A little rain did not damper the spirits of the people assembled at the Columbia (SC) Housing Authority's annual Wall of Fame Ceremony on April 27th. This was the nineteenth ceremony honoring former public housing residents for their outstanding accomplishments. At the 2006 event, Rev. Edward Francis, Sr. and Acy Suber, Jr. were added to a distinguished list of honorees, which now includes 46 members in all.

Over 500 persons attended the Nineteenth Annual Wall of Fame Ceremony at the Columbia (SC) Housing Authority.

Rev. Edward Francis was a member of the CHA Board of Commissioners as the resident representative until he died in December, 2005. He was known throughout SC for his commitment to education and for improving the quality of life for people in Columbia area.

Acy Suber, Jr. began his teaching career in Charleston County, SC and was the first minority Assistant Principal in one of their local schools. He was a teacher, coach, and administrator. An Ordained Deacon, Mr. Suber is currently Chairman of the Deacons Ministry at a local church and volunteers in numerous activities in the community.

Acy Suber at the podium after being inducted in the Wall of Fame.

Astronaut Major General Charles Bolden was the guest speaker.

William Dudley Gregorie, FOD for the Columbia, SC HUD office also spoke.

The concept for a Wall of Fame began in 1988 under the leadership of William R. Ballou, former executive director of the CHA. Ballou believed the absence of positive role models in the lives of public housing youth was contributing to the cycle of government dependence among families. If children were surrounded with images of former public housing residents who had succeeded in life, Ballou believed it would encourage them to set higher goals and standards for themselves.

Astronaut Major General Charles Bolden (second from right) is surrounded by the C.A. Johnson Preparatory Academy Air Force ROTC at the end of the ceremony. The ROTC did an excellent job of presenting the colors at the event.

While parts of the criterion for induction have varied over the years, the basic requirements have not. To be eligible, an individual must be a former CHA public housing or Section 8 resident, have achieved success in their chosen career field, and be recognized as someone who gives back to the community. A Committee screens the applications each year and then they are approved by the CHA Board of Commissioners.

Previous inductees include: Bishop Fredrick James, AME Church; Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Catholic Church of Chicago; Tyrone Corbin and Jermaine O'Neal, NBA; J. Anthony Brown, nationally syndicated radio personality; Harold White, Assistant Athletic Director for the University of South Carolina; and Heyward Bannister, Director of Fannie Mae for South Carolina.

Columbia, SC FOD speaking at event.

In 1988, the original ceremony was very simple. Small brass plaques were placed on the wall.
However, in 1993 the CHA received a Public Housing Drug Elimination Grant (PHDEP) to tackle drug activity in the community. Local police recommended building a wall between two large public housing communities on either side of Oak Read, Saxon Homes and Allen-Benedict Court, where drug trafficking had become a problem. The end result was a 12-foot-tall wall that created an attractive courtyard for the elderly residents of Oak Read and eventually became the site of the annual ceremony.

By the time the wall was finished, the Wall of Fame ceremony had become so important to the community that the CHA decided to increase the visibility of the program. Therefore, as part of the CHA's 60th Anniversary Celebration in 1994, large portraits of the 21 inductees at the time were painted on the new wall by over 300 school children, assisted by local artist Ralph Waldrop.

Acy Suber stands by his plaque which will be installed on one of the columns at the Wall of Fame in the Oak-Read High-rise public housing community.

In the beginning of the CHA's HOPE VI revitalization efforts in Saxon Homes a few years later, honorees and community members expressed concerns over the Wall of Fame being demolished during construction. The wall had been listed as a landmark in a publication by the South Carolina State Department of Tourism for African-Americans. During public hearings on plans for the new Celia Saxon neighborhood, community members suggested the Wall of Fame be included in the CHA's redevelopment. During the annual ceremony in 2004, the CHA unveiled a new Wall of Fame, which features portraits of each honoree on the brick columns of the fence surrounding the Oak Read garden.