There will be eight extraordinary educators with a combined 365 years of experience who will be inducted into the Ventura County Educators' Hall of Fame this year.

The inductees include a true pioneer of Ventura County education who helped create the school system in the late 1800s, to an educator who is at the forefront of using modern technology for our 21st century world.

The induction dinner and ceremony honoring these special citizens will be held at the Ronald Reagan Library on Saturday, October 4. This is a unique chance for colleagues, family, students and the public to applaud the life-long efforts of these special people who give so much to foster a better world for all.

Each one of the eight men and women represent a wide range of expertise and talents, but the common thread through all is an ability to inspire students, their fellow teachers and administrators and bestow a remarkable service to the community.

"This is an extraordinary group of people. They are exactly what the Hall of Fame stands for -- honoring the best of the best in Ventura County education," commented Darrin Parrent, president and founder of the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is private, non-profit organization that is not affiliated with any school district and is financed by private donations.

For tickets to the event, contact Parrent at (805) 482-1492 or email: president@vceh.com. The inductees are:

-- Dale Ackerman, who's done it all as a teacher, administrator and counselor, primarily at the Conejo Valley Unified School District. He currently extends his expertise as a supervisor of student teachers at Cal Lutheran University.

-- Dr. Jeanne Adams started as an instructional specialist in the 1960's in the Oxnard area. She most recently helped create the University Preparation School at Cal State University - Channel Islands, which trains elementary and middle school teachers.

-- Ken Benefield, a multi-talented teacher and administrator who led Channel Islands High School to prevail for top academic achievement awards eight times. His innovative ideas sparked the county's first bilingual and multi-cultural programs and, in 1992, the CIHS stadium was renamed for him. Known as a "teacher's principal," after retirement he ran a fund-raising measure for Oxnard schools that garnered a whopping 68 percent of the vote.

-- Christine Brown's talents lie in being a champion of alternative education as she helped establish the Oak Park (Continuation) High School, where for over 20 years she put her heart and soul into stimulating difficult students. While formally retiring in 2002, she continues to be a tremendous help, especially for student teachers at CLU.

-- Richard Haydock is the pioneer of the group, living a full life of education until his passing in 1960. A legendary educator, he has two schools named after him and he was also Oxnard's first mayor when it incorporated in 1903. His legacy lives on in those schools and the Carnegie Library, for which he was solely responsible for fund-raising.

-- Dr. William Lawson was a giant of vocational education in Ventura County, having served as a teacher, dean and assistant chancellor in the Ventura County Community College District. He was an administrator and developer of both Moorpark and Oxnard colleges and most recently a teacher mentor in the Regional Occupation Programs.

-- Dr. Patrick Rooney was involved in all levels of education from elementary through the college level, becoming a charter superintendent for the Moreno Valley and Ventura Unified School districts. After spending 20 years as a Ventura superintendent, he went on to become a professor at USC, Cal Lutheran and Azusa Pacific College.

-- John Van Zant has a national reputation in the vocational education field and Ventura County was lucky to have his abilities as a teacher, and later a director of the superintendent of schools' vocational programs. He was instrumental in the research and development of new programs, many with new computer technology. He also worked with various universities and, after his school retirement in 1991, started a consulting business.