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Volume 6 Relation of U.B/EUB Virginia Conferences to Shenandoah University Dec. 26, 2013
present. This event occurred 2 months before I was to assume the Presidency at Shenandoah. The
dinner was a great success, and the preparation for the evening’s speech was valuable in understanding
the community into which we were moving. The speech included references to history of the region that
had been part of my graduate studies on the Civil War, political comments on local contributions to state
and federal government, the desire for new developments that were possible in education in the region
and state, information on the move of the college/conservatory to Winchester, and opportunities that
existed for new development of the educational offerings. The speech and evening events started the
process of building trust and respect that was needed to help my family and my work to be accepted in
the community.
First impressions of the college/conservatory were that it was a small campus with very limited
enrollment of about 600 students, mostly students enrolled in the Conservatory and a very small group
of liberal arts majors and graduate students in business and music. The campus had only 45 acres and
was viewed in the community as plain in comparison to the beautiful Handley High School campus that
was historical in nature and grand in scale. The Conservatory did provide the institution with an image
of quality because it had provided leaders in music and music teachers for the region for more than five
decades. Much of the reputation had been built during its years in Dayton, before it was moved to
Winchester. The campus enjoyed a reputation that exceeded its resources and enjoyed dreams of further
development that would also require the acquisition of millions of dollars to bring such dreams in to
reality. Prior to my arrival on campus, the board and administration had attempted to use publically-
financed bond funds to build a new Chapel/Music Building but this effort was rejected in a court
challenge since the building was deemed to be more religious than academic. This action left the
institution with a short-term debt of about $800,000 rather than long-term debt at a time when interest
rates were 18 percent caused by the recession of the early 1980s. The need to fund this short-term debt
was a major challenge, since the overall annual budget of the institution was only $3 million. Thanks to
the dedication and generosity of the trustees and liberal lending policies toward the college/conservatory
by F&M; Bank under the leadership of Wilbur Feltner, the financial issue was made manageable. The
debt situation required that the enrollment be stable or growing and that expenditures be carefully
controlled.
The trustee that played a leading role in my first year of operation was James Wilkins, Sr., who
was Chairman of the Board and the principal promoter of the enterprise. He had dedicated years of his
life to bringing the college/conservatory to the community and had been very generous with his
resources as well. He was a faithful supporter and guide for the new young president that he had
encouraged to apply for the position. He urged great caution to me to remain out of partisan politics,
since he knew my Democratic political background and he also knew that the community and Board of
Trustees were Republican loyalist. Political neutrality was a small challenge, since the new president
served out his term as a Delegate in the General Assembly while another Democratic candidate ran for
the seat and won the 1982 election. Partisan politics did not turn out to be a serious problem, and
actually the political background of the president became a major asset to the leadership of the
institution because of the many contacts and support that it enabled.
A second person that played a major role in the orienting the new President was Dr. Forrest S.
Racey, former president of the college/conservatory prior to the presidency of Dr. Parker. Dr. Racey
and his wife Hazel, who were older than 80 years of age and very active supporters, helped to introduce
the new president to the Dayton alumni and Harrisonburg friends. The couple provided wonderful
history lessons, and guided many trips to Singers Glen, Dayton, and Harrisonburg to meet with
Davis on History of S.C., 1982-2008 58
present. This event occurred 2 months before I was to assume the Presidency at Shenandoah. The
dinner was a great success, and the preparation for the evening’s speech was valuable in understanding
the community into which we were moving. The speech included references to history of the region that
had been part of my graduate studies on the Civil War, political comments on local contributions to state
and federal government, the desire for new developments that were possible in education in the region
and state, information on the move of the college/conservatory to Winchester, and opportunities that
existed for new development of the educational offerings. The speech and evening events started the
process of building trust and respect that was needed to help my family and my work to be accepted in
the community.
First impressions of the college/conservatory were that it was a small campus with very limited
enrollment of about 600 students, mostly students enrolled in the Conservatory and a very small group
of liberal arts majors and graduate students in business and music. The campus had only 45 acres and
was viewed in the community as plain in comparison to the beautiful Handley High School campus that
was historical in nature and grand in scale. The Conservatory did provide the institution with an image
of quality because it had provided leaders in music and music teachers for the region for more than five
decades. Much of the reputation had been built during its years in Dayton, before it was moved to
Winchester. The campus enjoyed a reputation that exceeded its resources and enjoyed dreams of further
development that would also require the acquisition of millions of dollars to bring such dreams in to
reality. Prior to my arrival on campus, the board and administration had attempted to use publically-
financed bond funds to build a new Chapel/Music Building but this effort was rejected in a court
challenge since the building was deemed to be more religious than academic. This action left the
institution with a short-term debt of about $800,000 rather than long-term debt at a time when interest
rates were 18 percent caused by the recession of the early 1980s. The need to fund this short-term debt
was a major challenge, since the overall annual budget of the institution was only $3 million. Thanks to
the dedication and generosity of the trustees and liberal lending policies toward the college/conservatory
by F&M; Bank under the leadership of Wilbur Feltner, the financial issue was made manageable. The
debt situation required that the enrollment be stable or growing and that expenditures be carefully
controlled.
The trustee that played a leading role in my first year of operation was James Wilkins, Sr., who
was Chairman of the Board and the principal promoter of the enterprise. He had dedicated years of his
life to bringing the college/conservatory to the community and had been very generous with his
resources as well. He was a faithful supporter and guide for the new young president that he had
encouraged to apply for the position. He urged great caution to me to remain out of partisan politics,
since he knew my Democratic political background and he also knew that the community and Board of
Trustees were Republican loyalist. Political neutrality was a small challenge, since the new president
served out his term as a Delegate in the General Assembly while another Democratic candidate ran for
the seat and won the 1982 election. Partisan politics did not turn out to be a serious problem, and
actually the political background of the president became a major asset to the leadership of the
institution because of the many contacts and support that it enabled.
A second person that played a major role in the orienting the new President was Dr. Forrest S.
Racey, former president of the college/conservatory prior to the presidency of Dr. Parker. Dr. Racey
and his wife Hazel, who were older than 80 years of age and very active supporters, helped to introduce
the new president to the Dayton alumni and Harrisonburg friends. The couple provided wonderful
history lessons, and guided many trips to Singers Glen, Dayton, and Harrisonburg to meet with
Davis on History of S.C., 1982-2008 58
