By Marilyn Thomas
Whitehead Orthodontics: Celebrating 25 Years of Sharing Smiles
“It amazes me how quickly 25 years have passed,” Dr. James (Jim) Whitehead warmly remarks. “I have had the opportunity to meet and grow to know so many patients and their families, treating over 11,000 people to date. There is nothing more rewarding than running into my patients at the ball field or the grocery store and learning more about what has transpired in their lives. I am anxious to see what the next 25 years hold!”
Growing up as the son and grandson of physicians, Dr. Whitehead naturally thought he would pursue a healthcare career. However, his interest changed at a young age. “It was only after my experience as a teenager in braces that I considered a path in dentistry.” In retrospect, he realized he was influenced by two close family friends who were dentists. “Dr. Sonny Ethridge was my pediatric dentist and contributed to my childhood exposure to the world of dentistry,” he says. “Also, Dr. Rusty Newton was a local periodontist and one of my most inspirational neighbors.”
When asked how he manages a successful practice and a family of four, he explains, “Work and family life are always a challenge, but we make time. My wife and I are blessed with 3 boys. The oldest is in dental school, the middle is in college, and the youngest is in the fourth grade; it is quite a span. Owning the practice allows a bit more control of our schedule while we are chasing our guys that are going in many different directions.”
Laughter is a regular component of the relaxed office environment of Whitehead Orthodontics on Mallard Lakes Drive in Lexington. “We believe in having fun along the way because a positive, relaxed atmosphere contributes to better patient experiences.” His patients are invited to explore the world of orthodontic approaches with cutting-edge technology and innovative techniques for a healthier and straighter smile.
Lexington Technology Center: Commemorating Five Decades of Career-Oriented Instruction
“Since 1974, the Lexington Technology Center (LTC) has provided exceptional opportunities in career education for Lexington County School District One students,” says Bryce Myers, director of career and technical education for Lexington County School District One. “At the moment, we are in the process of organizing multiple events that will celebrate our current and former students, staff, and business and community partners.”
LTC serves students from five district high schools including Gilbert, Lexington, Pelion, River Bluff, and White Knoll. This top-tier educational center has earned honors such as the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse Award and the Palmetto Gold Award, achieved the prestigious Cognia STEM Certification, staffs several instructors who have been named “teacher of the year,” and rarely experiences turnover in leadership, with only four directors overseeing the school throughout its 50-year tenure. Additionally, LTC pupils (2000 current enrollments) frequently win state and national recognition in career and technical student organizations.
“The best education is when a student challenges themself academically and pairs that experience with a hands-on, applied experience in career and technical education [CTE] at Lexington Technology Center or one of our other CTE programs across the district. This is the essence of college and career readiness,” says Director Myers. “The goal is to produce citizens who thrive in their careers and make our communities a better place.” Plans are underway to expand CTE opportunities for Lexington students. “There is a need in the community to produce highly skilled employees to meet the needs of local businesses,” Director Myers explains. “Lexington One produces highly knowledgeable students. CTE programs help show students what to do with the knowledge they have—we are the learning labs for their core content.”
Lexington County Fire Service: Celebrating a Half-Century of Excellence
Every year, “Our members respond to more than 22,000 calls for service,” says Lexington County Fire Service Chief Davis. To serve the 758 square miles of Lexington County, LCFS enlists the assistance of 276 full-time members and 20 volunteers who work within 25 fire stations and operate 103 fire vehicles and other related apparatus. Chief Davis credits the growth, success, and longevity of LCFS to the “service excellence [that] started with the formation of our volunteer departments,” and he also recognizes the significance of the present-day support of “our citizens and elected officials.”
LCFS was officially established by the county council in 1974 as a division of Emergency Services to provide fire protection to the immediate surrounding community. Separate fire departments existed within several towns throughout the region before that time. Today the jurisdiction of LCFS extends to all areas of the county, except for the municipalities of Cayce, West Columbia, Batesburg, Leesville, and Irmo. “The 50th Anniversary is a time for us to reflect and honor our past as a primarily volunteer organization made up of individual districts,” continues Chief Davis, “up to our time now, as one fire service unified in serving the county.” The Anniversary Committee is commemorating this milestone with a 50th Anniversary Fire Truck paint scheme, a yearbook, and a challenge coin.
Lexington County Emergency Medical Services: 50 Years of Dedication and Service 
Lexington County launched its first official emergency medical services (EMS) operation in 1974, with just four ambulances and 16 employees. This service was primarily established to enable highly skilled clinicians to respond to emergencies and offer critical life-saving measures to patients for stabilization and safe transportation. Fifty years later this first-responder operation, with its mission of “service beyond expectations,” continues to thrive with a current staff of 150 full and part-time employees who respond to approximately 50,000 calls annually, operating a fleet of 18 ambulances around the clock. In addition to administrative and operational personnel, paramedics and emergency medical technicians are in place to operate ambulances and provide medical assistance.
In January 2024, Lexington County EMS hosted an Open House event at its headquarters at 407 Ball Park Road in Lexington to celebrate the service’s semicentennial milestone, recognize outstanding staff members of the past and present, and display memorabilia that captures the service’s development through the past five decades. As part of this program, a “Legacy of Lifesavers” commemoration was unveiled that permanently displays dedicatory plaques of retired EMS responders along the headquarters’ hallway. “This event is one of many that EMS plans to hold this year in honor of our 50th anniversary,” Deputy Chief of Operations Magen Hallman said. “This gives us an opportunity to reflect on the advancements the EMS industry has made and celebrate the people and their legacy that has paved the way forward.” During a council meeting on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, the Lexington County Council also presented a special resolution, dedicated to the EMS staff, to acknowledge 50 years of committed service to the citizens and visitors of Lexington County.
Riley’s Drugs: A 100-Year Legacy of Compassionate and Comprehensive Care
“We refer to ourselves as being locally owned, locally operated, locally loved, and we are a completely independent community pharmacy,” says Roberta Perry Vining, RPh, current owner and pharmacist of Riley’s Drugs. “I think that’s truly what sets us apart.” The business was established in 1924 in the Red Bank area by Dr. Mark Sidney Riley, a graduate of Clemson University and the Medical University of South Carolina (USC) College of Pharmacy.
After the original Riley’s Drugs building was destroyed by fire in the late forties, it moved to Columbia Avenue. Dr. Robert Perry, also a graduate of the USC College of Pharmacy, joined Riley’s Drugs in 1967; the tradition continued when Dr. Perry’s daughter, Dr. Roberta Perry Vining, decided to follow in his footsteps. “I always wanted to be a pharmacist like my dad,” she says. Her venture with Riley’s Drugs began as a teenager—cleaning bathrooms, dusting shelves, and ordering merchandise, under the mentorship of Dr. Riley and her father. Upon graduation from the USC College of Pharmacy, she returned to Riley’s Drugs where she has served for more than 40 years. After Dr. Riley’s passing and Dr. Perry’s retirement, Dr. Vining became the sole owner of the business.
In 2012 the business relocated to a newly constructed 6500-square-foot store on West Main Street. “We’re still seeing generations of families that Dr. Riley cared for, so that’s really special,” says Dr. Vining. “From the beginning of Riley’s drugs,” she says, “Dr. Riley emphasized how important it was to serve others…and I feel like we have continued that same legacy and those same ideas through today. That kind of care was instilled in my dad, and he instilled it in me.”
Chapin High School: 100 Years of Service and Excellence 
Although Chapin High School has approximately 1700 students currently enrolled, its traditional theme of “a thousand passions and one heartbeat” is an excellent representation of unity. “When you think about what a heartbeat denotes,” explains Principal Edward Davis, Jr., “it denotes life, and I just challenge our students, faculty, and staff to be life and speak life to one another. We know that we are all one with one heartbeat, and we have this wonderful life we’re in together as one, but we’re going to be life (that’s our actions) and speak life (our words to one another).”
Established in 1924, Chapin High School is the oldest school within Lexington Richland School District 5. To commemorate it’s anniversary Chapin High School is “embedding references” to “100 years of service and excellence” within scheduled activities throughout the year. For example, when hosting an annual pageant in February, previous winners were invited to participate. Additionally, the school is compiling stories and warm anecdotes from former students, faculty, and staff to be promoted across media platforms.
Within its centurial timeline, highlights of the school include several state championships in multiple sports, the recent accolades of Amy Carter, South Carolina Teacher of the Year in 2022, and Dr. Akil Ross, National Principal of the Year in 2017. “For the future,” Principal Davis concludes, “we’re embracing growth in where we are, and just want to continue the excellence that we’ve had over the years.”
Medical University of South Carolina:
2 Centuries of Exceptional Patient Care with 50 Years of Heart Care in the Midlands
As the new year unfolded MUSC embarked on a yearlong celebration commemorating its remarkable 200-year history. The very first event marking this momentous occasion was the raising of the MUSC Bicentennial flags across the entire system, a symbolic gesture heralding the beginning of a year filled with reflections on MUSC’s past, a celebration of its present and anticipation of the future.
With two centuries of significant contributions to medical knowledge, experience, and technology, today’s MUSC is described as a “comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research, and patient care.” Much closer to home, Kate Lincoln, director of marketing and communications for the Midlands division of MUSC, announces another significant milestone in this major medical organization’s history: “We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of heart care in the Midlands.”
“In 1974, the first open heart surgery case was performed in the Midlands at what was then Providence Hospital,” Director Lincoln explains. “Since then, the legacy of heart care has been carried on by many caregivers, and more than 33,000 open heart surgeries have been performed at what is now MUSC Columbia Downtown Hospital.” She adds, “The program was started by Drs. John Sutton, Dan Davis, Claude Smith, and John Yarborough. One of our current surgeons is John Sutton as well, son of one of the first surgeons. Strides continue to be made in the innovation of heart care and open-heart surgery, including less invasive procedures and other ways to improve patients’ health,” explains Director Lincoln. “What used to be more than a week’s long hospital stay for open heart surgery is now down to a few nights in the hospital.”
In celebration of its rich legacy, a series of traveling exhibits have been constructed that encapsulate the institution’s history. Nine double-sided, 7 x 7-foot exhibits will travel across the MUSC network throughout 2024, sharing their story and serving as a valuable resource for the campus community and visitors.
