SUMMERS COUNTY, (Hinton News) – Editor’s Note: This is the fourth and final edition of this four-part series. I am grateful to Jerry Beasley and Keith Lilly for their time and effort in putting this together. If you have enjoyed this series and would be interested in more similar content in the future, let me know by calling our office or emailing me at news@hintonnews.com. See another note at the end of the article with information on one of the authors.
The late Brooks Hays, a former congressman who held an honorary degree from Concord, once told of two constituents who visited our nation’s capitol building and while there, wandered unknowingly into a restricted area where they were challenged by a zealous guard: “Who do you think you are?” “Oh, just two of the owners,” one of the visitors replied.
Summers Countians are not only among the owners of Concord University but also the shapers of her destiny through its Board of Governors that was created by the state legislature in 2000. The Board has been led by two men from Summers who served 2-year terms as its chair – Jim Brown and Ted Rogers. Fellow members with Summers connections have included Gene Fife, Greg Allen, Susie Rogers and Wilma Anderson.
Prior to the creation of the Board of Governors, Concord was guided by a Board of Advisors that at one time was chaired by Rachel Bussard Tompkins, a vice president at WVU and founder of the National Trust for Rural and Community Education, and included Kayetta Durrett Meadows, President of the WV Education Association – both from Summers County.
These two boards would lead the institution to a number of notable achievements: enrolled the greatest number of students in the institution’s history, created master’s programs in education and social work (business would be added later), strengthened faculty credentials, built the Erma Byrd Higher Education Center in Beckley and the Rahall Technology Center and Wilkes Family Chapel on campus, and supported the football team that competed for a national championship in 2011. The social work master’s was largely the handiwork of department chair Dr. John David Smith, who hailed from Summers and would later serve as Concord’s chief academic officer.
In 1974, Concord established a foundation to seek funds to provide “a margin of excellence” not attainable with only state funds. Ben Vest, assistant to Concord’s President at the time and originally from the Jumping Branch area, led the team that fashioned the Concord College Foundation. The Foundation’s assets grew to $54 million in 2022 when it awarded scholarships to 503 students. The growth of the Foundation is attributable to over 4,000 generous donors and the investment acumen of Summers native Greg Allen, former executive at Bank of America and chair of the Foundation’s investment committee. Concord awarded Mr. Allen an honorary doctorate in 2022 in recognition of his exemplary service to the institution.
Other Summers Countians have volunteered their time, talent and treasure to the work of the Foundation: Doug Maddy (former President of the WV Bankers Association), Richard Lawrence (former Asst. Superintendent of SC Schools and co-founder of the Hinton Area Foundation) and Senator Leonard Anderson.
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Having focused throughout this series of articles on the history of the SC-CU relationship, we shift briefly to the present and future by describing several promising initiatives that serve local students.
For almost 25 years, Barbara Rush-Meador (CU 1990), counselor for the Upward Bound program, has assisted almost 400 Summers County students prepare for college. School principals, counselors and teachers have been her partners. Each year, 15 students, typically ninth graders, are selected for the program that supports them throughout high school and provides tuition-free college courses in the summer following graduation.
GearUp, a five-county effort supported by a $21 million grant, will provide tutoring and counseling services for 213 6th and 7th-grade students in the county (and 3500 in four contiguous counties) and will continue to support them through graduation. Samantha Jones (CU 2011) will coordinate the program locally with leaders in the school system and the parents and guardians of students. Success may depend on employing some of the one-room schoolhouse practices described in the books written by John Webb and published by the SC Historical Society.
The Bonner Scholars program enrolls 80 students at Concord who are preparing for lives of service. Students receive generous scholarships and are paid for six weeks of summer work for non-profit organizations. Moreover, small grants are available for the organizations that employ the students – a win-win for the students and the community. For example, the Hinton Area Foundation has benefited from the exceptional work of several students and from the purchase of software with one of the grants.
Severe teacher shortages and declining student achievement are causes of broad concern and for intelligent action. Although the “Grow Your Own” project, now underway, can positively affect teacher recruitment, it can be complemented by a variety of initiatives that boost achievement and attract inspirational teachers. Confidence and trust born from the long association of community and university can be the catalyst for continued creative cooperation.
(Authors’ Note: We are grateful to the Hinton News for the opportunity to trace the evolution over 150 years of the mutually beneficial relationships between Summers County and Concord.)
Editor’s Note: One of the authors, Keith Lilly, is from our wonderful county. Here is some information on his life and achievements provided by his co-author, Jerry Beasley. “Keith Lilly has lived most of his life in Summers County. He graduated from Concord College with highest honors (summa cum laude) in history and political science. He continued his education at Virginia Tech where he earned a master’s in history. As a colleague of Dr. William O’Brien (another Summers Countian), he was a leader in two major projects aimed at improving the teaching of history in West Virginia schools. Currently, he is researching a biography of Confederate General John Echols.”
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