Hall of Fame
On the track, Louise Smith was known for her strong finish. The 1960 Benedict College women's track & field team brought a lot of attention to the school, primarily because of Louise Smith. Benedict competed against Tennessee State, which had Wilma Rudolph on its team. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman alive in the 1960s. Due to the strong third leg run by Louise Smith, Benedict was able to hold on for second place in the featured relay race, finishing behind Rudolph's Tennessee State team. Following her graduation from Benedict in 1965, Smith began a career as a school librarian and media specialist. She was named the South Carolina Association of School Librarians Media Specialist of the Year in 1996 and Teacher of the Year for Pendergrass Fairwold School in 2002. While at Pendergrass Fairwold, she implemented various programs in the library using assistive technology. As the library media specialist at Eau Claire High School, she was one of the first to implement an online catalog. Under her leadership, Eau Claire was one of the first schools with a TV production studio. She was also a certified cheerleading coach for five years and her squads were always among the championship contenders.
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