For their service to education in Fort Mill, these notables will never be forgotten

His service to the district spans more than four decades, one of the reasons the late Alfred Oscar “A.O.” Jones is among the five members of Fort Mill’s first education Hall of Fame class.

The newly created Hall of Fame honors graduates of the Fort Mill School District and other people who have made significant contributions to the betterment of their communities, the school district, their states or the nation, said school board Chairman Patrick White.

It was a nearly two-year process to establish the framework of Fort Mill School District’s Hall of Fame, White said.

The Fort Mill School Board appointed Fort Mill History Museum board members Mike Hill and Rudy Sanders, Mayor Guynn Savage, White, school board Trustee Scott Patterson and Jeff Updike, a longtime Tega Cay resident, as the selection committee in charge of reviewing applications and bringing nominees to the school board for consideration and induction.

Eligible inductees include former Fort Mill School District students, former employees, former board members, community leaders, parents of former students and others with notable contributions. Up to five nominees can be selected for the Hall of Fame each year.

White said the committee will also consider legacy members in their selections.

“As people age, move and unfortunately die out in this community, there’s going to come a time when the people that are living and working in the district might not know who was important or who went through some of the biggest periods of the district,” he said.

Hill and Sanders will help facilitate those efforts.

“They certainly have a lot of information and history of not only the town but of the school district to help us with that,” White said.

Hill introduced the five nominees to the school board during a work session Wednesday.

Jones

There was just 11 grades when Jones, a native of Fort Mill born in 1899, graduated from Fort Mill High school in 1916. Despite putting his college career on hold to serve in World War I, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Presbyterian College and later received a master’s degree from University of South Carolina, Hill said.

Jones started teaching in the district in 1921 and was soon named Fort Mill High School’s principal and later superintendent.

During his career, Jones saw a new high school and football stadium come to Banks Street and the former high school building was named A.O. Jones Middle School, Hill said.

Phoebe McCallum

The Hall of Fame also welcomed Winthrop alumna the late Phoebe McCallum, who never missed a day of teaching in 25 years. She taught typing at Fort Mill High School and was the adviser for the student newspaper, The Loudspeaker, Hill said.

McCallum was a member of both St. John’s United Methodist Church and the Fort Mill Women’s Club for more than 50 years and a lifetime member of the Fort Mill Chamber of Commerce.

Mac McCallum

The late Harold “Mac” McCallum, who had a 28 year career with the district, joins his wife in the Hall of Fame. Both were honored when a scholarship fund in their name was established in 1992.

McCallum taught agriculture at Fort Mill High School, passing on skills necessary for success in the then textile and farm-based Fort Mill community, Hill said. McCallum helped integrate Fort Mill Schools and has been named Fort Mill Man of the Year and Fort Mill Area Chamber of Commerce Civic Volunteer of the Year, Hill said.

Francis Mack Sr.

A former military governor of Korea, Fort Mill native Francis Murray Mack, Sr. served in the National Guard, fought in World War II and, from 1921 to 1938, served as superintendent of Fort Mill schools. He joins the first Hall of Fame class.

Hoss Nesbitt

Born in North Carolina, J.H. “Hoss” Nesbitt came to Fort Mill to serve as principal of Fort Mill High School in 1952. He was superintendent of the district for nearly 20 years and, along with the Leroy Springs Foundation, established tuition reimbursement programs for teachers seeking master’s degrees, Hill said.

Nesbitt also spent time as a Fort Mill Town Council member and served two terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives.

“We have our first class,” White said

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 1:10 PM with the headline "For their service to education in Fort Mill, these notables will never be forgotten."