Wendell — East Wake High School inducted three new members in its Hall of Fame at a dinner on Saturday.

The three inductees were Miriam Strickland, Robin “Turk” Dedrick and Rodney Dickerson.

Strickland taught and coached at Vaiden Whitley High from 1971-1977, and later at East Wake from 1977-2003, except for a year for graduate school at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Coaching basketball for her first seven years, her teams’ records averaged near .500. One of Strickland’s teams won the conference tourney and went on to the state playoffs.

“We had 11 All-Conference players, with at least seven playing some college ball,” Strickland said.

Strickland was responsible for starting the volleyball and softball programs at East Wake. Alongside co-coach Arcelia Jefferys, Strickland assumed the softball position and left Jefferys the spot at volleyball, both at no pay.

Perhaps Strickland’s largest accomplishments were through volleyball, which she coached for 20 years. Her teams tallied 13 winning seasons. They recorded one perfect regular season, six conference and conference tournament championships, and made the state playoffs 13 times.

Strickland’s teams consisted of six players of the year, 48 All-Conference players, and Strickland was dubbed coach of the year in volleyball four times from 1988-2003.

Turk Dedrick has also been affiliated with the school since it was Vaiden Whitley High. In fact, he coached football, basketball and track at Wendell Jr. High in 1970.

Over the following several years, Dedrick made the transition to Vaiden Whitley, where he continued to teach physical science, health and PE, coach football, wrestling, track and serve as an athletic trainer. At East Wake, Dedrick taught health and PE and coached football, wrestling and track.

“I served as assistant football coach and defensive Coordinator for 23 years under Johnny Sasser,” Dedrick said. “We had seven conference championships in football (1977-1992, 4-A for the first time in 1992). In 1991, we defeated Garner at East Wake, 16-6.”

Dedrick remained coaching through the Sasser era and became only the second head coach in school history after Sasser’s death. He continued coaching right through the arrival of current head football coach, Jimmy Williams. He served as assistant coach and defensive coordinator with Williams from 1998-2000. In 2002 Dedrick became the head agronomics coach, a position he still fills today.

Over the course of his career, Dedrick coached over 100 collegiate football players.

The last and youngest member to be inducted, Dickerson left a lasting impression on the football and track programs at East Wake.

“It is a real honor to be recognized with individuals like Miriam and Turk,” Dickerson said at the banquet.

Dickerson’s football resume includes two years of all-conference play as a Warrior, Honorable Mention All-East, Most Improved in 1984, as well as making the N.C. Shrine Bowl team, for which he pulled in an 86-yard interception for a touchdown.

He ran track at East Wake, as well. Dickerson was all-conference in 1984-85, won the sectional 400 meter in 1985, when he was also named conference and East Wake MVP. He holds the 200- and 400-meter record.

His career as a Warrior sent him to Duke University on a football scholarship. As a Blue Devil, Dickerson was a member of the ACC Co-Championship team in 1989. In that same year, he was named Most Outstanding Special Teams Player, the Schick TV Player of the Game vs. Maryland was named to the All-ACC Academic Football Team.

Dickerson was Duke’s track MVP in 1990. He finished third in the ACC Indoor Championships that same year.