George Dewey has devoted his life to the cause of education. Teaching is more than just a job for him—it’s a spiritual calling.
“Teaching is a ministry,” he said. “My whole life has really been a teaching ministry.”
Though he’s now retired from teaching, Dewey is still as passionate about education as ever. He’s also supported Berea College for many years, ever since his dear friend, mentor and fellow teacher, Leon Zirkle, introduced him to the College and its mission.
“For quite a long time, I’ve been a very enthusiastic contributor to what the College offers and the whole philosophy behind it,” Dewey said. “Berea has always had a special place in my life.”
When a piece of family land was sold last year, Dewey found himself with a large sum of money. He immediately set about looking for something good to do with it. For Dewey, partnering with Berea was the obvious choice. “It was just a wonderful fit,” he said.
He decided to create an endowed fund in honor of his friend Leon, the man who first told him about Berea College.
“What Leon cared most about was the opening up of horizons, especially to young people,” Dewey said. “So that was a natural connection to me with Berea.”
At the beginning of this year, Dewey donated $333,000 and created the Leon F. Zirkle Memorial Endowed Fund. This fund will provide full tuition support for Berea students majoring in education.
Hailing from Appalachian Virginia, Zirkle was a masterful physics teacher and deeply devoted to science education—in fact, he was one of 22 teachers called on by the government to help usher America into the nuclear age. The National Science Foundation sent these teachers all over the country to explain atomic science and its uses.
“They visited more than 600 high schools for demonstrations about what, in the Eisenhower days, was called ‘the peaceful use of the atom,’” Dewey said.
As the Cold War intensified and the threat of nuclear war loomed large, many people came to distrust science and the things it created. These teachers’ mission was to show the country that science wasn’t just a force for destruction but also could improve people’s lives.
“They couldn’t have picked a better person,” Dewey said. Because of Zirkle’s lifelong commitment to education, Dewey knew that an endowed fund to help enable the training of future teachers was the perfect way to honor him.
Even though he’s been a loyal friend and supporter of Berea for many years, Dewey had never visited campus until attending President Cheryl Nixon’s inauguration in April. He immediately felt at home. “It was as though there was an atmosphere that just said, ‘You belong here,’” he explained.
What he’s found most compelling about Berea College is its dedication to living out its principles.
“There’s a spiritual dimension that is part of Berea’s basic chemistry,” Dewey said, “And that dimension to me is in standing up for what you believe in.”
If I could pick one word and sum up what best seems to describe Berea, the word is ‘hope’—in all its dimensions.
George Dewey
That steadfastness in standing for what’s right and serving those in need is what Dewey sees at the heart of Berea. “If I could pick one word and sum up what best seems to describe Berea,” he said, “the word is ‘hope’—in all its dimensions.”
Berea’s focus on ecological sustainability also has made a strong impression on Dewey. Something he finds especially inspiring is the College’s emphasis on a more natural landscape, where plants, like dandelions, that people often consider weeds, are allowed to flourish.
This has classroom resonances for him as well. “You know the old, classic definition of a weed: it’s just something that’s growing in a place where it’s not wanted,” he said. “In public high school classrooms, there are an awful lot of weeds that sit in those seats out there.” When educators have students in their classrooms whose learning challenges make them difficult to teach, “you can’t help but think that, oh, it’d be so much easier if so-and-so weren’t around here,” Dewey said. “I learned to treat that very differently.”
As teachers encounter challenging students, Dewey believes it’s vital they make space for these children to flourish—just like Berea’s ecological conscientiousness makes space for dandelions to thrive.
These classroom challenges are exactly why the College’s Education Studies department is adding a new certification.
“We’re adding a Special Ed certification, a learning and behavior disorders K-12 certification,” said Dr. Nicholas Hartlep, the chair of Education Studies.
This new certification is crucial for the next generation of teachers. “Adding special education is very important,” he explained. “K-12 classrooms are becoming even more filled with children with exceptional needs.” These learning difficulties extend far beyond just dedicated special education classrooms, affecting the general population in today’s schools.
“The general classroom has increased diversity beyond just race, culture and class,” Hartlep said. “We’re talking about cognitive neurodiversity where we need teachers who understand learning behavior and disorders.” With this new certification, Berea’s future teachers will have the skills needed to help these students learn and thrive.
Because of Dewey’s incredible generosity in endowing the Leon F. Zirkle Memorial Endowed Fund, future teachers studying at Berea will not only be financially supported, they also will know their elders in the field, like Dewey, are invested in their success as they carry on the vital work of educating the next generation.
“We don’t teach because we want to get wealthy financially—$333,000 is a large sum of money for anyone,” Hartlep said. “So, the fact that it comes from an educator, it’s kind of like that FUBU principle: for us, by us—a teacher giving back to his profession.”
Dewey’s gift in honor of his dear friend ensures Hartlep and his dedicated colleagues can equip Berea’s future teachers with the tools and knowledge they need to give all of tomorrow’s students a strong and dynamic educational foundation.
