For more than 35 years, C. Tyrone Gilmore effectively utilized his time and energy to meet the needs of students and to provide leadership to his community. He has served as a teacher, coach, and principal. In 1994 he became the first African American to become Superintendent of Spartanburg School District 7, retiring in 2002.

   

     Born on March 24, 1943, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Gilmore prepared himself academically by graduating from Carver High School. He later earned his B.A. degree in Social Studies from Livingstone College, his M.A. degree in Social Studies from Converse College, and an Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration from the University of South Carolina. His mother, Margaret Gilmore, admonished hard work and self-reliance.

Dr. Gilmore provided notable leadership for his school district. He established an $80 million building program, erected a county Alternative School and a Potential Administrators' Academy, implemented a curriculum alignment and benchmarking process to improve student performance, adopted an aggressive technology plan to enhance students' technology skills and improved vocational education program enrollments. Gilmore's achievements have received national acclaim. The January 1996 issue of Money Magazine named Spartanburg County School District 7 one of the nation's top 100 school districts.

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     From 1990 to 1994, he was Grand Basileus (National President) of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. For his work, Dr. Gilmore has been honored many times, including Omega Man of the Year, Grand Basileus Distinguished Service Award, and Sixth District Leadership Award. He is also a community leader. His many roles include former chair of South Carolina State Election Commission, National Association of Secondary School Principals, chair of the local United Way, Lander University Board of Trustees, American Association of School Administrators, Ebony magazine's Most Influential African Americans (1991-1994), Downtown Rotary Club, Mason, and Shriner.

In 1993, his alma mater, Livingstone College, awarded him an Honorary Doctorate degree of Humane Letters. In 2003, Dr. Gilmore was inducted into the Livingstone College Hall of Fame and the Livingstone College Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2004, he was named to the South Carolina Black Hall of Fame.

   

     Dr. Gilmore is guided by the philosophy of Daniel Webster, "...if we rear temples, they will crumble into dust, but if we work upon minds, and imbue them with principles, with the just fear of God and love of our fellow man, we engrave on those tables something that will brighten all eternity. This is education." education."

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