Eight former and current educators will be honored in October as this year's inductees to Ventura County Educators' Hall of Fame.

From a "legendary" pioneer who helped develop a school system in the late 1800s, to an educator who introduced new computer technology, this group is "extraordinary," said Darrin Parrent, president and founder of the Hall of Fame.

"They are exactly what the Hall of Fame stands for: honoring the best of the best in Ventura County education," Parrent said.

The induction dinner and ceremony will be Oct. 4 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley.

The inductees are:

n Dale Ackerman, superintendent of student teachers at California Lutheran University, and former teacher, administrator, coach and counselor, primarily in the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

n Jeanne Adams, an educator who helped create the University Preparation School at CSU Channel Islands, which trains elementary and middle school teachers.

n Ken Benefield, teacher, administrator and coach who helped Channel Islands High School achieve top academic recognition. He also helped establish the county's first bilingual and multi-cultural programs.

n Christine Brown, an educator who helped establish Oak View High School, an alternative campus in Oak Park.

n Richard Haydock, Oxnard's first mayor and "legendary" educator who died in 1960. Haydock raised funds for the Carnegie Library, and two local schools have been named after him.

n William Lawson, educator and mentor in the county Office of Education's Regional Occupational Programs, who also served as a teacher, dean and assistant chancellor in the Ventura County Community College District.

n Patrick Rooney, former superintendent at Moreno Valley and Ventura Unified School districts, who went on to become a professor at University of Southern California and California Lutheran and Azusa Pacific universities.

n John Van Zant, former teacher in the Ventura Unified School District and former director of the county Office of Education's Regional Occupational Program.

The Hall of Fame is a nonprofit organization and is not affiliated with any school district.

For more information or tickets to the event, contact Parrent at 482-1492 or e-mail at president@vceh.com.

— From staff reports