Crossing the River Jordan Award

Previous Winners

Secretary Richard Riley (2000)
The Christian Science Monitor says that many Americans regard Dick Riley as "one of the great statesmen of education in this century." David Broder, columnist for The Washington Post, called him one of the "most decent and honorable people in public life." And when Riley was governor of South Carolina, he was so popular voters amended the constitution to allow him to run for a second term.

Wherever he goes, Richard Wilson Riley—former US Secretary of Education and grandfather of ten—wins respect for his integrity, principled leadership, commitment to children, and passion for education. President Bill Clinton chose Dick Riley to be his Secretary of Education in December 1992 after Riley won national recognition for his highly successful effort to improve education in South Carolina. During his eight years in office, Riley helped launch historic initiatives to raise academic standards, to improve instruction for poor and disadvantaged kids, to expand grants and loan programs to help more Americans go to college, to prepare young people for the world of work, and to improve teaching. He helped create the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, which today includes more than 4,000 groups, and was instrumental in initiating the so-called “e-rate” program, which provided billions of dollars to help schools take advantage of technology.

Dick Riley was born in Greenville County, SC, in 1933. He graduated cum laude from Furman University in 1954 and served as an officer in the US Navy. In 1959, Riley received a law degree from the University of South Carolina. He served as a state representative and state senator from 1963–1977 and was elected governor in 1978 and reelected in 1982. Riley is married to the former Ann Osteen Yarborough, a long-time teacher and board member of the Alliance for Education, Public Education Network’s member in Greenville, SC.

For his tireless efforts on behalf of South Carolina school children as a legislator and governor, and for his inspired leadership of the federal Department of Education for eight years, Richard Riley received the Crossing the River Jordan Award at a ceremony held in the majestic rotunda of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.