At least six of this year’s honorees on the 2007 South Carolina African-American History Calendar have ties to Orangeburg County.

The calendar is designed to teach South Carolina’s youths about the contributions of distinguished African-Americans who have lived in the state.

On Tuesday night in Columbia, BellSouth unveiled the 17th annual calendar and introduced the honorees – individuals who have excelled in the areas of broadcasting, civil rights, education, home health care, the performing arts, acting, entertainment, photography, politics and law.

Listed alphabetically, honorees with local connections include:

George A. Elmore

Born in 1905 in Holly Hill, Elmore was a businessman, photographer and civil rights pioneer whose lawsuit led to U.S. District Judge Waites Waring’s ruling in 1947 that the Democratic Party of South Carolina could no longer exclude qualified African-Americans from voting in primaries.

Elmore died in 1959. His family donated all documents and memorabilia related to his life and the historic case to the University of South Carolina.

Chuck Jackson

Jackson grew up in Latta and attended then-South Carolina State College in Orangeburg on the first music scholarship ever awarded by the institution.

As a rhythm-and-blues artist, he recorded a number of successful singles, including “Are You Lonely for Me?” and “Honey Come Back,” and an album. He had contracts with various labels, including Motown Records.

He sang in many venues and his audiences included U.S. presidents and governors. He was nominated for a Grammy for a duet with Dionne Warwick.

He has been a producer for Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, The Temptations, Tom Jones, Boys 2 Men and others.

Jackson is an inductee into New York City’s Apollo Theatre Hall of Fame and the National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame for Cultural Achievement.

John W. Matthews Jr.

The senior senator from Orangeburg County has worked for economic development, job creation and education in South Carolina, particularly in the counties of District 39.

Prior to his service in the General Assembly, Matthews was a public school teacher and administrator as well as the owner of a small business.

He has served as a member of the Voorhees College Board of Trustees, the Clemson University Board of Visitors and the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. He is an inductee into the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame.

Alex Snipe Jr.

Snipe is owner and operator of WSPX-FM, which is licensed to Bowman, and eight other radio stations in South Carolina.

A 24-year broadcast veteran, he is past president of the South Carolina Broadcasters Association and an inductee into the association’s Hall of Fame.

Snipe has served on the board of the Columbia Urban League and is an avid community volunteer.

Henry N. Tisdale, Ph.D.

A Kingstree native and 1965 magna cum laude graduate of then-Claflin College, Tisdale had the honor in 1984 of becoming the eighth president of his beloved alma mater.

In little more than a decade, this high-energy president has led Claflin University to U.S. News & World Report’s Top Tier and Top Ten national rankings among comprehensive baccalaureate-granting institutions in the South.

Tisdale is president of the University Senate of the United Methodist Church. He is a board member of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Community Foundation and the Rotary Club of Orangeburg.

Cecil Williams

This accomplished photographer’s images of the civil rights movement provided one of the most comprehensive collections of the era.

His photographs have been published in 126 books and 17 newspapers and have been featured in 11 television documentaries.

He served via the South Carolina Arts Commission as an artist-in-residence at W.A Perry Middle School in Columbia in 1995.

He was awarded the Freedom Fighter Award by the Orangeburg chapter of the NAACP.

The other 2007 African-American History Calendar honorees are:

Charles and

Valerie Aiken

The Aikens own the only African-American licensed Medicare-certified home health agency in South Carolina.

Their 20-year career in home health care includes seven offices in South Carolina and one in Augusta, Ga.

Valerie was inspired by her mother’s 30-year career as a home care worker. Charles, one of the first African-American news anchors in Columbia, later joined her in the business.

Lydia Sharon Garrett

A native of Columbia, Garrett is an actor, comedian, interpretive dancer and motivational speaker.

Her television credits include “A Different World,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Days of Our Lives.”

In 1984, she was crowned the 17th Miss Black America.

Patricia Sowell Harris

The McBee native is one of the most powerful black women in America as global chief diversity officer for McDonald’s Corp.

She leads a team responsible for developing and implementing diversity and inclusion strategies for the company worldwide.

She is co-chair of the Rainbow/PUSH EXCEL board of directors.

Her community affiliations include the NAACP ACT-SO Advisory Council and the Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization.

Bobby B. Stafford

Stafford is an attorney, community servant and political adviser in northern Virginia. His legal firm is known for accepting cases that focus on social justice issues.

He led the campaign for former U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm’s presidential bid in 1972.

He is a member of the National Bar Association and Washington Bar Association. He is president of the Arlington Community Action Program.

Louis L. Waring Jr.

A Charleston native, Waring was the first African-American general foreman of the Charleston Naval Shipyard’s rigger shop.

A life member of the NAACP, he took part in numerous protests during the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

He was the president of the 1st Congressional District of the South Carolina Colored Parent Teachers Association.

He is a board member of the Charleston NAACP, the Salvation Army and the Citizens Committee Credit Union. He was the first African-American to chair the board of the Charleston County Department of Social Services.

Lee Thompson Young

His performance in “A Night of Stars and Dreams” at age 10 proved prophetic: 12 years later, he is an accomplished performing artist and magna cum laude graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema Television.

Young is best known as Jett Jackson from the Disney Channel children’s show. He also landed a major role on the UPN television series “South Beach” and was a guest star on “Smallville.” He also appeared in the movie, “Akeelah and the Bee.”

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