(DRAFFENVILLE, Ky.) — Marshall County High School will recognize its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductees during a special ceremony on Tuesday, January 13th. The community is invited to the Inductee reception that will begin the evening in the school’s cafeteria at 5:00 p.m.
The recognition ceremony will take place between games of a basketball doubleheader featuring the Lady Marshals and Marshals against rival Calloway County. The evening will showcase both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams in what promises to be a competitive matchup between the two county schools.
This year’s inductees represent diverse achievements spanning education, law, entertainment, and public service. Among those being honored is Reed Conder, who served as superintendent of Marshall County Schools for many years and for whom the MCHS gymnasium is named.
The class also includes Sue Darnell Ellis, a 1976 graduate whose career with NASA earned her the national Christa McAuliffe Memorial Teaching Award. Kerry Harvey, from the school’s inaugural 1975 class, will be recognized for his distinguished legal career as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky and as Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary.
The ceremony will also pay tribute to Hatler E. Morgan, a 1926 Benton High School graduate whose legacy includes careers in banking and insurance, service as mayor of Benton, and extensive philanthropic work. Rounding out the honorees is Tom Rickman, a 1957 North Marshall High School graduate who earned an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay for Coal Miner’s Daughter.
For those unable to attend in person, the entire evening’s events will be available via livestream. Both basketball games and the Hall of Fame recognition ceremony will be broadcast on the Marshall Media Arts YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@MarshallMediaArts.
