Johnson recognized with William Penn Harrison Scholarship Fund Public Service Award

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Kim Johnson is an assistant marketing officer with the Bank of Clarendon, a member of the Clarendon School District 2 Board of Trustees and president of the Clarendon County Chamber of Commerce.

She has won countless awards during her time as a young community leader in Clarendon County, and she added another on Friday night as the William Penn Harrison Scholarship Fund presented her with its Public Service Award during its 5th annual Scholarship Banquet.

Established with donations from Wilson Elementary School alumni and friends, the fund is named for William Penn Harrison, who died in January 2013 at the age of 99. Harrison taught in the public school system for 37 years, serving as principal of Santee Rosenwald and Wilson Elementary schools from 1954 to 1970. He also served as assistant principal of Alcolu Elementary School from 1970-75. He became the attendance supervisor for Clarendon School District 2 in 1976.

"William Penn Harrison was a distinguished educator and principal of this historic school in Clarendon County (Wilson Elementary)," said scholarship fund President Floyd L. Keels in a 2015 file story. "The Wilson Elementary School Committee is committed to raising money for the scholarship fund to help meet critical scholarship needs and serve the present age. Obtaining a quality and affordable college education in today's economy is increasingly difficult."

A 1998 graduate of Manning High School, Johnson served about eight years in the military and received a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from the University of South Carolina in 2006. She received a master's of social work degree from USC in 2010. She is also a 2009 graduate of Leadership Clarendon and of Furman University's Diversity Leaders Institute.

In 2011, she graduated from the South Carolina Bankers School of the South Carolina Bankers Association, and three years later graduated from the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing and management.

A member of Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Manning, Johnson serves and has served on several local boards and committees, including for the United Way and Main Street Manning Advisory boards, the Clarendon County Chamber Board of Directors, the Relay for Life Steering Committee, the Friends of Weldon Advisory Board, Clarendon County First steps, the Santee-Lynches REC Advisory Board, the Clarendon County Habitat for Humanity board and the MAC Booster Club.

She has been recognized by various state and local organizations for her work in the community, including being named in 2016 as a recipient of the YWCA of the Upper Lowlands' Women Under 40 Award for being "an enterprising woman who has succeeded in both education and business."

Johnson was not the only public figure recognized at Friday's banquet. Loretta W. King was presented with the Ernest A. Finney III Humanitarian Award, while Clarendon School District 2 Superintendent John Tindal was presented with the Luns C. Richardson Education Award. Manninglive.com will have more on these individuals in follow-up stories.

Aside from recognizing public figures like Johnson, the banquet also serves as an opportunity to award need-based scholarships to deserving individuals with qualifying relationship to the Wilson community, Keels said. This year's scholarship recipient was JayLen Dupree. Manninglive.com will have more about Dupree in a follow-up story.

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