Brookland-Cayce High School EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME
MRS. DONNA BULL WILES Inducted 2012
Donna Bull Wiles was born on March 8, 1948 in Cameron, SC, to parents Bartow and Miriam Bull. The oldest of eventually three children - brothers Capers Bartow and David Weston - Donna remembers distinctly being her father's "pride and joy" as the first child and later mentoring her younger siblings. Some of her fondest childhood memories include sitting on the hood of her "Daddy's" car, being the first and only granddaughter, and being challenged academically and athletically by her three older male cousins. Donna was a Cameron girl through and through as she started her educational journey at Cameron School, and finally Cameron High School where she graduated in 1966. As the valedictorian of her class, Donna excelled academically. She also participated in numerous extracurricular activities including cheerleading, playing basketball, being Junior Class President, Vice-President of the Student Council, serving as yearbook editor, being voted "Best All Around", and landing the lead roles in the junior and senior plays. The end result was an extremely well-rounded young lady ready for the next step in her life. Donna continued her education by attending Winthrop University where, despite taking honors courses, she received her B.A. in English and a minor in Math in a mere three years. After briefly teaching 10th grade English in Portsmouth, Va., she returned to her home state and earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching ("MAT") with a concentration on mathematics from the University of South Carolina. Since Donna was certified to teach both English and Math in South Carolina, she chose to teach math at Brookland-Cayce High School because of the renowned principal, William Parrish, and his distinguished staff. Her inspiration for becoming a teacher developed at a surprisingly young age. According to Donna, her fourth grade teacher Mrs. Jewel Summers had an especially profound effect. Mrs. Summers took a particular interest in the young Donna's work, challenging her at every turn (particularly in math) and encouraging her to read as much as possible. Another important influence was Donna's "loving" grandmother Daisy who also took a special interest in her only granddaughter of eight grandchildren. Like Mrs. Summers, Daisy didn't coddle Donna. Instead she stressed the importance of higher education and expected all of her grandchildren to excel in school, especially the one granddaughter. Donna pleased her grandmother and Mrs. Summers by compiling an excellent record as a teacher and in activities outside the classroom. While at BCHS, Donna taught multiple mathematics courses ranging from general Math to more advanced college prep and honors Algebra, Calculus, and SAT prep. As a testament to her leadership and organizational skills, Donna was named Head of the Mathematics Department, where she served from 1990 to 2001. Throughout her tenure, Donna inspired numerous students, some of whom credited her with changing their lives, and many of whom were simply appreciative of her willingness to challenge them and spend extra hours tutoring them. She truly possessed the confidence of both her students and her peers. The professional Donna was more than just a classroom teacher. She valued and participated in as many extracurricular activities as she possibly could, e.g., the Junior Honor Society, class sponsorships, SAT and Academic team sponsorships, Mr. Bearcat, and senior proms. Indeed, many of Donna's most fond memories hail from such activities as helping to build floats on huge 18-wheelers, designing class t-shirts, holding car wash fundraisers, and especially helping lead one of her Academic teams to the State Championship at USC. Donna was equally active in the BCHS community where she was a member of the Junior Women's Club of West Columbia and the "block captain" of the Westover Acres Community Crime Watch. Donna was most active however in church, where she taught vacation bible and Sunday School, and where she continues to serve on numerous important councils and committees. Donna's long and distinguished career at BCHS and in the field of education concluded in 2006 when she retired to take care of her first grandchild. Her husband Barry Neal Wiles and Donna raised two wonderful daughters, Miriam Ashley McGlohorn and Mary Allison Stuck (the former following in her mother's footsteps as a teacher at Spring-dale Elementary), who in turn rewarded them with three equally wonderful grandchildren, Banks Calhoun McGlohorn, Brooks Tillman McGlohorn, and Braydon William Stuck. Despite the enormous responsibility of helping to raise three young grandchildren, Donna never abandoned the education field. Currently, she serves as State treasurer of Delta Kappa Gamma (the international society of distinguished educators), regularly attends southeastern and international DKG conferences, tutors students from various Columbia area schools, and attends BCHS class reunions. No doubt though, her most important continuing educational responsibility is her three grandchildren. Like her own grandmother Daisy before, it's now Donna s turn to inspire a new generation of her family.

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