PENDER COUNTY, NC – Pender Education Partnership (PEP), a non-profit foundation established to enhance educational opportunities and assist public school educators, will join with the Pender County Board of Education to induct six new members of the Pender County Wall of Fame.
Carson Smith, Rev. Dr. Aaron Johnson, Wendy Fletcher-Hardee, Curtis Hardison, Dr. Richard Newkirk, and Ricky Biberstein are honored educators or outstanding alumni.
“Pender Education Partnership and Pender County Board of Education is pleased to announce the third class of Wall of Fame inductees,” said Tammie Parris, president of Pender Education Partnership (PEP). Please join us on Monday, June 24 at 4p as we recognize these nominees. at the Dr. Katherine Herring Resource Center. This event is open to the public.
“Pender County Schools has been blessed with outstanding educators throughout the years. Our school system has produced many outstanding alumni who have gone on to careers that impacted our community, our state, and our nation,” said Parris. “We are happy to announce the induction of these Pender County honorable nominees. Our honored educators are special to us because they are also alumni and we celebrate their dedication and commitment to Pender County Schools, noted Parris.
The Wall of Fame is displayed at the Pender County Schools Board of Education building. Each year PEP will solicit the community for nominations. A selection committee will review the nominations and present at least two alumni recommendations and two educator recommendations to PEP.
“Pender Education Partnership believes this is an opportunity to shine the spotlight on outstanding alumni and educators who have made an impact on public education,” said Parris. “Our Wall of Fame is an example to our current students that dreams can be obtained.”
Carson Smith - A Pender County native and graduate of Topsail High School, Carson Smith began impacting this community after pursuing a career in law enforcement. He attended CFCC and UNCW, serving Pender County as a police officer, deputy sheriff at PCSD, and as a trooper for the NC Highway State Patrol. Carson's commitment to Pender County launched him into a political pathway, serving as commissioner and, since 2019, as NC House of Representative for District 16, which includes Pender County and parts of Columbus County. Carson is married with two children, a grandfather, brother, and son of the late Henry Smith and Pamela Smith of Hampstead. Personally and professionally, Carson Smith is an example to students of character, determination, and has a true passion for service.
Wendy Fletcher-Hardee - Upon graduating from Topsail High School, Wendy pursued a career in healthcare as a registered nurse. Her passion and care for others led her to act as caregiver for her grandmother, who had cancer. Her grandfather instilled a drive and "can-do" attitude as he showed her how to run his trucking business. Not to be outdone, Wendy learned all she could about the "male-dominated" business of owning trucks, import/export, and opened Atlantic Truck Brokers in 2004 and Atlantic Mulch and Stone in 2006. Wendy graduated from NC State University through a partnership with the NC DOT and served on the NC Defense Business Association board. She was inducted into the NC Women’s Business Owner's Hall of Fame and received the 2021 Minority Business Advocate of the Year Award. Wendy served as Pender County Commissioner from 2022-2024. Wendy has two children, Andrew and Ashley, and she will tell you these are her two best achievements in life.
Curtis Hardison - A graduate of Pender County Training School, Curtis Hardison served in the Secret Service for over twenty years during five presidential administrations: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. Bush. In retirement, he recently published his first book, GRIOT: The Evolution of Edgecombe. His second book, Edgecombe: A Rosenwald Year, will be released in January 2025. Both books delve into the history of Pender County and the education of the descendants of the three slaves by the legendary educator, Mrs. Lillie Mae Billingslea. He has appeared at the Hampstead library, the Burgaw library, the James Plantation in Maple Hill, the Poplar Grove Plantation in Scott's Hill, the Topsail Island Historical Society, and the Annual Soiree, the Springfest, and Juneteenth Festivals in Burgaw. Mr. Hardison currently resides in Washington, DC, and travels to Pender County frequently. He is a role model, presents professionalism, and lives by a hard work ethic.
Rev. Dr. Aaron Johnson - A native of Willard, NC, former Secretary Johnson was born in 1933. He grew up working in the fields with his father, who was a sharecropper. After graduating from CF Pope High School, he matriculated to Shaw University, earning his B.A. Degree in Theology and a B.D. Degree in Theology. Secretary Johnson presided over a concerted effort to make North Carolina's Correctional System more humane, constitutionally defensible, and updated standardized policies and procedures used throughout the department. As an advocate for programs that enhanced the prospects of successful rehabilitation, he received many honors, appreciations, letters, and recognitions of service. While he was Secretary, he was appointed to the following: Public Telecommunication Commission, Governor's Drug Cabinet, Job Training Coordinating Council, Commission on Workforce Preparedness, The Governor's Prison Advisory Board on Prisons/Punishment, and The Governor's Crime Commission. Dr. Johnson travels nationwide promoting the salvation of inmates in other states and serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Operation Sickle Cell, Inc. The book, Man From Macedonia, gives detailed accounts and insights into Rev. Johnson's life, including his upbringing in Pender County, his life as a civil rights champion, pastor, statesman, and the history of Pender County.
Ricky Biberstein - When he was two years old, his family relocated to Burgaw, NC, where he lived his entire life except for college and military service. Rick was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UNC Chapel Hill, where he majored in business administration before attending law school. He was a member of the law review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. After completing law school, he served a three-year commitment with the US Army Judge Advocate General Corps and returned to Burgaw in 1963 to practice law for 55 years. During this time, he was the Pender County School Board attorney for 30 years and served on many county and regional boards, including the Wilmington Business Development Board. Rick helped create Pender Progress Corporation, which was the clearinghouse for Burgaw Industrial Park. He was keenly aware of the need for good education for Pender County students and served on the Rotary Student Scholarship board and the John Motley Morehead Foundation Committee. He was proud that his children established a scholarship fund in his name at Pender High School for students planning to attend UNC Chapel Hill. He was committed to Rotary and had at least 16 years of perfect attendance. He was a lifelong member of Burgaw Methodist Church, serving in many capacities through the years.
Dr. Richard T. Newkirk, Ed.D.
Dr. Richard T. Newkirk's distinguished career in education spans over four decades, marked by his unwavering commitment to academic and co-curricular excellence. He holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of La Verne (2004), an M.A. in English from Southern Illinois University (1971), and a B.S. in English Education from North Carolina A&T State University (1969).
Dr. Newkirk’s educational journey began at a Rosenwald School, providing a solid foundation during grades 1-5, and continued through his undergraduate training at a Historically Black University. These experiences shaped his success as a student and educator across Illinois, Maryland, California, and North Carolina.
Throughout his career, Dr. Newkirk focused on preparing students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds for the workforce, military, higher education, and professional careers. His dedication to education and preserving the history of African American education has left an indelible mark on the communities he served.
Dr. Newkirk's philosophy is encapsulated in his belief that we should focus on the light and not dwell on the darkness. His life and work exemplify this principle, making him a beacon of character and inspiration.