FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2020
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Official South Carolina Hall of Fame Trustees Announce 2020 Inductees
Induction ceremony to take place Feb. 7, 2020 in Myrtle Beach
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The Official South Carolina Hall of Fame Board of Trustees announce the 2020 inductees, two contemporary and one deceased. Darius Rucker, Dr. Leo Twiggs and Elizabeth Evelyn Wright will be inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Myrtle Beach.
“Our 2020 inductees have made significant, valuable contributions to the state of South Carolina,” said Dr. Rodger Stroup, chairman of the Official South Carolina Hall of Fame. “While Mr. Rucker performs all over the world, he continues his close ties to South Carolina supporting numerous local and statewide organizations. For many years, Dr. Twiggs has been recognized as one of South Carolina’s leading artists and art educators. And despite her short life, Ms. Wright’s efforts to provide educational opportunities for African Americans in the segregated south of the late nineteenth century are a testament to her determination. We are pleased to induct each of these individuals into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.”
Rucker, Grammy Award winning artist, is a lifelong philanthropist who continues to support organizations such as the MUSC Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, S.C., as well as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Dr. Twiggs, also a native of the state, is a nationally recognized artist and educator and was the first South Carolinian to receive the 1858 Society Prize for Contemporary Southern Art.
Born in Georgia, Wright settled in Denmark, S.C., in 1897, where she founded a school for African American youth.
“The founding of Denmark Industrial Institute in 1897 expanded to become Voorhees College following Wright’s death, providing thousands of students access to higher education,” Dr. Stroup said.
The induction ceremony will take place Feb. 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the ballroom of the Myrtle Beach Convention Center at 2101 North Oak St. The event is free and open to the public.
Please note, Darius Rucker will be unable to attend the induction ceremony.
Below is additional information for each 2020 inductee:
Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the record industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish. Since releasing his first country album in 2008, he’s enjoyed four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart and nine No. 1 singles on country radio, earning a whole new legion of fans. In 2014, Rucker won his third career GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his 4x Platinum version of Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker is a constant supporter of the MUSC Children's Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, S.C. He has also raised millions of dollars for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through his annual Darius & Friends benefit concert and golf tournament, as well as for more than 200 charitable causes supporting public education and junior golf programs in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation. Rucker recently wrapped the Group Therapy Tour with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates as they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their generation-defining smash “Cracked Rear View”, in addition to the Nov. 1 release of Imperfect Circle, their first album in nearly 15 years. For more information, visit www.dariusrucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.
Dr. Leo Twiggs
Leo Twiggs was born in St. Stephen, S.C. He received his bachelor’s from Claflin University where he studied with Arthur Rose and his master’s from New York University with acclaimed muralist, Hale Woodruff. In 1970, Twiggs became the first African American to receive the doctorate in art education from the University of Georgia. He chaired the art department and directed the museum at South Carolina State University until he retired in 1998, where he was named professor Emeritus in 2000. In 2017, Twiggs’s nine paintings series, “Requiem for Mother Emanuel” received national recognition when it was featured on CBS, ESPN and reviewed in Art in America. In 2019, he received the $10,000-dollar 1858 Society Prize for Contemporary Southern Art, the first South Carolina artist so honored. He also received a second Verner Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts and The Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian award. Twiggs is married to the former Rosa Johnson of Sumter and they have three sons.
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright (1872-1906)
Elizabeth Evelyn Wright was born April 3, 1872 in Talbotton, Ga. While being educated, she learned about Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute and Booker T. Washington. In 1888, Wright enrolled at Tuskegee and Principal Washington became her mentor. At Tuskegee, Wright saw a vision of what she could do for her people and became determined to establish a school where black boys and girls could be educated in industrial and agricultural work. After graduating in 1894, Wright carried her vision into McNeill’s, Hampton County, SC. During Wright’s labors to accomplish her dreams, arsonists burned her schools down three consecutive times. Not giving up, Wright made attempts at five different locations before her dreams could be nurtured into reality. In 1897, Wright settled in Denmark, S.C. and began planting the seeds of her dreams and visions that she was for so long seeking. Elizabeth Evelyn Wright died at the early age of 34 years old on Dec. 14, 1906.
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About the South Carolina Hall of Fame
The South Carolina Hall of Fame—dedicated Feb. 11, 1973, by Gov. John C. West—was created to recognize and honor those contemporary and past citizens who have made outstanding contributions to South Carolina’s heritage and progress. On Sept. 21, 2001, Gov. Jim Hodges signed into law a bill designating the South Carolina Hall of Fame as the state’s official Hall of Fame.