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James
Byrnes Secretary of State - SPARTANBURG Byrnes served as U.S. Congressman from 1911-1925 and U.S. Senator from 1931-1941. From 1945-47 the former governor of South Carolina served as Secretary of State under Harry Truman. It was during this time that Byrnes held high level meetings in Spartanburg, reportedly discussing the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan. He was governor of the state from 1951-1955.
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Frederick
Dent From 1958-72 Dent was President of Mayfair Mills. Locally, Dent served as chairman of the Spartanburg County Planning and Development Commission from 1960-72. From 1974-75 this longtime Spartanburg resident served as Secretary of Commerce under Gerald Ford.
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Bishop
Dimitrios of Xanthos Born James Couchell in Greenville, S.C., Bishop Dimitrios moved to Spartanburg as a child. In May, 1999, the Bishop accompanied Greenville, S.C. native Rev. Jesse Jackson to Yugoslavia to negotiate the release of three U.S. soldiers held prisoner during NATO Operations there. The Bishop's grandfather, Nicholas Trakas came to Spartanburg from Greece in the early 1900's and helped to establish the local Greek community here.
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Dorman
High School Academic Team In 2003, the Dorman Academic Team won national quiz bowl competitions in Cleveland and Chicago. Traveling team members of this team were Cale Bonner, Jason Kopp, Adam Herring and Terrill Wilkins. |
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Michaei
Guest Since 2001, Michael Guest has served as ambassador to Romania. In 3 years, Guest has gained celebrity status there, championing value issues that are relevent to the Romanian people such as anti-corruption and judicial reform. During this time the business climate has improved from $700 million in two-way trade to over $1 billion. For his efforts, Guest has received the Charles E. Cobb, Jr. Award for Initiative and Success in Trade Development from the State Department. He also was instrumental in Romania's invitation to join NATO. A 1975 graduate of Spartanburg High School, Guest received went on to earn degrees at Furman University and University of Virginia. |
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Jesse
Jackson American civil rights activist and political leader, Jackson is a Baptist minister who was born in Greenville, SC. In 1984 and 1988, he was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. From 1990 to 1996, he served as a nonvoting member of the U.S. Senate from the District of Columbia. He was director of Operation Breadbasket from 1966 to 1971, the economic branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Jackson founded two organizations which later merged, Operation PUSH and the Rainbow Coalition, devoted to gaining economic and political power for blacks and other minorities. On
several occasions Jackson has taken trips abroad that have resulted
in the freeing of hostages or political prisoners. Most recently
in 1999, he went to Yugoslavia to negotiate the release of three
U.S. soldiers held prisoner during NATO Operations there. On that
trip he was accompanied by another Greenville-Spartanburg native,
Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos.
1989, Jackson was awarded the Spingarn Medal for his civil
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The
National Beta Club Started in 1934 at Landrum High School (Spartanburg County's smallest public high school), today National Beta Club headquarters are located on Beta Club Way in Spartanburg. The Beta Club counts 4.5 million alumni, and serves 44 states and territories. In 1999 its membership contributed over 6,475,000 hours of community service, and over $230,000 in Beta Scholarships. The original Beta Club was the brainchild of then Wofford College professor John W. Harris.
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Richard
Riley Richard W. Riley served as Secretary of Education under Bill Clinton. Graduating cum laude from Furman University, Riley received a law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1959. He served as a state representative and state senator from 1963-1977. Elected governor in 1978, he became the first governor in modern South Carolina history to serve a second term when he was re-elected in 1982. During this time, he pushed forward the Education Improvement Act, which according to a Rand Corporation study, was the "most comprehensive educational reform measure in the United States."
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Gen.
William Westmoreland
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