Catherine and Gene Eaker	Marshall L. (Jack) Meadors

Three honorees will receive Columbia College's highest award, the Medallion, at a dinner and awards ceremony on Thursday, November 1. Recipients of the 2007 Medallion are Catherine and Gene Eaker of Columbia and Marshall L. Meadors Jr. of Anderson. The Medallion is presented annually to those individuals whom the College wishes to recognize for exceptional accomplishments, leadership, and service.

For Medallion history click here.

Catherine and Gene Eaker joined the Columbia College family in 1957 when Gene accepted the position of instructor of speech and drama, and Catherine joined the faculty in 1960. Together, they guided the speech and drama department at Columbia College for 37 years, retiring in 1995. Both of their daughters, Beth and Genie, are graduates of Columbia College.
 
Under the direction of the Eakers, Columbia College’s Cottingham Theatre was one of the first in the area to use a full orchestra for musicals. Students went from the Eakers’ tutelage to notable careers on Broadway, television broadcasting, film and local theatre. In their work to build dramatic arts as one of Columbia College’s most successful outreach programs, they pioneered efforts such as Gingerbread Theatre, which took children’s plays into Richland County public schools. They even introduced theatre to unlikely venues such as the South Carolina prison system.
 
After retiring from Columbia College, Catherine and Gene continued their work in children’s theatre with the Patchwork Players, a program launched by their daughter Genie, who continues the Eaker’s legacy by encouraging a new generation of young talent. “The best part about theatre,” says Catherine, “is working with children and young people and seeing them feel good about themselves and develop their self-esteem.” The Eakers are enjoying retirement with their beloved pets and hobbies, and remain active members of College Place United Methodist Church.
 
Marshall L. (Jack) Meadors is a bishop, retired, of the United Methodist Church. He presently serves as Bishop-in-Residence at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He chairs the Independent Panel for the Review of Child Abuse in Mission Settings, of the General Board of Global Ministries. He serves as a trustee at Wofford College and is trustee emeritus of Emory University. A native of South Carolina, Bishop Meadors is a graduate of Wofford College and Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He holds honorary degrees from Wofford, Columbia, Rust, Millsaps and Rocky Mountain Colleges.
 
For 34 years, he served as pastor and district superintendent in South Carolina. In 1992, he was elected to the episcopacy and assigned to the Mississippi area where he served until his retirement in 2000. His civic involvement has included membership on the Anderson County District 5 School Board, a position for which he was twice chosen in general elections. Governor Richard Riley appointed him to the Joint Legislative Committee on Aging and then to the SC Commission on Aging, which he chaired for five years. Also, he has served as trustee of Millsaps, Rust and Wood Colleges in Mississippi and Spartanburg Methodist College. He chaired the Council of Bishop’s Initiative on Children and Poverty, 1995-2000.
 
In 1999, Meadors was a member of the delegation to Belgrade, led by the Reverend Jesse Jackson, which secured the release of three American prisoners of war during the NATO bombing. He then led a delegation to Macedonia to visit refugee camps, and to Kosovo to assess the war damage in Pristina and the outlying villages. He was married to the late Hannah Campbell, an alumna of Columbia College. He has four children: Jane M. Cromley of Pawleys Island, a teacher; Marshall III, a physician in Anderson; James, president of Meadors Construction Company in Charleston, and a member of the Board of Trustees at Columbia College; and John, an attorney in Columbia. He has ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.