Four local teachers joined the ranks of the Carter County Educators Hall of Fame on Saturday evening.

Each year, the Carter County Imagination Library honors four educators who have made a difference in the lives of their students by inducting them into the Carter County Educators Hall of Fame. Each induction class includes one living retired and one deceased educator each from the Carter County School System and Elizabethton City Schools.

The induction ceremony for this year’s class of inductees was held Saturday evening at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Elizabethton.

WJHL News Anchor Josh Smith once again served as the master of ceremonies for Saturday evening’s induction.

“I love that here, in my hometown, we honor educators, and we honor education,” Smith told those in attendance.

The Class of 2018 for the Carter County Educators Hall of Fame includes Kathy Buck and the late Renee Burchfield from the county school system and Patsy Taylor Goddard and the late Carl Cates from the city school system.

The first inductee of the evening was the late Renee Burchfield, who taught in the county school system for 12 years. She passed away in 2013 following a battle with cancer.

“She gave until the very end of her life,” Smith said.

Burchfield’s family accepted the award on her behalf.

The second inductee was Kathy Buck, who taught for many years at Central Elementary School, covering a variety of grades and subjects.

“The ladies and gentlemen of her class learned the meaning of class and what it meant to be a gentleman or a lady,” Smith said.

The third inductee was the late Carl Cates, who taught for Elizabethton City Schools for nine years before opening Cates Music in the 1960s. Cates was also a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean conflict.

“I’m amazed at how he lived his life,” Smith said. “We honor his memory tonight. He was a remarkable human being.”

Cates’ wife accepted the award on his behalf.

The final inductee for the evening was Patricia “Patsy” Taylor Goddard, who taught for the Elizabethton City Schools.

In addition to her career in teaching, Goddard worked in the chemical lab at Bemberg and flew a plane delivering mail during World War II after enrolling in a special pilot program at East Tennessee State College. She was also selected to take part in a special program in 1959-1960 through the National Science and Math Institute.

Goddard was certified to teach aviation, chemistry, history, aeronautics, and home economics.

“She was a woman who did it all in a time when most East Tennessee women only dreamed of diversity in a career,” Smith said.

During Saturday evening’s ceremony, the Carter County Imagination Library also honored the Teachers of the Year from both the county and city school systems. Those teachers are: Carter County: Norma Carr, Jennifer Frazier, and Irene Batchelder, and Elizabethton: Beth Deloach, Travis Smithdeal, and  Forrest Holt.