Georgetown College Celebrates Hall of Fame Inductees for 2024
Submitted on October 1, 2024
On Tuesday, October 1, seven individuals were inducted into the Georgetown College Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was established in 1993 to honor outstanding alumni and friends who have made distinctive contributions to the College during their lifetimes. The 2024 inductees include Dr. Lindsey Apple, Sara Jane Conner-McConnell, William Howard Garner, Meda Mason, Betty Jackson Williams, Sarah “Bookie” Hayes Wilson and Dr. Chia-Wei Woo. William Howard Garner, Meda Mason, Sara Jane Conner-McConnell and Betty Jackson Williams were among the earliest Black students to attend Georgetown College in the 1950s. Three of the inductees – William Howard Garner, Sara Jane Conner-McConnell and Betty Jackson Williams – were inducted posthumously.
Dr. Lindsey Apple graduated from Georgetown College in 1964. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina. In 1970, Apple returned home to teach at Georgetown College where he remained until his retirement in 2005. At Georgetown College, he was Dean of Students and Dean of Men from 1973 to 1979. He also received the Don and Chris Cawthorne Excellence in Teaching Award. Apple is a co-editor and author of Scott County: A History and the author of Cautious Rebel: A Biography of Susan Clay Sawitzky and The Family Legacy of Henry Clay: In the Shadow of a Kentucky Patriarch. He is also a founding member of the Georgetown-Scott County Museum.
Sara Jane Conner-McConnell was born in Georgetown, Kentucky. Her academic excellence earned her a spot at Georgetown College in 1955, where she faced and overcame the challenges of being one of the first Black students. She was just one credit shy of obtaining her degree. Over the years, she played and sang at various churches across Kentucky and co-founded a 100-voice choir. She formed singing groups and was actively involved in the Greater Cincinnati Choral Union and the Gospel Workshop of America.
William Howard Garner, also known as Reverend Garner, began preaching in 1944 after obtaining his bachelor’s degree in theology from Simmons College in Louisville. He was a World War II veteran who owned a store and organized a church that met in his house on Main Street in Georgetown. He began taking classes at Georgetown College in 1955 at 37 years old. Rev. Garner served as a pastor for Athens Baptist Church for seven years. He was a Scott County native who founded the Garner Mission and worked closely with First Baptist Georgetown as well. Garner was one of the first Black students to attend Georgetown College.
Meda Mason completed two years at Georgetown College. In 1956, she became the first Black student inducted into the Delta Omicron Music Sorority in Kentucky. After leaving Georgetown, she moved to Columbus, Ohio. She took classes at Ohio Dominican and Ohio State in languages and business. She worked at the Federal Depot in Columbus, Ohio for over forty years and retired from the company.
Betty Jackson Williams attended Georgetown College for two years. She was one of the first Black students admitted and majored in nursing. Betty was a member of Bethel Baptist Church where she held several positions including children’s advisor, Sunday school teacher, Missionary Society ember, Church Choir and the culinary committee. Williams retired from the University of Kentucky after 30 years of service as a Dietary Supervisor and started her own cleaning business that she continued until her passing.
Sarah “Bookie” Hayes Wilson graduated from Georgetown College in 1981. She earned the master of library science degree from the University of Kentucky. Wilson is the former co-owner of The Cotton Patch Women’s Clothing Store in Lexington and a former legislative analyst for the Legislative Research Commission of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. She currently works as a children’s Librarian with the Woodford County Public Library and serves on the Early Childhood Literacy Council. Wilson is also a member of the Women’s Association of Georgetown and a former member of the Georgetown College Board of Trustees.
Dr. Chia-Wei Woo was born in Shanghai, China, in 1937 and came to the U.S. in 1955 at the age of 17. He received his bachelor’s degree in physics/mathematics at Georgetown College in 1956 and his master’s and doctoral degrees in physics at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 1964, Woo has published 120 papers and books on physics and taught at several prestigious universities. In 1983, he became President of San Francisco State University, the first Chinese American to head a major university in the U.S. Dr. Woo has received numerous awards for his contributions to higher education including the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award by the United Nations, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of the United Kingdom, and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the President of France, among many other awards.
