It's 3:30 P.M., and
Wayne White is eating lunch. That's about midday for him, considering
the 12-hour days he puts in as executive director of the Ohio Appalachian
Center for Higher Education (OACHE). As he sips his coffee, he finishes
a story, one of hundreds in his repertoire, about a speaker who once said,
"The reward for serving is having the strength to serve." That
is what sustains White as he travels from sunrise to sunset across 29
Appalachian Ohio counties, encouraging youths and adults to pursue higher
education.
Some might consider
this a second career for White, following his retirement in 1992 after
30 years in education as a teacher, an assistant principal, and a superintendent,
but it's really a continuation of a life dedicated to children and to
equitable education. The year after he retired, he was a volunteer for
the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding when he received
a call from Clive Veri, then president of Shawnee State University in
Portsmouth. Veri offered him the leadership position with OACHE—a
newly formed organization aimed at increasing the number of Appalachian
Ohioans who go to college. It may have taken a couple of tries to convince
him, but anyone who knew White never doubted that he would accept.
"Kids are first
with Wayne, no matter what the circumstances," says James Payne,
superintendent of the Dawson-Bryant Local School District. "It doesn't
make any difference to him if it's one o'clock in the afternoon or morning;
he's always helping someone else. Around here, we say that if you don't
know Wayne White, you haven't been in the business very long."
White's own education
began in a one-room schoolhouse on Greasy Ridge, a community of family
and friends in southern Ohio. It was there, high atop the Ohio River Valley,
where he was surrounded by rolling hills, a loving family, and dedicated
teachers, that White's life's work first began to take shape. Encouraged
by his high-school principal to apply for a teaching scholarship at Ohio
University, White earned a B.S.Ed., graduating with honors. He later earned
an M.Ed. from Morehead State University in Kentucky. After graduating
from Ohio University, White was recruited to teach at Waterloo Elementary
School, near Greasy Ridge, beginning his 30-year career as a teacher and
administrator in Appalachian Ohio.
Greasy Ridge comes up often in White's conversations and motivational
speeches. He wants to remind himself and others where he came from and
how important it was in his development. "Sometimes people are embarrassed
about where they came from," he explains, "and low self-esteem
is the main reason most people in these counties don't attend college.
People often believe that poverty is the number-one barrier to higher
education, but not having the money to go to college is only a problem
if one considers college [in the first place]. We had too many parents
and children that seemed to have come to an independent decision that
college wasn't for them—it was for other people."
Access to Higher Education
OACHE, a consortium of ten public colleges and universities, was established
in 1993 in response to the findings of the Appalachian Access and Success project
that only about 30 percent of high school students in Appalachian Ohio went
on to post-secondary education, about 10 percent below the statewide rate and
more than 30 percent below the national rate. OACHE's goal is to raise awareness
of and access to higher-education opportunities. It works toward that goal through
grants to member institutions and to schools for projects aimed at increasing
college-going rates through a variety of activities. Visits to college campuses
with trusted teachers and counselors help reduce the intimidation some students
feel. Career fairs introduce students to the rapidly changing job market and
to technology-based opportunities, and counselors assist with college applications
and financial aid forms. Banquets and simple handmade posters of who's going
where after high school draw attention to achievement and possibility. White
encourages everyone, from teachers in the hallway to merchants in town (who
provide funds and services to aid OACHE's programs), to work together.
OACHE accepts project proposals every two years from regional schools and school
districts. White gives each district or school free reign to develop creative
initiatives that reflect its unique needs for encouraging students toward post-secondary
education. To date, 49 schools and school districts have successfully competed
for OACHE grants, with 22 K–12 projects and 10 college programs slated
for school year 2000–2001.
Shirley Sayre, K–12 counselor for the Southern Local School District,
and James Lawrence, superintendent of the district, met White about five years
ago. He encouraged them to apply for an OACHE grant, and the district received
its first grant in the fall of 1996. Since then, the number of students from
that district who attend post-secondary education has jumped from 59 percent
to 88 percent. "That clearly shows that without a lot of dollars and with
the talents of local people and the community coming together, students can
see college as an option," White says.
"We're looking to move children along a path where they realize they can
do this. But it takes time," White says. "The first campus visit,
they are very respectful and don't ask any questions. By about the third visit,
and assuming the other activities are taking place at the schools, you can see
a sparkle come into their eyes."
Sayre attributes OACHE's success to White's ceaseless dedication. "He's
one of a kind. He never misses a chance to encourage. He'll stop at the gas
station and ask the attendant if he's been to college," she adds with a
chuckle. "He knows so many people, he can effectively network to get things
done. And he's not satisfied with this program only being in Ohio; he's helping
to move it into other states."
A Passion for Helping Kids
White's vision has overflowed the banks of the Ohio River and now extends deep
into the coal communities of West Virginia. He helped establish the West Virginia
Access Center for Higher Education (WVACHE) at Bluefield State College with
the support of Bob Evans, the well-known sausage king and restaurateur and an
early OACHE promoter. Evans, who at age 82 is still active in a number of civic
projects, recalls a recent visit with White to West Virginia.
"The kids just flocked around Wayne. He talks their language," Evans
says. "He tells them he's from Greasy Ridge, and they figure if he could
do it, they can, too. It may take years, but I don't see any other way of turning
things around. You can't make a living with a pick and shovel anymore. Education
is the answer."
Homer Hickam and Willie Rose agree. These West Virginia natives, two of the
six "Rocket Boys" whose inspirational story was made into the popular
movie October Sky, have also lent their support to WVACHE.
Sarita Gattuso, executive director of WVACHE, appreciates White's support,
and speaks in glowing terms of her mentor. "Wayne is so patient and full
of wisdom from his years of experience," she says. "I've never seen
anyone with such a passion to help kids. You meet a lot of people who have a
vision, but that's it. With Wayne, he sees the big picture, and he's behind
the scenes doing what it takes."
Joy Padgett, director of the Ohio Governor's Office of Appalachia, adds: "Wayne
White has been an extraordinary asset to the people of southern Ohio for 40
years. He is living proof that one person can make a big difference in Appalachia."
Momentum continues to build, moving the OACHE model in a national direction.
Two similar programs—one focusing on Hale County, Alabama, and one targeting
23 Appalachian counties in eastern Kentucky—have recently received start-up
funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission and other organizations. White
also hopes to start an outreach program for Native Americans in Oklahoma.
Additional OACHE projects include Project CARE, which links educational institutions
with a distance learning system; GEARUP ROAD:MAP 2005, which encourages disadvantaged
junior high school students to work toward attending college; and the Ohio Appalachian
Educational Opportunity Center, a program that helps adults entering and re-entering
college.
But none of this would happen, White says, without the 22 employees of OACHE,
dozens of volunteer counselors, hundreds of teachers, and thousands of students
and parents who are now working together. As he talks about changing attitudes
and increasingly positive statistics, about businesses sharing resources and
revenues, his voice rises with excitement. Then he stops, catches his breath,
and shakes his head. "Can you see now why I say I have the best job in
the world?" he asks. "How could you not just work and work?"
Back in the OACHE headquarters in Portsmouth, somewhere in the stacks of letters
of thanks and articles of recognition, there's a reference to the world needing
more "Wayne-White types." Though White is nowhere near retirement
again, those he works with are trying to learn from his example and follow his
lead.
"He's always been there for me, and I really respect his willingness to
share," says school superintendent Payne. "I'm trying to carry on
the legacy that Wayne White has set forth—being open and available when
the kids need me."
White lives with his wife, Neomia, in Coal Grove, Ohio, not far from Greasy
Ridge. Two children and three grandchildren live nearby. Whenever White returns
to the green rolling hills of Greasy Ridge, he feels a deep connection—to
his family, the earth, and everyone on it. Standing high above the valley on
a sunny day late in summer, he breathes in the crisp morning air and rejoices
in exactly who he is and where he came from. That, in turn, has helped hundreds
of people discover who they are.
"Appalachians are proud, rugged, honest, dependable, hard-working . .
. the list goes on." White says. "But we have our challenges, and
certainly low educational attainment is one of them. OACHE's mission is to address
this issue, and with the continued support of parents, businesses, and communities,
this uncommon partnership between colleges and partner K–12 schools will
lead students along a path out of poverty and to a better quality of life. Then,
as successful adults, they can more fully contribute their talents to society."
Lynda McDaniel is a freelance writer based in Arlington, Virginia.
|