The Student Schools the Teacher

Dear Boo and Bubble,

Yesterday, Captain and I drove over to Asheville to attend the annual meeting of the 11th District for the North Carolina Democratic Party. The area for this district covers 17 counties in the northwestern

part of the state. We represented Avery County, touted as "the most Republican county in the whole of the United States." I can't attest to the voracity of that statement, but I can tell you that the "pickins" for Democrats up here in these mountains are mighty slim.

What's the point then, you might ask. Well, aside from the fact that involvement by all sincerely motivated people in our system of politics is critical to the well-being of our communities, states and nation, Captain and I both have a history in such matters. Our parents and grandparents were the main influences (see November 24, 2012 - "A Steel Magnolia in the Family" and March 27, 2013 - "Evolution" and November 20, 2013 - "The Swoon Factor."), but others outside of the family also contributed to both our interest and involvement in politics.

One of the foremost examples of such a person first appeared on our persuasive landscape as a student in Great Granddaddy Schaefer's Business Law Class at Furman University in 1952. It was a Presidential election year and the contest presented a choice between the Republican nominee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Democrat Adlai Stevenson of Illinois. Under any other circumstances, Stevenson would have been a very formidable candidate. Having served as the Governor of Illinois, he was noted for his intellectual demeanor and substantial skill in public speaking. But, the United States was only seven years out from the end of World War II and Eisenhower had become a national hero because of his military service. He was a five-star general in the United States Army and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. In that capacity, he had responsibility for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in 1942–43, and the successful invasion of Germany and liberation of France in 1944–45. By the time of the election, he had become the first supreme commander of NATO.

Needless to say, most of the country - with the exception of diehard Democrats - swooned at the thought of Eisenhower becoming President. As a combat veteran, Granddaddy Schaefer had no immunity from the sentiment and found himself caught up in the wave of nostalgia ----- so much so that one morning in class, he waxed eloquent for almost the whole period about the virtues of Eisenhower.

Just before the bell the class ended, a student raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Riley," Granddaddy recognized him.

"Professor Kendrick, I'm confused. I thought this was a class in Business Law."

"Well, it certainly is," Granddaddy answered, a little annoyed.

"I'm glad to know that. This morning I would have sworn I'd found myself in a very bad Political Science class."

Even though taken aback, Granddaddy realized very quickly the point that Mr. Riley was making. He had spent the whole time on an unrelated topic, espousing his own views, and not teaching what he was hired to teach. He also figured out that Mr. Riley must be supporting Adlai Stevenson.

"Well, Mr. Riley. I apologize. And, I would like to make you an offer. At our next class meeting, you may take as much time as you'd like to talk about the Democratic candidate for President."

It took a lot of guts, but without batting an eye, Granddaddy's 20-year-old Business Law student grabbed up the offer.

That student was Richard W. Riley who later joined Granddaddy on the bi-racial committee to oversee the integration of the Greenville County School system in 1969. He served Greenville County in the S.C. House of Representatives from 1963 - 66 and in the S.C. Senate from 1967 - 77. In 1979, he became the state's 111th Governor and the first to be re-elected to a second term. President Bill Clinton appointed Riley to his cabinet in 1993 as the Secretary of Education, a position he held for eight years. Improving public education was Dick Riley's passion and he worked tirelessly towards that goal while both Governor and Secretary of Education. 

 

At one point, Clinton approached him about serving on the Supreme Court, but Riley humbly refused the nomination reportedly saying that he was "just a country lawyer." Ruth Bader Ginsberg was appointed instead.

In his class that morning at Furman, Great Granddaddy Schaefer had a sneaking suspicion Mr. Riley might just amount to something someday. And, as it turned out, Granddaddy's instincts were correct. If ever there were an embodiment of the term "public servant," it would be Richard W. Riley.

(In my next post, I will share with you how Governor Riley directly impacted Captain as he ventured out into his own political career.)