Columbus Hall of Fame honors five civic leaders for decades of service

Mayor Andrew Ginther and city officials on Wednesday evening inducted five people into the Columbus Hall of Fame, honoring their contributions to neighborhoods, public service and civic life in Columbus.

The ceremony recognized the late Judge William H. Brooks Sr.; Barbara Fergus; the late Clarence Lumpkin; Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr.; and the late Dr. Wilburn H. Weddington Sr. Officials and family members described each honoree’s local impact and read personal remembrances and accomplishments.

The inductions highlight a range of public-service careers spanning municipal government, neighborhood advocacy, philanthropy and medicine. Mayor Andrew Ginther opened the ceremony by calling it “one of the great nights of the year” and saying the Hall of Fame is “a way for us to acknowledge how extraordinary their leadership, their contributions, their service has been.”

Judge Guy Rees, who introduced the late William H. Brooks Sr., described Brooks as “a man for all seasons” and emphasized his role in desegregation and county and state service, including work on the public utilities commission and service in the Army. Rees noted a 1964 letter from the White House, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, among Brooks’s records.

City Auditor Megan Kilgore introduced Barbara Fergus, calling her “a pioneering business leader, a cultural champion and a fierce advocate for women and girls.” Kilgore said Fergus has “spent her entire life building things that last” and quoted a characteristic line: “I do not know. I only go forward,” as an illustration of Fergus’s focus on forward momentum.

Doug Lumpkin and other family members remembered Clarence Lumpkin as a longtime neighborhood advocate in Linden who organized residents to address crime, sanitation and flooding, and who insisted on rigorous preparation when challenging city leaders.

Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr., introduced by City Attorney Zach Klein and by family, recalled a long career in public service spanning the Ohio Senate, creation of an environmental court and three terms as city attorney. Pfeiffer spoke about his path into politics and law, including volunteer work and early campaigns, saying of early military and civic duties, “you make coffee, you sharpen pencils, and you volunteer to go to Vietnam,” a comment delivered while recounting his Army service and early public-sector work.

Carlton Weddington spoke for his father, Dr. Wilburn H. Weddington Sr., describing him as a physician who “never turned away a person in need” and who provided care across the city, including operating a mobile clinic converted from the family motor home. Dontavious Gerald, assistant minority leader of the Ohio House of Representatives, presented a state commendation and said, “a piece of him is a part of the tapestry that makes Columbus great.”

The ceremony concluded with group photos of inductees and presenters. Mayor Ginther closed by thanking attendees and urging recognition of the inductees’ legacies.

Though the Hall of Fame honors are ceremonial and carry no formal government action, the remarks drew attention to neighborhood-level initiatives, legal and medical service across decades, and philanthropic work that speakers said continue to shape Columbus.