(DRAFFENVILLE, Ky.) — Marshall County High School recognized its 2026 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductees during a special ceremony on Tuesday, January 13th. The recognition ceremony took place between games of a basketball doubleheader featuring the Lady Marshals and Marshals against rival Calloway County.s.
This year’s inductees represent diverse achievements spanning education, law, entertainment, and public service. Among those honored were Reed Conder, who served as superintendent of Marshall County Schools for many years and for whom the MCHS gymnasium is named.
The class also included 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, was 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 paid tribute to Hatler E. Morgan, a 1926 Benton High School graduate whose legacy included careers in banking and insurance, service as mayor of Benton, and extensive philanthropic work. Rounding out the honorees was 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 are available via livestream. Both basketball games and the Hall of Fame recognition ceremony was broadcast on the Marshall Media Arts YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/@MarshallMediaArts.
