Lois Lusty
Lois Lusty was a driving force behind promoting the arts in Orangeburg. She and her husband founded the Orangeburg League of Arts as well as being the genesis behind the Orangeburg Arts Council that led to the development of the old river pavilion into a showplace for the arts. She was active with the I.P. Stanback Planetarium Advisory Committee, Girl Scouts, Newcomer’s Club, Orangeburg Garden Club, Orangeburg Music Club and the Carolina Friendship Club. She also was responsible for the annual art exhibit in the Statehouse lobby each year. She was named Orangeburg’s Citizen of the Year in 1988.
Vivian Glover
Author and journalist Vivian Glover has been an independent, freelance producer for NBC News and a contributing writer for MSNBC. Among numerous projects to her credit, the Orangeburg native co-produced the one-hour documentary, “Shared History,” in which descendants of the enslaved and their enslavers from Woodlands Plantation in Bamberg County engage in frank dialogues regarding the impact of race and relationships in the aftermath of American institutionalized slavery. The documentary aired nationally on PBS stations. Today Glover serves as Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center director of community arts and development.
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Sylvia Hiers
Sylvia Hiers was a driving force in saving and restoring the old Springfield High School. In addition to a visitor’s welcome center, the building functions as a community center and a museum with a memorabilia shop and African and Native American centers, along with a genealogy room. In 2016, a wing of the Springfield Museum was named the Orangeburg County Military Museum. Hiers has served Springfield as an elected official and in numerous official and unofficial capacities. She is a recipient of the Order of the Silver Crescent.
Pat Holman and Becky Ulmer
Pat Holman and Becky Ulmer were instrumental in founding the Elloree Heritage Museum & Cultural Center, which opened in 2002. The two also collaborated on the book, "From Cotton Fields to Golf Courses: A Pictorial History of Elloree and Santee," which they co-authored along with Celia Ulmer.
Eartha Kitt
A internationally acclaimed singer and actress, Eartha Kitt is now honored by her native Town of North with “Eartha Kitt Day” in January. During the six-decade span of her career, Kitt won two Emmys and was also nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys. She is best known for her distinctive voice on vocals like "Santa Baby" and her captivating portrayal of the infamous Catwoman in the hit "Batman" TV series, Kitt was born in North on Jan. 17, 1927. She died on Christmas Day in 2008. The effort to honor her was spearheaded by Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, former Orangeburg resident Rosa Bogar and others.
Gwen Binnicker
Along with her husband Bill Binnicker, Gwen Binnicker was a driving force in founding the Norway Museum, which is housed in the Old Willow School. She and Bill, who died in 2019, served as co-managers of the museum founded a decade ago. Gwen is known to many also as a physical education teacher for four decades.
Kay Crawford
Karen “Kay” Crawford was an instrumental leader in promoting the cultural arts in Orangeburg County for many years. She was the founder of the Junior Part-Time Players and a longtime member and director of the theatrical troupe, the Orangeburg Part-Time Players. Also a piano teacher, she became widely known as “the Mother Superior of Musical Theater in Orangeburg.”
Marion Salley
As a historian, Marion Salley was deeply interested in preserving the history of the Orangeburg area. As a correspondent for several newspapers, she authored articles about life in Orangeburg in the 1700s and 1800s. She was a faculty member at Orangeburg High School for a number of years.
