www.chasc.org
Date: March 26, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lindsay
Weathersbee
Phone: 254-3886
ext. 225
Email: lweathersbee@chasc.org
Columbia Housing
Authority to Host 20th Annual
Wall of Fame Ceremony
Columbia, S.C. – Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) will host the 20th
Annual Wall of Fame Ceremony on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 11 a.m. in the Drew
Wellness Center gym, 2101 Walker Solomon Way.
Jettiva S. Belton and Frank B. Washington will
be recognized for their outstanding community service and added to an
impressive list of individuals who at one time received housing assistance from
CHA.
A
resident of Saxon Homes from 1950-1964, Jettiva
S. Belton was a dedicated nurse for over 40 years before retiring from the
W.J.B. Dorn VA Medical Center in 2006.
After graduating from C.A. Johnson High School, Belton earned a diploma
from the Columbia Hospital School of Nursing in 1965, and then a bachelor’s and
master’s in science from the University of South Carolina. Her career achievements include creating the
first Radiation Therapy Department Nursing Service Program at Columbia Hospital
(now Richland Memorial Hospital) and the first Nursing Home Care Unit in a
hospital setting at the Dorn VA Medical Center.
Throughout
her life, Belton has been deeply involved with a number of community
organizations, including the S.C. Silver Haired Legislative Board, the Columbia
Christian Health Care Auxiliary, the S.C. Congregational Nurse Network, CHI ETA
PHI Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Also, Belton is president of the Nurses
Auxiliary at Zion Canaan Baptist Church and parish nurse for the congregation.
A
resident of Allen Benedict Court from 1941-1950, Frank B. Washington has
spent his life trying to improve the lives of people in his community. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High
School in 1945 and earned a Bachelor of Psychology from Allen University in
1949. During his 16-year tenure as
president of the Columbia branch of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, Washington was dedicated to fighting racial
discrimination and the under representation of African-Americans in public
life, primarily in elected offices and employment. While serving four years on the NAACP
National Board of Directors, he led the association in pressuring the City of
Columbia to adopt single-member voting districts, which allowed the city’s
large black population to be adequately represented in elected offices and
ushered in a new era of city politics.
Washington
has served on the board of trustees at Voorhees College, Richland Lexington
Drug Abuse Commission and Richland Memorial Hospital, and as president of the
S.C. Insurance Commission. After 35
years at the S.C. Department of Education, Washington retired as chief
supervisor for the office of federal programs.
In 2006, he was featured on the S.C. African-American history calendar
and was named to the S.C. Black Hall of Fame.
“The
Wall of Fame Ceremony is CHA’s biggest event all
year,” said CHA Executive Director Gilbert Walker. “We are pleased to honor these two
individuals for a lifetime of admirable service to their communities.”
CHA manages nearly 2,000 conventional
public housing units and administers more than 3,100 rental assistance
contracts throughout Richland County.
CHA is the third oldest housing authority in the nation and has
continuously been recognized by HUD for its successful housing and education
programs.
###