Beckley College: A History - David Dee Cantley

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Résumé :
Dwight D. Eisenhower was our president. Gasoline cost 24 cents a gallon, and a postage stamp had just gone up to four cents. The country was in the Eisenhower Recession, pushing the unemployment rate to its highest since 1941. Skilled workers who had left West Virginia for jobs in other states had lost those jobs and were returning home. Tuition at Harvard University was dollars1,000 per year, and David Dee Cantley couldn't even afford to attend the institution of higher education closest to his home - Beckley College. The son of a disabled coal miner, Dave knew that the small college that was his only hope to continue his education; a college that had been fought for, established, and supported by the community, affording a new pathway for many. Beckley College: A History preserves the untold story of the college and highlights many of its leaders and graduates as a token of appreciation that Dave shares with many others whose lives were forever changed by walking the halls and crossing the stage for that piece of paper that symbolized so much more. These are the stories of those who, like Dave, asked the question, Should I really be here? and found the answer to be Yes, and this is only the beginning!

Biographie:
David Cantley, we call him by his middle name Dee, and I were born in Western Raleigh County, he on a farm at Rock Creek on Coal River and I at Fairdale. We spent two school years, 1958-1960 at Beckley College but, ironically, never met. It wasn't until the fall of 1960 that we met and began developing our friendship when we enrolled at Morris Harvey College, now the University of Charleston. We soon learned that we had a lot in common; both working to bootstrap ourselves out of poverty. This led us to lean on each other, pledging to agree do whatever it took to get our degrees. Dee was a lifeline for me in the summer of 1962. Four of our closely knit group, Dee, Gerald Dickens, Raymond Domingues, and I graduated Beckley College in 1960. Some of our credits did not transfer to Morris Harvey College, so we had to go to summer school to earn the credits needed for graduation. With two weeks left in the term, I ran out of money and had no way to earn money for meals. Dee went to my professor, who taught my class and explained my situation, and asked if he would allow me to complete my work via the U.S. mail. To my surprise, the professor agreed; I went home and sent my work in by mail and was able to graduate with my friends.Dee taught Social Studies for three years at his alma mater, Marsh Fork High School. I taught English there for one year and Dee and I became very unpopular with the principal by questioning where the gate receipts from athletic events were going. Dee and his wife Kay moved to Palm Beach County, Florida in the fall of 1965, after three years at Marsh Fork. He taught physical education to special needs students in West Palm Beach for seven years and was on the committee that met with Eunice Kennedy Shriver in Washington to organize Special Olympics. He became the fifth principal of Lake Worth High School during the 1979-80 school year. The school was in danger of being taken over by the state, but Dee rallied the faculty, restored discipline, and revised the curriculum, returning the school to respectability. He also established a scholarship program that has awarded dollars1.5 million dollars in scholarships since 1999 to students with financial needs. Was he remembering his own background? Dee retired in 1999; however, he was called four times to assist struggling schools. He and Kay are enjoying retirement at their home in Atlantis, Florida, and have two daughters, five grandchildren, and four great grandchildren. I highly recommend his autobiography Rock Creek Unincorporated. -Jesse L. Richardson, Jr. You can contact Dave at David.Cantley38@gmail.com.