Late school trustee, council chairman will be inducted into Chamber hall

MEANS

Cherokee County Council Chairman Hoke Parris and the late Rev. Fleming J. Means, Sr. will be inducted into the Cherokee County Hall of Fame during the Chamber's Annual Meeting and Banquet on Feb. 5 at Broad River Electric Auditorium.

Parris is a native of Cherokee County. He grew up in the Draytonville Community and still resides there. He is a graduate of Gaffney High School and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Conflict.

Parris retired from Boren Clay Products in 1989. He is an active member of Draytonville Baptist Church, where he served as chairman of the board of deacons for a number of years. He also served as training union director for the Broad River Baptist Association. He organized and leads the 4-F Club (Friends, Fellowship, Food, and Fun) which meets at the church on the second Thursday of each month.

The council chairman is a member of Woodman of the World, is a Mason and has served as president of the Draytonville Water Works since its inception in 1979. He was first elected to represent District 6 on county council in 1988 and has served as chairman for the past 16 years.

PARRIS

Means, a native of Newberry County, died Dec. 28, 2006. He was a graduate of Plato Price High School and Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte and received his Master's Degree in history from N.C. Central University in Durham. He further studied at USC-Upstate and Winthrop University.

Means began his dedicated teaching career in Blacksburg at Academy Street School and taught at Granard High School before becoming assistant principal. He ended his career as assistant principal at West Junior High School and was then elected to the Cherokee County School Board.

Means served his country during World War II with the Navy and received numerous decorations.

He was associate pastor and a Sunday school teacher at Bethel Baptist Church and was active in many civic activities.