Ten years into Larry Shinn’s presidency, he and Nancy were interviewed about their decade-long experience on campus. Listen above to excerpts from that 2004 interview with Nancy Shinn.
Whenever you saw Nancy Lee Albright, she was teaching children. A fast learner, she took just three years to earn her bachelor’s degree in education from Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Albright then married her high school sweetheart and future eighth president of Berea College, Larry Shinn. After his graduation, they moved to Israel, where she taught for two years in Ramallah. Upon returning to the U.S., and finding herself dissatisfied with her level of education, she pursued advanced work at the McGuffy School (Miami of Ohio) and earned a master’s degree in education from Bucknell University, specializing in early childhood education. A mother to two daughters and a mother figure and teacher for many other children, she taught first grade and kindergarten for 25 years before coming to Berea College.
As an extension of her passion for working with children, she was involved in community service and leadership as well. During her time as first lady, she was a member of various boards including the Southern Bluegrass Citizen Review Panel, Children’s Action Network, Kentucky River Foothills, Head Start and Hospice Care Plus. Devoted to her Christian faith, she served on Union Church’s Board of Deacons and took part in the Christian Education Board in developing plans for nursery and kindergarten rooms. Nancy Shinn’s life-long accomplishments are equaled only by her great love for children and their education.
