in 1947. The first hospital in Darlington, the facility began in a two-story house on Pearl Street. Dr. Wilson was known for performing the first surgical procedure in Darlington and was the first physician to deliver infants in a hospital. He remained President and Chairman of the Board of Wilson Senior Care, Inc., until his death. His devotion to his patients and employees was a guiding presence throughout his distinguished career. Dr. Wilson was actively involved in this community. He was a championship golfer, avid fisherman, skilled hunter, and master gardener. He served as a member of Darlington City Council, Mayor pro tem, member and past president of St. David’s Society, member and past president of the Darlington Country Club, and was on the vestry of St. Matthews Episcopal Church for many years.
In 2003, Dr. Wilson decided to sell a portion of the company back to the dedicated employees. Several years later his four children sold their shares to the employees making Wilson Senior Care 100% employee owned.
Dr. Wilson passed away on June 14, 2006. What once was a family owned business has grown into what we know as Wilson Senior Care, the parent company of, Oakhaven Nursing Center, Medford Nursing Center, Morrell Nursing Center, The Rehab Center at Morrell, Loris Rehab and Nursing Center, MedWear Uniforms, and Med Center Pharmacy and Medical Supply. The company now has over 600 employees and over 400 skilled nursing residents in the state of South Carolina. One of Dr. Wilson’s favorite sayings-, “We can never become complacent and stop improving ourselves.”
Accepting the award on his father’s behalf was Dr. Tommy Wilson.
“This is quite an honor to accept this on behalf of my family to honor for my father for all his hard work. Everything Jannie says is true,” said Wilson. “He was a great father, a great physician, and a great Darlington citizen. Thank you.”
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