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TO CONGRATULATE AND EXTEND BEST WISHES TO DR. ETHEL M. HENDERSON TAYLOR, OF RICHLAND COUNTY, UPON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT AFTER NEARLY SIXTY YEARS OF BROADCASTING AND TEACHING, AS WELL AS UPON THE OCCASION OF HER EIGHTY-FIFTH BIRTHDAY.
Whereas, the members of the South Carolina Senate note that, after nearly six decades of outstanding service, Dr. Ethel M. Henderson Taylor is celebrating her retirement from broadcasting and teaching, as well as her eighty-fifth birthday, on Friday, March 28, 2008; and
Whereas, the story of Ethel Taylor's fifty-eight years in broadcasting is an extraordinary testimony of dedication, commitment to excellence, and her personal belief that service to others is the key to happiness in life; and
Whereas, Dr. Taylor began her career by making history as the first female African American radio announcer in South Carolina, her voice being the first one heard on Columbia's heritage radio station, WOIC, where she served in multiple capacities for forty-four years. She next joined the staff of Glory Communications' WFMV, where she has hosted Golden Gospel Memories for the past fourteen years; and
Whereas, during her early career with WOIC in the 1950's, families gathered every Saturday morning to listen to A Date With Ethel, a radio program that skillfully mixed music with announcements of community events, recipes for listeners' favorite dishes, and recordings of high school glee clubs from throughout the Midlands. It set the stage for the kind of dedication that would bring Ethel Taylor continued recognition for her broadcast accomplishments; and
Whereas, chief among her many honors, in 1973, Ethel Taylor was awarded an honorary doctorate by Hamilton State University after Billboard magazine named her one of the five top female announcers in the United States; and
Whereas, locally, Dr. Taylor was named 1977 Woman of the Year by the Midlands Chapter of the American Business Women's Association and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by WOIC Radio in 1994. On the national scene, she was invited in 1999 to the National Association of Broadcasters convention in San Francisco as a nominee for the prestigious NAB Marconi Radio Award for Small Market Personality of the Year; and
Whereas, truly multidimensional in her accomplishments, this 1946 magna cum laude graduate of Benedict College also was an educator for the Richland County public schools and Benedict College for a total of almost sixty years; and
Whereas, the Senate is proud to honor this special lady at the celebration of her retirement and eighty-fifth birthday, and the members of the Senate join with Dr. Taylor's family and friends in congratulating her on reaching these important milestones. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate and extend best wishes to Dr. Ethel M. Henderson Taylor, of Richland County, upon the occasion of her retirement after nearly sixty years of broadcasting and teaching, as well as upon the occasion of her eighty-fifth birthday.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Ethel M. Henderson Taylor.
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