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WINTERSVILLE -- Dr. Ted Starkey, a longtime member of the Indian Creek Local School Board of education, will be recognized this fall for his continuous support of public education.
Starkey will be among 33 honorees to receive the Ohio School Boards Association's Veteran Board Member Award during the organization's 62nd-annual Capital Conference and Trade Show on Nov. 8. The event is being held virtually this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. The award is given to school board members in recognition of 25 years of service, and Starkey is set to complete 28 years in his present term with Indian Creek. He recalled joining the board at the suggestion of his wife, Terri Clutter Starkey, and her longtime acquaintance Gus Huber, former assistant principal at Wintersville High School.
"They thought I would make a good member of the school board," he chided, "so any blame for the last 25 years is not mine but theirs."
He said he owes a debt of gratitude to district voters who consistently re-elected him to represent them and the interests of their children through the years. Because of that support, he has been able to witness many milestones occur during his time on the board.
"Anything positive which has occurred during my tenure must necessarily and rightly be attributed to members of the community who put their faith in me at the ballot box," Starkey added. "Some of the milestones include our new and newer buildings, successful hires of competent personnel, successful and winning sports programs and, most important, students we have prepared to be successful not only in making their way financially but informed of their crucial role in preserving our unique American way of life."
Starkey hopes the district will continue to do what it does well and be honestly introspective to those areas where it can improve.
"I would like to see us make an effort to revisit the original purpose of public education. The thoughts of our founders are easy enough to resource. They knew that for our republic to survive that we must be a literate society," he noted. "They knew that we must be able to feel the pulse of those authors and thinkers whose written works formed the foundation for the greatest man-made document ever written, the United States Constitution, so there is a reason that newly installed board members swear in by pledging their support to the Constitution of the United States of America. It has been my privilege to do so seven times."
He said serving on the board of education requires one to make decisions which are lauded by some and bitterly opposed by others, but the goal is to have the students' best interests at heart.
Indian Creek Superintendent T.C. Chappelear applauded Starkey's accomplishment and said he has been a staunch supporter of public education.
"Starkey has been a great board member for the Indian Creek school district. He is an advocate of the common public school and its role in our democratic society. We are lucky to have him as a board member here at Indian Creek," Chappelear concluded.
According to the OSBA, the organization is now in its 65th year and serves Ohio's public school board members and the districts they represent through service, unwavering advocacy and creative solutions.