Wilkes County Hall of Fame 613 Cherry St, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 • (336) 667-1121

2014 Inductees

2014 Hall of Fame

Inductees to the 2014 Hall of Fame range from the business sector to the fine arts.

Shelmer Doyle Blackburn J

Shelmer Doyle Blackburn Jr.

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Blackburn established The Blackburn Family Foundation Charitable Organization. He is the former Chairman of Adult Enrichment Services of Wilkes County and was instrumental in the establishment of the Ruby Pardue Blackburn Adult Day Care.
Zachary Knight Galifianakis

Zachary Knight Galifianakis

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Galifianakis’ career began on television, and he currently thrives in the film industry as an award-winning supporting actor.
Leonard G Herring

Leonard G. Herring

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Under Herring's leadership, Lowe’s was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Herring also decided to grow the company by increasing its do-it-yourself retail business while retaining the building supply market share.
Marvin Red Hoffman

Marvin "Red" Hoffman

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • In 2014, the NCHSAA recognized Hoffman posthumously as one of the “NCHSAA 100 Coaches To Remember.” Coach Hoffman was recognized as the face of Wilkes County athletics statewide.
Petro Pete Kulynych

Petro "Pete" Kulynych

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Kulynych's job as the bookkeeper for a small hardware store in North Wilkesboro eventually grew into serving as top executive at the same store, which grew into the Lowe's hardware chain.
Benny Parsons

Benny Parsons

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Parsons received the North Carolina Motor Sports Industry Life Time Tribute Award, the National Motor Sports Press Association Award and the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine.
James Larkin Pearson

James Larkin Pearson

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Pearson was appointed as North Carolina's second Poet Laureate, and he served from 1953 until 1981. He kept this title until his death.
John Swofford

John Swofford

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Swofford was instrumental in shaping the new postseason format for college football, and his leadership and negotiating skills helped the ACC conference extend its exclusive, multi-platform agreement with ESPN.
William Bill Oliver Swofford

William "Bill" Oliver Swofford

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • In the early 1970s, Swofford toured hundreds of college campuses and collaborated with Karen Carpenter before leaving the music business.
Dr Howard Thompson

Dr. Howard Thompson

  • Year Inducted: 2014
  • Dr. Thompson was the founding president of Wilkes Community College (WCC). He served from March 1965 to June 1977 and built WCC into a highly respected educational institution.

2015 Hall of Fame

Inductees to the 2015 Hall of Fame range from the business sector to the fine arts.

Jack Branch

Jack Branch

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Branch is known at ASU as the “apple man” because of his gifts of more than 300 cases of apples each year, delivering them to Boone for home teams and visiting teams as a way to show support for both men and women’s sports.
Arnold Lakey

Arnold N. Lakey

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Lakey is one of Wilkes County's most notable philanthropists, and was named to The Order of the Long Leaf Pine
Wilson Denver Key

Wilson Denver Key

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • After nearly six years as a POW in and around Hanoi, Key received many distinguished military awards and held many positions with the U.S. Navy.
Charles Fred Lovette

Charles Fred Lovette

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Lovette entered the family business as demand for eggs and chickens soared during WWII. As a highly respected innovator and businessman, Lovette's legacy to Wilkes County is evident even today.
Edith M Carter

Edith Marie Carter

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Carter worked for many years as a graphic designer, and illustrated the story of Tom Dooley in the 1950s. She's received numerous acclamations and honors for her work.
Edwin J Canter

Edwin J. Canter

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Returning to Wilkes County after the Marines, Canter became another kind of hero: a hero to Wilkes County school children.
Carl Buchanan

H. Carl Buchan

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Buchan was an innovator with an insatiable appetite for new and better ways to do everything, helping Lowe's to expand since the 1940s.
Jane Wilborn

Jane Wilborn

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Wilborn's commitment to children was evident in her classroom and through her volunteer work with disadvantaged populations.
Joe Linney

Joe Linney

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Linney's genuine nature and commitment to Wilkes County youth resulted in each player realizing strengths and talents that were unknown to them otherwise.
John White Hubbard

John White Hubbard

  • Year Inducted: 2015
  • Hubbard was an advocate for many non-profit organizations in Wilkes County, and sought to give citizens a "hand up."

Subcategories

2014 Inductees

2024 Inductees