BBQ Expo April 21!
3rd Annual Henderson County Boyd BBQ Expo Saturday, April 21, 2012 - 11 a.m.—6 p.m. at the Hendersonville… [more]
9th Annual Hall of Fame
The 9th Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony & Banquet was held at Hendersonville Country Club on Thursday,… [more]
HCEF Fall Golf Classic
Register for the 5th Annual Fall Golf Classic to be held at the Etowah Valley Country Club on October… [more]
Nature Explorers Camp – Bullington Center
Twelve children attended the annual Nature Explorers Camp at Bullington Center where they engaged in… [more]
Bullington Center – BOOST Program
Bullington Onsite Occupational Student Training (BOOST) is a program for special needs sophomores in… [more]
2012 Hall of Fame

10th Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony – March 15th
The Henderson County Education Foundation Education Hall of Fame will add nine inductees on March 15, honoring 87 retired educators over the past 10 years. The 10th annual TD Bank/HCEF Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies will be Thursday, March 15 in Hendersonville Country Club starting 5:45 p.m. The event is the chief HCEF fundraiser, to help pay for scholarships and grants. Other sponsors are Park Ridge Health and, for the first time, the Selee Corp. The upcoming keynote speaker, retired Hendersonville High teacher and former school board chairman Tom Orr, founded the Hall of Fame and the History Committee with purpose to “record and preserve (countywide) educational heritage.” He … [Read More...]
Henderson County Boyd BBQ Expo

BBQ Expo April 21!
3rd Annual Henderson County Boyd BBQ Expo Saturday, April 21, 2012 - 11 a.m.—6 p.m. at the Hendersonville High School Stadium BBQ-Expo.com Whole Hog Sanctioned Contest - Remember this year we have the opportunity to be a whole hog sanctioned contest. The winner WILL have the opportunity to compete in the State Championship. Please email info@bbq-expo.com if you [...]
BOGO VI Coupon Books on Sale!
Fifty percent of BOGO coupon book sales goes directly to support the Henderson County Public Schools. This program is sponsored by HCEF and Robinson & Associates.
Buy BOGO Coupon Books at HCEF, Henderson County Public Schools, and the Henderson County Visitor’s Center.Pen & Ink Drawings of Schools
The Henderson County Education Foundation commissioned local artist, Carolyn DeMorest Serrano, to draw pen and ink drawings of each of the Henderson County schools. These special and unique drawings are available in 11" x 14" or 8" x 10" prints or … [Read More...]
HCEF Mission
HCEF is committed to enhancing the quality of life in Henderson County by enriching the education of students, teachers, and the community.
The Sparks family established the Connie and Ricky Sparks Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide a college scholarship for a graduate of Hendersonville High, for any field of study at the college of the recipient’s choice. The $3,500 scholarship is a renewable scholarship awarded annually to a worthy Hendersonville High graduate based on merit and need [...]
9th Annual HCEF / Carolina First Hall of Fame – Hendersonville Country Club
3rd Annual Henderson County Boyd BBQ Expo Saturday, April 21, 2012 - 11 a.m.—6 p.m. at the Hendersonville High School Stadium BBQ-Expo.com Whole Hog Sanctioned Contest - Remember this year we have the opportunity to be a whole hog sanctioned contest. The winner WILL have the opportunity to compete in the State Championship. Please email info@bbq-expo.com if you [...]
The key note speaker for this year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be retired Hendersonville High teacher and former school board chairman, Tom Orr. Tom founded the Hall of Fame and the History Committee with purpose to “record and preserve (countywide) educational heritage.” He next hopes to do so with publications and videos, via the newly-formed [...]
The Henderson County Education Foundation Education Hall of Fame will add nine inductees on March 15, honoring 87 retired educators over the past 10 years. The 10th annual TD Bank/HCEF Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies will be Thursday, March 15 in Hendersonville Country Club starting 5:45 p.m. The event is the chief HCEF fundraiser, to [...]
Kay Siewert Williams was bookkeeper and secretary for 17 years at East Henderson High, where her husband Tom was basketball coach, starting in 1966 before she was Hendersonville City Schools’ main secretary for then-Supt. Charlie Byrd and Asst. Supt. Dr. Mary Margaret Ingle. Williams, now 74, helped with student transfer records and ordering textbooks. She [...]
(1951-2004) was a technical whiz, fixing VCRs and other audio-visual equipment in the Nineties to help teachers amplify lessons. The multi-instrumental string musician taught music, in private lessons. “He could easily explain what to do,” said his widow Debbie Reemes Ford, a former school board member. She said he nurtured “self-esteem, to tackle what they [...]
Bill Whitmire, 76, coached for 30 years starting in 1963 and mainly at Edneyville. He and Tom Pryor were the school’s only coaches for years, with Pryor handling the defense and Whitmire the offense. His quarterbacks included Don Dalton and David Jones, now the school superintendent. Whitmire’s motto for his hard-hitting good sports was “knock [...]
’s local 32-year football coaching career included leading West Henderson’s first junior varsity from 1963-77, then 16 years in Flat Rock Junior High football which fed East High. He coached such future NFL players as West lineman Mickey Marvin and East back A.J. Greene. Link also coached at Rugby Junior and North High. He taught [...]
Anne Whitmire, who turns 67 on March 26, as a Balfour Elementary physical education specialist, implemented state model programs in child conditioning and activities starting in 1977. She taught in her final year, 2002-03, in then-new Clear Creek Elementary. She also taught classroom teachers about leading PE class. When a child’s self-confidence emerges first in [...]
Anne Smith, 79, was a remedial reading specialist for 15 of her 21 years teaching elementary school locally. She taught in Mills River for 15 years starting in 1967-68, also in Rosa Edwards and Fletcher. She taught 31 years overall. When reading a story to the class, she sparked imagination by asking what would happen [...]
Dan Pace (1934-2010) taught literature and composition in Edneyville High School starting in 1969, and in West Henderson High from 1979-86. He was a minister before finding his truest calling in the classroom and leading field trips to such historical sites as Colonial Williamsburg, Va. There, students “made connections between the development of the country [...]
Elmetta Linder, 75, taught for 42 years starting in 1958, mostly in third grade in Hillandale Elementary. Her “times table race” had students challenge each other in pairs. The first of the two to answer a multiplication question correctly kept or took that seat, trying to advance across the room. She playfully teased students, to [...]
Dean Ward (1904-1991) was a teaching principal at Tuxedo, a feeder into Flat Rock High. Many of Ward’s students went on to academic and professional distinction. Robert Morgan, the famed writer and Cornell professor who is to attend the banquet, wrote his first short story in 1957 as a sixth-grade assignment from Ward. Ward instructed [...]
This is a Scholarship in memory of the Lisa Jo Mummert that provides $500 to a graduating West Henderson High School band student each year beginning in Fall 2012. Special preference will be given to students planning to attend Western Carolina University and those planning to major in physical therapy, nursing or physical therapy. Qualifying [...]
NEW HCPS HATS PROGRAM GEARS UP FOR 2011-12 SCHOOL YEAR Henderson County Public Schools is initiating a new program in August 2011 aimed at continued improvement of school drop out rates. The HATS (Helping All Teens Succeed) is a two-part program consisting of graduation coaches and a county-wide mentoring program funded by a grant from [...]
The Hunter Automotive Group Scholarship is a non-renewal scholarship in the amount of $2000 for a graduating senior seeking a 2 or 4 year degree. $2000 will go to each 4-high schools $1000 will go to Balfour Education Center
This non-renewable $500 scholarship will go to a West Henderson High School graduate pursuing a degree in Education in a two-year or four-year college.
This $500 annual scholarship will go to a graduating senior at East Henderson High School interested in a military career.
Elizabeth G. Rogers is the oldest inductee at age 93. She taught in Flat Rock from 1948 until 1960, when it was absorbed into the new East High. She then taught at East for its first two decades, until 1979. She recalls Flat Rock High as the epitome of a close-knit, well-behaved school. Her pupils [...]
Gary C. Rhodes taught in Mills River Elementary for 28 years, from 1976 to 2004. For two pivotal years in the ’70s, he was a physical education instructor and mentor to classroom teachers in a half dozen schools. His main message was to try one’s best, have fun with fitness and be a good sport [...]
Pearl King LeVar taught over a span of 40 years, including overseas and in four local elementary schools. At Tuxedo, she was media coordinator and a teacher in 1980 to 1993. She reorganized the school’s central library. She read stories from the Bible to “Curious George,” the mischievous monkey, opening horizons for students.
Richard L. Brown taught from 1970 to 1995 in Hendersonville city schools at all three levels — elementary, middle and high school. His specialty was special education. As an orphan often moving, he later related to those students feeling like an outsider. He made them feel at home in order to better realize potential in [...]
Jereline B. Sexton was more than a custodian to students. She was a very dependable friend to all. Known as a thorough, meticulous worker, she helped keep the school spic-and-span for a clean, safe and healthy learning environment.
Barnwell mobilized emergency classes after arson fires in 1971 and 1973. He saved money with more efficient school energy use and purchase orders. He extended reading and other help for low-income students to kindergarten, in 1978, in a state pilot program. Barnwell taught for a decade, starting at Dana in 1957 and as among East [...]
Dr. Kohlan Flynn crafted the school reassignment selection process for transfers out of zones, precautions against intruder violence and handicapped bus radio communication to boost safety. Earlier in the early ’80s, as West Henderson High principal, he innovated in-school suspension and computerized student scheduling. Flynn is identified with West Henderson High history. As its first [...]
Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Come one and all to explore the fields, buildings and gardens tended by local farmers since the early 1880′s. Tap your toes to blue grass music, watch local dancers perform on the farm’s new stage and enjoy lots of music supplied by Henderson County students [...]
The Sparks family established the Connie and Ricky Sparks Memorial Scholarship Fund to provide a college scholarship for a graduate of Hendersonville High, for any field of study at the college of the recipient’s choice. The $3,500 scholarship is a renewable scholarship awarded annually to a worthy Hendersonville High graduate based on merit and need [...]
9th Annual HCEF / Carolina First Hall of Fame – Hendersonville Country Club
3rd Annual Henderson County Boyd BBQ Expo Saturday, April 21, 2012 - 11 a.m.—6 p.m. at the Hendersonville High School Stadium BBQ-Expo.com Whole Hog Sanctioned Contest - Remember this year we have the opportunity to be a whole hog sanctioned contest. The winner WILL have the opportunity to compete in the State Championship. Please email info@bbq-expo.com if you [...]
The key note speaker for this year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be retired Hendersonville High teacher and former school board chairman, Tom Orr. Tom founded the Hall of Fame and the History Committee with purpose to “record and preserve (countywide) educational heritage.” He next hopes to do so with publications and videos, via the newly-formed [...]
The Henderson County Education Foundation Education Hall of Fame will add nine inductees on March 15, honoring 87 retired educators over the past 10 years. The 10th annual TD Bank/HCEF Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies will be Thursday, March 15 in Hendersonville Country Club starting 5:45 p.m. The event is the chief HCEF fundraiser, to [...]
Kay Siewert Williams was bookkeeper and secretary for 17 years at East Henderson High, where her husband Tom was basketball coach, starting in 1966 before she was Hendersonville City Schools’ main secretary for then-Supt. Charlie Byrd and Asst. Supt. Dr. Mary Margaret Ingle. Williams, now 74, helped with student transfer records and ordering textbooks. She [...]
(1951-2004) was a technical whiz, fixing VCRs and other audio-visual equipment in the Nineties to help teachers amplify lessons. The multi-instrumental string musician taught music, in private lessons. “He could easily explain what to do,” said his widow Debbie Reemes Ford, a former school board member. She said he nurtured “self-esteem, to tackle what they [...]
Bill Whitmire, 76, coached for 30 years starting in 1963 and mainly at Edneyville. He and Tom Pryor were the school’s only coaches for years, with Pryor handling the defense and Whitmire the offense. His quarterbacks included Don Dalton and David Jones, now the school superintendent. Whitmire’s motto for his hard-hitting good sports was “knock [...]
’s local 32-year football coaching career included leading West Henderson’s first junior varsity from 1963-77, then 16 years in Flat Rock Junior High football which fed East High. He coached such future NFL players as West lineman Mickey Marvin and East back A.J. Greene. Link also coached at Rugby Junior and North High. He taught [...]
Anne Whitmire, who turns 67 on March 26, as a Balfour Elementary physical education specialist, implemented state model programs in child conditioning and activities starting in 1977. She taught in her final year, 2002-03, in then-new Clear Creek Elementary. She also taught classroom teachers about leading PE class. When a child’s self-confidence emerges first in [...]
Anne Smith, 79, was a remedial reading specialist for 15 of her 21 years teaching elementary school locally. She taught in Mills River for 15 years starting in 1967-68, also in Rosa Edwards and Fletcher. She taught 31 years overall. When reading a story to the class, she sparked imagination by asking what would happen [...]
Dan Pace (1934-2010) taught literature and composition in Edneyville High School starting in 1969, and in West Henderson High from 1979-86. He was a minister before finding his truest calling in the classroom and leading field trips to such historical sites as Colonial Williamsburg, Va. There, students “made connections between the development of the country [...]
Elmetta Linder, 75, taught for 42 years starting in 1958, mostly in third grade in Hillandale Elementary. Her “times table race” had students challenge each other in pairs. The first of the two to answer a multiplication question correctly kept or took that seat, trying to advance across the room. She playfully teased students, to [...]
Dean Ward (1904-1991) was a teaching principal at Tuxedo, a feeder into Flat Rock High. Many of Ward’s students went on to academic and professional distinction. Robert Morgan, the famed writer and Cornell professor who is to attend the banquet, wrote his first short story in 1957 as a sixth-grade assignment from Ward. Ward instructed [...]
This is a Scholarship in memory of the Lisa Jo Mummert that provides $500 to a graduating West Henderson High School band student each year beginning in Fall 2012. Special preference will be given to students planning to attend Western Carolina University and those planning to major in physical therapy, nursing or physical therapy. Qualifying [...]
NEW HCPS HATS PROGRAM GEARS UP FOR 2011-12 SCHOOL YEAR Henderson County Public Schools is initiating a new program in August 2011 aimed at continued improvement of school drop out rates. The HATS (Helping All Teens Succeed) is a two-part program consisting of graduation coaches and a county-wide mentoring program funded by a grant from [...]
The Hunter Automotive Group Scholarship is a non-renewal scholarship in the amount of $2000 for a graduating senior seeking a 2 or 4 year degree. $2000 will go to each 4-high schools $1000 will go to Balfour Education Center
This non-renewable $500 scholarship will go to a West Henderson High School graduate pursuing a degree in Education in a two-year or four-year college.
This $500 annual scholarship will go to a graduating senior at East Henderson High School interested in a military career.
Elizabeth G. Rogers is the oldest inductee at age 93. She taught in Flat Rock from 1948 until 1960, when it was absorbed into the new East High. She then taught at East for its first two decades, until 1979. She recalls Flat Rock High as the epitome of a close-knit, well-behaved school. Her pupils [...]
Gary C. Rhodes taught in Mills River Elementary for 28 years, from 1976 to 2004. For two pivotal years in the ’70s, he was a physical education instructor and mentor to classroom teachers in a half dozen schools. His main message was to try one’s best, have fun with fitness and be a good sport [...]
Pearl King LeVar taught over a span of 40 years, including overseas and in four local elementary schools. At Tuxedo, she was media coordinator and a teacher in 1980 to 1993. She reorganized the school’s central library. She read stories from the Bible to “Curious George,” the mischievous monkey, opening horizons for students.
Richard L. Brown taught from 1970 to 1995 in Hendersonville city schools at all three levels — elementary, middle and high school. His specialty was special education. As an orphan often moving, he later related to those students feeling like an outsider. He made them feel at home in order to better realize potential in [...]
Jereline B. Sexton was more than a custodian to students. She was a very dependable friend to all. Known as a thorough, meticulous worker, she helped keep the school spic-and-span for a clean, safe and healthy learning environment.
Barnwell mobilized emergency classes after arson fires in 1971 and 1973. He saved money with more efficient school energy use and purchase orders. He extended reading and other help for low-income students to kindergarten, in 1978, in a state pilot program. Barnwell taught for a decade, starting at Dana in 1957 and as among East [...]
Dr. Kohlan Flynn crafted the school reassignment selection process for transfers out of zones, precautions against intruder violence and handicapped bus radio communication to boost safety. Earlier in the early ’80s, as West Henderson High principal, he innovated in-school suspension and computerized student scheduling. Flynn is identified with West Henderson High history. As its first [...]
Saturday, April 30, 2011 from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Come one and all to explore the fields, buildings and gardens tended by local farmers since the early 1880′s. Tap your toes to blue grass music, watch local dancers perform on the farm’s new stage and enjoy lots of music supplied by Henderson County students [...]
Henderson County Education Foundation – 24 Years & Counting
For more than two decades, HCEF has continued to maintain and add new programs and exciting events aimed at improving the educational experience for Henderson County students and citizens. HCEF manages various funds and annual programs that with your help can be replenished or expanded to enhance education in our community. This past year, HCEF contributed more than $74,000 in scholarships and provided numerous grants. To enhancing the quality of life in Henderson County by enriching the education of students, teachers, and the community. Henderson County Education Foundation By Laws To raise funds for local programs which promote educational enrichment experiences, vocational projects, a heritage learning center, a horticultural learning center, or assist special needs programs To supplement regular school programs provided for students at risk of dropping out of school To foster excellence in both students and teachers To increase business and community awareness of needs within county schools To oversee the bequests of property and funds To invest and manage all funds in a manner consistent with responsible investment … [Read More...]


