COLUMBIA, SC: Columbia College alumna, Arie Black Guess ’49, will receive the Carolinian of the Year Medal of Achievement Award from the Carolina Historical Society, Inc. and the South Carolina Citizens and Merchants Association, Inc., on February 14, 2007.  The award will be presented at the South Carolina State House by members of the state senate and the house of representatives.
 
Arie Black Guess is the first woman to receive this award, and the first educator. A retired school teacher and native of Blackville, South Carolina, she was selected from over seventy nominees from across the state. The 16 committee members selected Guess based on her numerous accomplishments and the impact her life has had on her students and her community. She is the first person elected unanimously by the organization on the first ballot. Eighty-four individuals have been recipients of the award, including the late Senator Strom Thurmond.
 
Arie Black Guess was valedictorian of her high school class and majored in science at Columbia College, graduating in 1949. She remembers her years at the College as a time to take every available opportunity as she prepared to lead in the classroom. “I wasted very little time because I was at [Columbia College] to get a good education to become a school teacher.” As a community activist and teacher, her energy and leadership skills continue to be a lasting, positive influence in her community. She received numerous awards during her career, including Distinguished Teacher in Barnwell County (1971), Jaycees Outstanding Teacher in Blackville (1974), Star Teacher Award (1967, 1971), and the Barnwell Vocational Center Dedicated Service Award (1983). Guess retired from teaching in 1984 after 35 years as a guidance counselor and science teacher. Guess is an active Columbia College alumna, having served as secretary of the Alumnae Association, as president of the Bamberg-Barnwell Columbia College Club, and several committees. She received the Wil Lou Gray Outstanding Educator Award from the Columbia College Alumnae Association in 1996.