SC State inducts 20 into prestigious Thomas E. Miller Society
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – South Carolina State University on Saturday inducted 20 alumni – six individual donors and seven couples -- into the Thomas E. Miller Society.
Named for the institution’s first president, the Miller Society recognizes donors who have contributed gifts totaling $100,000 or more to the university.
This year’s honorees and their class years:
- Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Geraldine T. Doctor, ’61, ’61
- Mr. Frank E. Drayton, ’72
- Mr. Robert L. and Mrs. Rosa D. Evans, ’66, ’68
- Dr. Charles J. Fincher, ’58
- Dr. James A. Franklin, Sr., ’65
- Mr. John and Mrs. Catherine J. Frederick, ’63, ’62
- Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Frances M. Harley, ’76, ’73
- Mrs. Frances Nelson Hooks, ’66
- Mr. James H. and Mrs. Cassaundra D. Mulligan, ’73
- Dr. Charles E. Pimble, ’69
- Mr. Harrison Rearden, ’58
- Mr. Elijah B. and Mrs. Jean D. Rogers, ’62
- Mr. Carl I. and Mrs. Cynthia S. Terry, ’67, ’67.
Mr. Bobby and Mrs. Geraldine T. Doctor
Bobby Doctor spent most of his youth living in Columbia’s Allen Benedict Court housing projects. He credits his mother for encouraging him to get his college degree instead of pursuing a military career. His early years growing up in the segregated South shaped his life’s path to lead by example. As a college student, he was inspired by the student sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina. The next day, he organized a group of students in Orangeburg to start the sit-in movement in South Carolina and was later jailed for similar activities in Columbia.
Mr. Doctor’s professional career spans more than 50 years on the front lines fighting for human rights, civil rights, and equal opportunities. His path took him to the Virginia Council on Human Relations and the Tennessee regional office of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights where he led regional efforts to champion civil rights. His later roles on the national stage as Director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and Southen Christian Leadership Council allowed him the opportunity to have a direct impact on federal civil rights policy. Mr. Doctor was recognized by SC State as the 1981 Outstanding Alumnus.
Mrs. Twyman Doctor was inspired by her mother, who was her first-grade teacher, to pursue a career in public service. Following in her mother’s footsteps, she majored in Elementary Education and began her career in South Carolina public schools before moving to Washington, D.C. She earned her master’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Maryland, College Park. She retired after 45 years of service as an educator in the District of Columbia Public School system. Mrs. Twyman Doctor is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
The Doctors reside in Columbia. Mrs. Doctor has one daughter, Sudria. Mr. Doctor has three sons, Robert, Michael, and Marcus, from the union with his late wife, Joan, who passed away in 2008.
Mr. Frank E. Drayton
Drayton served six years in the U.S. Army, holding various positions of leadership including Company Commander. He supervised construction projects stateside and was the project manager for a large construction project in South Korea. Following the military, he worked for Texas Instruments (TI) in the Defense Group as a Manufacturing Engineer and then as a Quality Engineer in the Division Quality Audit Group. He was part of the team that prepared the group to become the first Defense Contractor to win the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. He moved to Program Quality Engineering supporting domestic and international customers. The TI Defense Group transitioned to Raytheon Company where he was promoted to the position of Factory Quality Engineering Manager for a Radar Manufacturing Center in Mississippi. He held the position for ten years then transitioned back to Texas as the Quality Engineering Manager for a Special Products Factory for seven years.
As a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., he held various offices and chaired committees at the local and district levels. He received the Founders’ Award recognition and was recognized as Omega Man of the Year three times. Mr. Drayton is a member of The Hamilton Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, having held multiple leadership positions. He is retired and enjoys photography, golf, long-distance cycling, and traveling. He serves as the Class Agent for the Class of 1972.
Mr. Robert L. and Mrs. Rosa D. Evans
After completing the Advanced Corp ROTC, Evans entered the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and served in Texas, Missouri, and South Korea. While in the Army, Robert and Rosa married and began their family. He left the Army as a 1st Lieutenant and began civilian work as a high school mathematics teacher and track coach in Sumter, South Carolina. He earned a master’s in education from SC State in 1972. Robert left the teaching profession in 1980 and began working in the telecommunication business with then Southern Bell. He worked in numerous capacities in his 25-year career in telecommunication retiring in June 2005 as a Manager.
Mrs. Evans was employed as a social worker at South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation. After moving to Columbia, South Carolina, she transferred to the Disability Determination Division and worked as a Quality Control Analyst for most of her 38 years of State services retiring in 2006 as a Support Services Supervisor.
Robert and Rosa have diligently supported SC State and other charities for many years. They credit SC State for playing a huge part in making them who they are today, loyal sons and daughters who give and serve. Robert was treasurer of the STATE Club for more than 15 years and served as the board representative on the Athletics Hall of Fame Committee. For the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association, he chaired the now Public Policy Committee. They are members of the Greater Columbia Alumni Chapter and are proud parents of two sons and three granddaughters. They attend Northminster Presbyterian Church USA.
Retired Capt. Charles J. Fincher
He then served eight plus years in the US Army serving in Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Dix, New Jersey; Pirmasens, Germany and Boston, Massachusetts, and earning the rank of Captain. He taught ROTC at the Northeastern University in Boston, where he and his wife, Janet, a retired elementary school teacher, received their master’s degrees.
His interest in entrepreneurship started early as he witnessed his father’s success in various endeavors.Fincher is the first black individual to sell office products for IBM in the southeast. This opportunity resulted in a very successful 14-year career. In 1985, he founded The Red Sea Office Supplies store in Dallas. He chose that name because it reminded him of how God delivered His people and how God did and would deliver him. Today, 39 years later, The Red Sea Office Supplies is still in business and Captain Fincher, the Chief Executive Officer, works there every day.
Fincher loves his alma mater and has supported her over the years, but when his college roommate and good friend, Mr. Harrison Rearden, encouraged his 1958 classmates to make major gifts, he did that in 2023.
Watching NFL games, studying the stock market and investment opportunities, and exercising three days weekly are how he spends his spare time. As a believer in Jesus Christ, he loves listening to the Bible and challenging his Sunday School classmates.
He is a member of the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association (Dallas-Fort Worth Alumni Chapter) and a 54-year life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Married for 62 years, Captain and Mrs. Fincher have two daughters and four grandchildren.
Dr. James A. Franklin
As a civil rights activist, Dr. Franklin marched in Orangeburg, Columbia, and Washington and was arrested in Orangeburg. "Bulldog Tenacity" gave him the courage to integrate the faculty of McColl High School in McColl, South Carolina.
Dr. Franklin has been a teacher, elementary principal, middle school assistant principal and principal, high school principal, county assistant school superintendent and superintendent, and State Department of Education Consultant. In recognition of his work in education, a stadium in Williamsburg County bears his name.
While directing a substance abuse program, he established the Marlboro County Rural Halfway House, South Carolina’s first halfway house for chemically addicted persons. The facility is in Bennettsville, South Carolina, with residents working to reduce recidivism.
A community activist, Dr. Franklin established the Mims Foundation in McCormick. The Foundation has a memorial site, a Mims African American Museum, and a Mims Military Site, and provides two scholarships annually. As a Red Cross Volunteer, he established a walk-a-thon for five high schools to compete as walkers for the American Red Cross.
Dr. Franklin is a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Dr. Franklin and his wife, the late Mrs. Clara Wright Franklin, who also had three college degrees, provided the scholarly excellence environment for their children's success: James, Jr., B.S., and Law Degree from the University of South Carolina, and an MBA from Harvard; Jamel, B.S. from the University of South Carolina, and Law Degree from Duke University; and SoMonike, B. S. from Francis Marion University.
Author of the book, "Golden Nuggets: Experiences in the Old South", Dr. Franklin captured black life in the 1930s to 1970s. He is a deacon at Bethany Missionary Baptist Church in McCormick, where he brings groups of students to SC State’s homecomings. Dr. Franklin resides in Columbia, South Carolina.
Mr. John and Mrs. Catherine J. Frederick
John and Catherine take great pride in having served in the administration of the first female president of the Student Government Association (Catherine Peppers from Columbia, South Carolina).
John was employed as a high school teacher of industrial arts in Jeffersonville and Macon, Georgia for five years. He moved to Flint, Michigan in 1970 to become employed in the Flint Community Schools. He is a U.S. Army veteran who served two years as a medical specialist in the 8th Evacuation Hospital in Landstuhl, Germany before being honorably discharged. He is a member of the American Legion Post 94, in Flint, a life member of Prince Hall Grant Lodge of Michigan, 33rd Degree, and the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Noble Mystic Shrine of North and South America and its Jurisdictions Inc. and life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
Catherine taught business classes at St. Mark Elementary and High School in Williamsburg County and Bryson High School in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. She was very proud of her rural students who performed at very competitive levels in shorthand and typing with their urban competitors. After leaving Fountain Inn she entered graduate school in Michigan and retired as a counselor in Flint in 2010. She is a member of the National Council of Negro Women and a Golden Life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
As retired professionals, they remain involved in their communities (Orangeburg during the winter months) and hold memberships in the Michigan Democratic Party, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the League of Women Voters, Michigan Education Association (retired), National Education (retired), Woodrow Stanley Black Leaders, and Grace Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Mr. and Mrs. Frederick are life members of the South Carolina State University National Education Association.
Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Frances M. Harley
Gregory graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Art Education. After graduation, he was employed with the South Carolina Arts Commission. He later moved to Charlotte, where he was employed with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and retired after 31 years of service.
Frances is a 1973 and 1975 South Carolina State University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Speech Pathology and Audiology. She was a student in South Carolina State College’s inaugural Graduate Speech Pathology and Audiology Program. She worked as a Speech/Language Pathologist in hospital, clinical, and school settings. She served as a lead speech/language pathologist in the Charlotte/Mecklenburg School System and retired in 2012.
The Harleys have been involved in numerous community service activities. They have helped build several Habitat for Humanity Houses. They have served as reading partners for second- grade students in the Charlotte/Mecklenburg School System North Star Reading Program. Mr. Harley Greg has served as a volunteer and Chief Judge for the Mecklenburg Board of Elections. Frances served as Youth Oratorical Director and public speaking coach for the James F. Wertz Oratorical Contest presented in the Charlotte area churches and community.
The Harleys are committed to supporting SC State in educating students. They are life members of the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association, members of the Charlotte Alumni Chapter, and the STATE Club. Mrs. Harley was selected as SCSUNAA Queen in 2019. They provide book and financial scholarships to deserving speech pathology and audiology students and gifted the Dr. Harold Powell Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic with therapy materials. They were the first recipients of the Dr. Harold Powell Award, an award presented to those who contribute to students’ success in the Speech Pathology and Audiology Department.
Mr. and Mrs. Harley are members of Reeder Memorial Baptist Church. They have two adult children, Samuel and April, and a daughter-in-law, Jamila.
Mrs. Frances Nelson Hooks
Upon graduation, Frances set off to Washington D.C. where she immersed herself in vital government work, lending her talents to the Department of Energy for over three and a half decades. Frances provided indispensable management and administration in roles across agencies, including the pinnacle of her career when she worked in the White House itself - collaborating with the Office of Energy Policy under Secretary James Schlesinger. Upon retirement from federal service, she transitioned to a position assisting the Office of Institutional Development at Prince George's Community College in Maryland. Frances poured herself into empowering these institutions to reach higher.
Simultaneously, Frances dedicated herself to uplifting her alma mater through staunch support of the Washington., D.C., Alumni Chapter. She served in nearly every capacity for the association -- as Chapter President, top fundraiser, membership committee chair, and more. She initiated innovative engagement projects like the campus road adoption and personalized bulldog tags that forged tighter alumni bonds. For her ubiquity in amplifying public awareness of South Carolina State and for embodying the university's spirit of community advancement, she received accolades as both Chapter and National Alumnus of the Year. She is a life member of the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association.
Recently, Frances moved to Atlanta to live with her daughter, Stephanie, though her heart is also with her sons, Darryl and Terry, and grandchildren.
She set an example of service before self that advanced the institutions she cherished and the communities she belonged to including her involvement with her local church, Largo Community Church, and in her neighborhood with the Kettering Civic Association. Hers is a legacy that calls on all fellow alumni to become active participants in the betterment of the places and people that made us who we are today.
Mr. James Mulligan and Mrs. Cassaundra Mulligan
James is a member of the South Carolina State Class of 1973 graduating with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering technology. He did further study at the Citadel in Business Administration. He is a life member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. and was initiated in 1971. Cassaundra “Sandy” Mulligan, an avid SC State supporter, is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a degree in business administration. She is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and was initiated while in college.
James, a retired civil engineer, left the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Charleston after 37 years of employment. He was also the vice president of Charleston-based JAM Diversified Engineering and Construction Company.
Cassaundra, a retired contracting officer, left the Veterans Administration Hospital in Charleston after 38 years of federal government employment. She spent 28 of those years at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command.
Working on behalf of South Carolina State University has been an ongoing endeavor for the Mulligans. Both are longtime members of the Charleston Alumni Chapter and life members of the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association. He was recognized on the association’s Stellar Alumni Calendar in 2015 for engineering. The Mulligans are millennium members of the STATE Club, and James served as secretary of its Board of Directors for six years. Mr. and Mrs. Mulligan are also R.I.S.E. (athletics major gift initiative) contributors. James served on the South Carolina State University Real Estate Foundation Board of Directors and provided financial support through his participation with the Class of 1973 and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s ongoing fundraising campaigns.
The Mulligans have two adult children, Keri Martin, and Bryan Mulligan. Their granddaughter, Jasmine French, is a junior Ag Scholar at SC State and is doing extraordinarily well academically.
The Mulligans are active members of Old Bethel United Methodist Church in downtown Charleston.
Dr. Charles E. Pimble
He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics in 1969 from SC State and his master’s in education from Boston University in 1978. In May 2021, he received a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership with a focus on counseling and human serves, Higher Education from Fayetteville State University. His dissertation is entitled: Navigating the College Choice Processes of Cost and Other Factors Impacting African Americans Attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Dr. Pimble was selected as the first recipient of the Department of the Army Civilian Award, which is now named the Charles E. Pimble Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented by the Commanding General of the United States Army Special Operations Command at Fort Liberty.
Dr. Pimble worked with theater at the Vicenza (vi-chin-za) Playhouse in Italy, and the Fort Bragg Playhouse. He assumed the role as the Director of the Living Last Supper at the John F. Kennedy Chapel at Fort Bragg which is now named Fort Liberty in North Carolina. He continued directing for 15 years until the COVID-19 pandemic occurred.
When at home in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he enjoys cooking, taking care of his homes, and working with the Miss North Carolina pageants. Dr. Pimble is a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Mr. Harrison Rearden
He has had an array of community leadership and managerial experiences spanning 45 years as a secondary school teacher, district manager in the life insurance industry, and state government. In 2001, Harrison retired as Deputy State Director from the South Carolina Department of Social Services after 29 years of employment.
Throughout his adult life, Mr. Rearden has been vigorously involved in public service which began with his active involvement in the civil rights movement and continues to the present. He serves on a plethora of boards, committees, and commissions. To name a few, he is a deacon at the First Nazareth Baptist Church and a member of the United Baptist Deacons of Columbia of which there are 22 churches. He is also a board member of the Action Council of South Carolina and the South Carolina State Employees Association where he also serves as parliamentarian. He is a member of The Salvation Army’s advisory board, the Columbia Luncheon Club, and the Meadow Lake Homeowners Association. He is a former chairman of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport Commission and former vice chair of the South Carolina Department of Transportation Commission. In addition, Mr. Rearden has received over 60 awards/plaques including the Order of the Palmetto and the Silver Crescent from the State of South Carolina, Public Service Awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the South Carolina State Employees Association.
Rearden, an avid golfer, is the former Chaplain of the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association’s Greater Columbia Alumni Chapter.
He is married to the former Alethia Parr, of Sumter, South Carolina, and they travel extensively.
Mr. Elijah B. and Mrs. Jean D. Rogers
Elijah had a lengthy career in public administration. He served as Assistant City Administrator in Richmond, Virginia, as City Manager in the City of Berkeley, California, and as City Administrator in Washington, DC for Mayor Marion Barry. He mentored many young Black professionals who were beginning their careers in public service agencies around the country. Because of his ardent desire to ensure that his mentees were equipped with the knowledge and support needed to be effective administrators, he and fellow national administrators established the National Association for Black Public Administrators in the early 1980s.
Elijah took his public administration expertise to help a friend, Dr. Delon Hampton, who had just started an engineering company. He spent the last thirty years of his career, as the President of this Black-owned engineering firm directing the growth and development of the firm now in its 50th year of operation.
Jean Doctor Rogers spent her professional career in educational counseling and career development mostly at the college level. She has a strong commitment to education and ensuring that African American students receive the guidance and direction needed to have successful professional careers.
To honor her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Willie Doctor, Jean and Elijah provided financial assistance to families who lived in Allen-Benedict Court in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Rogerses are extremely grateful to SC State and to show their appreciation, established the Elijah B. and Jean D Rogers Endowed Scholarship fund as their commitment to furthering the opportunity of deserving students to attain a college degree. Hopefully, these students will give back to the University their talent, time, and resources to future generations.
Mr. Carl Terry and Mrs. Cynthia Scruggs Terry
While at SC State, Cynthia was a member of the Marching 101 Band and an attendant to Miss South Carolina State College. She was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., and she is now a Golden Life member. In May 1967, Cynthia earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from SC State, then later earned a Master of Music and an Educational Specialist Degree from Georgia State University.
Cynthia was employed by Atlanta Public Schools for 39 years as an Elementary Music Specialist, Coordinator of Music, and Director of Fine and Performing Arts.
Carl was initiated into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Xi Psi Chapter, in October 1965 and is active with the Eta Omega Chapter in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Medical Service Corps in the
U.S. Army. After relocating to Atlanta, Carl was employed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and became the first person of color to become Regional Public Affairs Director, for the Southeast, EPA Region 4. He retired October 2010.
The Terrys are 50-plus-year members of Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Cynthia serves on the Board of Trustees and Carl serves on the Board of Deacons. Cynthia has served as Coordinator of Music, Director of the Children’s Choir, and the Youth and Adult Handbell Choirs. They both serve on the Steering Committee for the Class of 1967, which at its 50th class reunion, created an endowed scholarship fund. They are members of the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association and the Atlanta Alumni Chapter.
Mr. and Mrs. Terry are parents of twin daughters, Yvonne Terry Browder, Ph.D., and Yvette Terry Harris. They are the grandparents of Kellen Ahmad and Terri Amaya.