Forbush Hall of Fame Members inducted

Forbush High School recognized several of its alumni by inducting them into the Forbush Hall of Fame during a ceremony held Jan. 14. The 2022 honorees were Barry Hennings, Brian McCollum, Kim Matthews, David Matthews and Wayne Dixon.

“The Forbush Hall of Fame highlights and recognizes the legacy of Forbush High School. Inducting members every school year allows us to provide an enduring memorial to the students, staff, and athletes that have made lasting contributions to this community and to Forbush High School,” said Forbush High School Athletic Director William Bell.

“The inductees from the first four classes have been pillars of our community and have laid the groundwork for the induction of future generations. Each year we are ecstatic to see all the previous inductees return and welcome our new class into the Hall of Fame, to reminisce, and to meet new faces,” added Bell.

About the 2022 honorees:

Barry Hennings

Barry Hennings was born in 1962 and grew up in East Bend where he attended Forbush High School and graduated in 1980, top five in his class. For years, Barry was synonymous with basketball where he was Most Valuable Player and won the Forbush High School Scholastic Award. In three years of playing varsity basketball for Denny Key Sr., he was 2x All-Conference, Conference Player of the Year, 2x All Tri-County, Tri-County Player of the Year, 2x All-Northwest, runner-up for All-Northwest Player of the Year, and Most Valuable Player of the renowned Frank Spencer Holiday Tournament where he led the eighth seeded Falcons to an exciting runner-up finish in the 1979 tournament. Barry also played baseball and football and was voted ‘Falcon of the Year’ in 1980, as Forbush’s top male athlete. He was the Junior Class President, Most Outstanding Senior, President of the National Honor Society, participated in Student Council and Monogram Club. Barry was a member of the Jazz and Marching Band. After high school, Barry attended North Carolina State University and graduated Cum Laude with a BS in Civil Engineering. He also attained an executive education degree from Duke University’s Fuqua school of business. Barry has worked in the construction industry since graduating from college, is a licensed General Contractor in nine southeastern states and achieved LEED AP designation. He is currently part Owner and President/CEO of Omega Construction. Barry is very active in Yadkin County having served as President of the Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Planning Board. Barry is married to Penny Williams and has two children, Barrett and Parkley, who both also received ‘Falcon of the Year’ award. He and his family have been avid supporters of Forbush High School.

Brian McCollum

Brian McCollum is believed to be among the best basketball players to come through Forbush High School. Still holding the record for most points in a career, scoring 1,482 in his four years as a varsity player, he has many accolades to add to his resume. He was named All-Conference as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He also went on to be named the Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 1994. Brian was an All Northwest Regional All Star Selection in 1994. As a result of these honors, his jersey #44 was retired. He was also active in Student Council as a sophomore, junior and senior, becoming president his senior year. He earned a scholarship to St. Andrews University, securing a starting position all four years. Brian was the school’s all-time leading 3-point shooter and was team captain as a senior. During his senior season, he helped St. Andrews win the regular season conference championship. He was named a National Association of Basketball Coaches Academic All-American as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He finished his career scoring 987 points. Today, he is involved with his own children and gives back to the community by coaching basketball and football, as well as holding executive leadership positions for youth and high school organizations.

Kim Matthews

Dr. Kim K. Matthews, class of ‘74, devoted his life to serving the students and people of Yadkin County. While at Forbush High School, he was a three-sport athlete, male “Falcon of The Year”, and was voted class president in 1974. Kim attended Lenoir Rhyne University, where he played football and baseball and graduated with a degree in Intermediate Education. Upon graduation, Kim moved back to Yadkin County and began teaching at West Yadkin Elementary in 1978. Kim continued to teach until 1987 when he moved into administration. Kim became assistant principal at West Yadkin in 1987, and two years later, was named assistant principal of Forbush High School. Kim was a teacher, coach and leader in Yadkin County Schools for 22 years before moving to the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County system in 2000. From 2007 to 2016, Kim served as a professor, advisor and chair of the NC Teaching Fellows at Lenoir Rhyne University. He retired in 2016 to spend more time with his family – particularly his grandchildren – and to raise cows. Kim was a lifelong teacher inside and outside the classroom and made a profound difference in the lives of his students and many others.

David Matthews

Coach Matthews’ initial stint as a Falcon began in 1967-1968 as a part of Forbush’s first graduating class. He was a leader in that class as evidenced by being named to Who’s Who in America’s High Schools of 1968 and was active in several extracurricular clubs and organizations. He played baseball and was a standout basketball player being named captain of the team as well as being named to the All-Conference, All-District, and All-Northwest teams. After leaving Forbush, Coach Matthews attended Campbell University for his undergraduate work and Francis Marion University to obtain his Master’s Degree in Education. After college, Coach Matthews began his teaching career in Florence, SC, but it wasn’t long before he returned to Yadkin County teaching and coaching at Forbush and Starmount High Schools. He taught in Yadkin County for a total of 28 years with his top priority always being the overall success of his students. While at Forbush, Coach Matthews coached women’s basketball, softball, and cross country. He was a part of multiple conference championship and state championship teams and coached numerous All-State Runners, yet all of the accolades were not his priority. For him, it was teaching life lessons, creating life-long relationships, and mentoring those he encountered. Student-athletes often referred to Coach Matthews as the “Encourager Coach” who taught the fundamentals and had high expectations, while encouraging them the entire journey. Coach Matthews was beloved as a colleague, coach, and teacher and epitomizes the definition of an encouraging, servant-leader. He experienced a lot of success as a teacher and coach, but for those who had the opportunity to work with him or to be coached or taught by him, they were the real winners.

Wayne Dixon

Wayne Dixon was born in 1950 and grew up in Yadkinville where he attended Yadkinville School. He then attended Forbush High School as a senior when the school first opened in 1967. He was a three-sport athlete, excelling in football, basketball, and baseball, earning the first “Falcon of the Year ” honor in 1968, as Forbush’s top male athlete. In football, Wayne was co-captain and all-conference. In the Fall of 1968, he attended Gardner-Webb University before transferring to Western Carolina University and graduating with a Bachelors of Arts in Social Science. He later attended Appalachian State University obtaining a Masters of Arts in Political Science. He started his life of service to the Yadkin County area serving as a social worker and then became a Juvenile Court Counselor from 1972 to 2002. He worked his way up to Area Administrator, supervising forty-seven counties in the Piedmont and Western North Carolina. In 2002 he was elected Clerk of Court in Yadkin County until his retirement in 2014. In 2014, he was inducted into the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the Governor for forty-two years of public service to the citizens of North Carolina. Wayne married Betty Sink and together they have two sons, Charles and Benjamin. In retirement, Wayne and Betty love to farm and continue to care for their special needs son. They have stayed active in the First United Methodist Church of Yadkinville, the YMCA, and New Horizons, among other organizations.