GAEL UnscriptED S2:E12 | Why GAEL Matters

Leadership in public education can feel lonely until you find the right people in your corner. We’re joined by former GAEL executive director, Dr. Jimmy Stokes and GAEL COO, Dusty Smith for a fast-moving conversation on how Georgia’s education leaders build community, preserve the best traditions, and show up as advocates when public schools need a stronger voice. 

We trace GAEL’s roots back to 1974, the legacy of H. M. Fulbright, and why the summer conference at Jekyll Island still matters for new superintendents, principals, and district administrators. Then we spotlight the partners who quietly strengthen the work, including Bowen Grad and the University of West Georgia, and what it looks like to invest in leadership development that lasts beyond one job or one year. 

We also break down the awards and scholarships that carry GAEL’s values forward: the H. M. Fulbright Distinguished Service Award, the Eileen McGill Award, the Skip Yow Award, and the recognition that happens across affiliates. You’ll hear how the Gold Dome Group tracks Georgia education legislation during the session, why coordinated advocacy matters, and how new leaders can plug in quickly. If you care about public school advocacy, education policy, and becoming a more effective school leader, this one gives you both history and next steps. 

Subscribe for more GAEL conversations, share this with a colleague who’s new to leadership, and leave a review so more Georgia educators can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome To GALE Unscripted

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Welcome to Gale and real conversations. Real impact. I'm Dan Wiggins, Executive Director of Gale. Join us as we go beyond the headlines with Georgia's top education leaders. Let's elevate the conversation. Good afternoon, Gale listeners, Gale members. We're so excited today that we've got the two experts of the Gale organization here with us. We've got Dr. Jimmy Stokes, and we also have Dusty Smith, our COO. So, Dr. Stokes, why don't you just introduce yourself? Let's let's pretend there's some Gale members that may not know you. Maybe they just became an administrator in the last week and and now they're they're getting to know who Dr. Jimmy Stokes is.

SPEAKER_03 0:55

Well, first of all, forget my name and then move on to somebody that's important. I'm Jimmy Stokes. Uh I started my professional career in education as a college chemistry professor. Uh I uh taught at uh the University of Georgia for a while, then I went to Clayton Junior College, and then I went to West Georgia College. Uh and I stayed there for 18 years, had an opportunity to coach uh college football, coach uh uh was which was a lot of fun, and teach chemistry. And uh that was my lifelong ambition. I always when I went to college to begin with, uh, my ambition was to uh be a high school chemistry teacher and to coach football. Well, I finally got to coach football and I taught chemistry, but uh I stayed there for 23 years, and then my current wife decided that we were going to move. And she came in one Saturday afternoon and said, We're moving to Calhoun. And my youngest daughter and I said, Oh my God, what are we gonna do? And so we moved to Calhoun. We were living in Carrollton, we moved to Calhoun, and that was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. I got involved in public education. Uh I got the opportunity to teach hoodlum physical science at uh Murray County High School. Uh, and I don't know who got who learned the most, the students or me, but it was a fantastic opportunity. And I became, while I was there, I became the vocational director. And I was the vocational director for almost two years, and then uh an opportunity came to be the principal of Harrelson County High School in Talap in lovely Tallapoosa, Georgia. And so I took off to Tallapoosa and uh I spent three years at Harrison County and probably would have retired there had my wife not moved to Madison. She moved to Madison, took the job as the uh superintendent of the Morgan County Schools, and I I had to find another job. And so I went to work for Green County uh as the principal of Green Tolliver High School. And I about the best thing I can tell you about that is that I was the I had the opportunity of uh conducting the last graduation of the Green Tolliver High School. After that it became Green County. Uh so I spent four years, or really five years there, and then I went to Monroe Area High School, and I spent five years there, and then uh I wound up being the executive director for Gale for seven years. And since then I had just sort of rambled around, uh tried to stay out of trouble, you know, looking for bail money and things like that. But uh that's where I'm at right now.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

That's awesome. I I remember uh Dr. Jim Finch had a quote about Dr. Stokes one time. We were talking about Gale and what Gale had meant to both of us in our career. And the comment he said about Dr. Stokes, he said, that man is Gale. And if you cut his arm, uh Finch said, I'm convinced his blood is not red. I'm convinced it's these Gale colors, which I thought was a huge compliment. So were you the principal at Green Talifero when they, as a very, very small. Excuse me, sir.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Excuse me, it is Tolifer. No, I say it wrong all the time.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Green Talifer High School. Were you the principal back in the early 90s when they beat the Cockwit County Packers in football?

SPEAKER_03 4:24

I wished I was. Uh but I was not. I was not. Uh I I when I of course I have I have caused everybody to lose. Uh when I went to Green, they started losing football. Uh I I I my first years, a high real year as a high school principal, I was uh at Harrelson County and we won the state championship in girls' basketball. I thought, man, this is easy. All you could do is just show up. I was not only my first state championship, it was my last state championship.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

That was awesome.

SPEAKER_03 4:57

I I did officiate high school uh football, basketball, and baseball, and I got to do several state championships in each of those sports. Uh but uh uh as a high school principal, I had one.

SPEAKER_02 5:12

And you did officiate for how many years total?

SPEAKER_03 5:15

Only 25. Only 25.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

That's and what was your last year officiating?

SPEAKER_03 5:19

1990, uh 1995. Awesome.

SPEAKER_02 5:23

But did I hear you're still doing something for some uh middle school athletics somewhere in the recent past?

SPEAKER_03 5:29

Uh well, I I am the press box announcer for the Green County Tigers. I am also the uh announcer for the uh Morgan County Middle School basketball team. I've heard that. So I it it keeps me busy and I enjoy doing it.

Meet COO Dusty Smith

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, Dusty, tell the Gale members a little bit about Dusty Smith.

How GALE Started In 1974

SPEAKER_01 5:50

I'm Dusty Smith. I am the Gale Chief Operating Officer. I have been employed by Gale since November 15th, 2008. So that's what, close to 17 years now. Um had the privilege of working for this character right here beside me for for several years, and it's been a it was a blessing. It was a a a leapfrog in my career in advancement just to learn and work with him and and watch how he maneuvered the state and and grew Gale to what it is today and what we've been able able to to to a platform for us to grow on above. So that's awesome.

SPEAKER_02 6:29

Dr. Stokes, why don't you tell we we've got so many new Gale members that are just getting their first jobs in administration. Uh why don't you just give them a quick little brief summary of how Gale began back in 1974?

SPEAKER_03 6:44

A gentleman named uh H. M. Fulbright that stands for Hora Horatio Maximilian Fulbright. Uh and things that a lot of folks don't know about him is that on uh December the the 6th, 1944, uh H. M. Fulbright went on went ashore at a place called Normandy. Um I asked him about it many times. I said, Dr. Fulbright, why don't you tell people about going ashore at Normandy and fighting in the in the uh invasion? He said, I don't want it, I don't want to talk about what I did. The real heroes were the people that didn't come home. And he was he was a character. Uh H. M. Fulbright uh was the first executive director, uh, and he he stayed with it as long as his wife would let him, and he had the opportunity to become the president of Truett McConnell College, and he always wanted to be a college president, so off he went to Cleveland, Georgia to be the president there. But that was in 19, he started it in 1974, and he stayed with the organization until uh about 1979 uh or 80, and uh he they started the original Gale organization at a meeting at Jekyll Island, the summer of 1974. And since that time, we have continued to hold a summer conference at Jekyll Island the second uh Sunday, beginning the second Sunday in uh July, and we've done that since uh since 74. The only time we we've not done it twice. Twice, uh once was because of COVID, and the other was because of the thing called the 1996 Olympics. Uh the Olympics came to town, they took over everything, and so we moved the conference to August, which was a big disaster, but uh uh and it it has propelled on as an organization to represent uh the uh the leadership of of of public schools in the state of Georgia. Uh and it has become as as we speak and as we grow, it has become more and more politically active and more and more of an advocate organization than it ever was initially.

Partner Spotlight BowenGrad’s Quiet Influence

SPEAKER_02 9:09

Awesome. That's a great summary of Gale and the importance that it served public education over the years. Uh at this time we want to uh recognize one of our top partners of Gill, and that's Bowen Grad. And uh Dr. Stokes and Dusty, I know that you two have a long history with Spud Bowen. Uh they've been a wonderful partner for Gale for decades. Would y'all just talk to the members just a little bit about the impact and influence Spud Bowen and his family have had on Gill.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Dr. Stokes can talk about the early Spud Bowen times. Um and then as of late, Spud has stepped back and his sons, he's taken Bowen and Associates. His sons, uh Carson and Connor, have taken it and it's turned into Bowen grad and has grown and and and they've got into other avenues and expanded the business a little bit. But Spud and his wife Sherry started Bowen and Associates back in the 70s or late 70s, Dr. Stokes?

SPEAKER_03 10:08

Yeah. I'm proud to pr to announce that Spud Bowen has a degree in chemistry from Georgia Southern College, but uh Georgia Southern University now. But Spud got involved with with Herf Jones and took over a a uh a district in Miami, Florida. And then he had an opportunity to come home and he was really interested in that because his grandfather had been involved in some of that sort of stuff. His father was a pharmacist and and uh ran a pharmacy in uh in originally ran the pharmacy in Lumber City, Georgia, and then uh moved to to Tifton, where uh Spud's mother uh was from, and uh where his current wife is from. And uh so anyway, uh they uh Spud be b became involved with the South Georgia folks. But one of the things that Spud Bowen did that a lot of folks are not aware of is that he spent two of his uh winters, winter quarters at Georgia Southern U University uh as an uh an assistant intern flunky, whatever you want to call him, for a guy named Thomas B. Murphy, who was the Speaker of the House of Representatives, uh longest serving Speaker of the House of Represent uh state House of Representatives in the in history of the United States. But Spud worked with with Mr. Murphy, and so he got really encased in state politics and has been involved in state politics. And I think behind the scenes, Spud has done more to advance Gale as a uh as an advocacy organization than any single individual, because he has encouraged every executive director, uh, but print particularly when it came to Jim Puckett, uh, that to encourage the executive directors be to be involved in advocacy. And uh, you know, and that he would say, uh, if you need help, I'll come help you. And he'll show you how he he would show us how to do it. But uh that's Spud. And Spud has is continued to provide leadership and encouragement, uh, not no not so much standing out in the front waving a flag, but encouraging people from by from behind the scenes and providing what uh what turns out to be significant resources for people to get the job done. But his heart has always been in leadership, his heart, his heart has been in Gale, and he continues to do that.

Why School Leaders Join GALE

SPEAKER_02 12:47

He sure does. And again, we would just like to thank Spud Bowen and his wife Sherry, uh, his family, everything that Bowen grad does for Gale. Uh well, Dr. Stokes, talk a little bit about uh we may have some superintendents or principals or administrators that are new to Gale. Why is Gale important for them to join and why are the affiliates important for them to join as leaders?

SPEAKER_03 13:11

It is it is absolutely critical that school leaders, whether you're superintendent, assistant, superintendent, uh uh education, uh whether you're a high school principal, middle school principal, elementary school principal, whatever, to be involved in Gale, then the primary reason is that we're all in this together. And nobody can can carry on this fight by themselves. If you watch the history of public education in the state of Georgia and you watch superintendents and or um uh high school leaders or middle school leaders or elementary school leaders who've tried to go on their own, they didn't last very long. You know, I I always think about the one of the uh the the real uh shining lights of of public education for years was Alvin Wilbanks, the superintendent of the largest school system in the state. And Alvin was dramatically involved in Gale, not so much standing up being the president of Gale or being out front, but let me tell you, he'd call you to come to his office and he would sit down and you would have a conversation, and he was there. He was actively involved, and he was willing to share his uh knowledge and willing to share his enthusiasm with everyone. Be you able to touch people who are full of enthusiasm, who are full of knowledge, who understand what it's but like to be an educational leader, and particularly an effective educational leader. And that's how you learn. You know, none I promise you, there's none of us smart enough to figure this out on our own. I was constantly on the phone calling my colleagues and going to Gale meetings to find out what do I need to do? What's coming next? What what do we need to be prepared to do? And uh, so that's the reason folks need to be in Gale. Is it and in addition to that, the voice of all of us speaking as advocates for public education is much louder and much stronger and much more felt than it is uh that if uh uh as individuals. And you know, it it really means a lot. I think about my friend Margaret Chiccarelli, who represents Page, and when every every time Margaret starts to uh to uh testify before a House or Senate committee, she says, I represent Page. We have 84,000, 86,000, 92,000, whatever how many members they have. And that's very impressive to these folks that, hey, we are together, and I'm speaking for those folks, and that's what Gale does. Gale seeks to we don't I don't know any uh special uh any any executive director that's special and has ventured out on their own. When we go to the Capitol to speak for for public education, that's what we speak for. It's for public education. You don't go there to speak for I'm Jimmy Stokes and I grew up in Cochrane, Georgia, and y'all ought to listen to me. They laugh me out of there. Um so uh I it it that's it's so critical that we support each other and that we we stay in this business.

The Fulbright Award And Advocacy

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Oh, that's a great, great uh summary of why it's important to be in Gale. Many of us were fortunate and blessed that we worked for leaders that um pushed us and encouraged us and supported us to become members of Gale. So I would just echo what Dr. Stokes said. If you're a leader out there, whether you're at the school level or district level, I think you have a huge influence. And I think it's critical that you as the leader show and encourage and support your leaders up under your leadership of why they should join Gale and the affiliates. And that those were great examples. Uh Margaret does do a fantastic job with Paige. You know, Gale works very, very closely with Page and Georgia School Board Association at the Capitol, the Superintendent's Association, Gacis is there. But there's a lot of voices speaking in unison for public education. We we try to keep our uh new members of Gale updated and learn the history and traditions of Gale and why it's important. Uh but for those new members, they will hear a number of awards that are given at Gale conferences, at both the summer conference and the winter conference. We also have some scholarships. So I thought we'd spend this episode maybe talking a little bit about those awards. And the first one that I'd like us to talk about is the H.M. Fulbright Award. Dr. Stokes, would you like to tell the members out there uh how that started and and why that's an important award and why it's the highest award you can win in the Gale organization?

SPEAKER_03 18:16

H.M. Fulbright, uh HM stands for Horatio Maximilian Fulbright, was the superintendent of the of the Carrollton City Schools, and he was also the first president of Gale, and really was in uh uh chiefly involved in creating Gale and decided he wanted to become a college president, and he took the job as president of Truett McConnell College. H.M. Fulbright was a leader in every respect, and he is responsible for this organization moving as far as it has uh and getting us started on the right foot. And the initial uh board of directors decided that the way we would rec recognize him and honor him would be to name the highest award that we give in Gale in honor of Horatio MacTimillion Fulbright. Uh some of you have heard me tell before that one of the things that always impressed me so much about uh uh Mac uh H.M. Fulbright was that on D-Day uh in 1944, uh he went ab went ashore at at Normandy. And I asked him, I said, Dr. Fulbright, why don't you tell people about that? And he said, I don't want to talk about it. He said, I'm not a hero for doing that. He said, the heroes are the people that didn't come home. He was a very humble man. Uh he was full of energy, full of enthusiasm, enthusiasm. And so we name our award for for him each year. And it's a H.M. Fulbright Distinguished Service Award. And it's it's designed to to recognize people who have made a significant contribution to public education uh and have done it in the same style that H.M. Fulbright did it. And that's you do it humbly, and you uh you do it with with class and style, but at the same time, you you're not in it for you. And it you you you look at all the people who have received the H.M. Fulbright Award and and they advocate for the children of Georgia over and over and over again. That's what the H.M. Fulbright Award is about. It's about people who advocate for the children of Georgia.

Remembering Eileen McGill’s Fight

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Awesome, great. And I I learned something. I didn't know that H.M. Fulbright was from Fitzgerald. Uh so that's we're always learning about the history of Gale. Another award that we give out at the Winter Gale conference is the Eileen McGill Award. Uh tell our listeners a little bit about who Eileen McGill was for those that are new to leadership and maybe didn't know her in some of her previous roles.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Eileen McGill was just about everything you'd want to be as an educator. Uh of course, she was a uh a classroom teacher, a special ed director, all that, all that stuff. But in addition to that, she was a system principal, uh principal. She was a superintendent, she was a superintendent in Paulding County, she was a superintendent in Forsyth County, and and a number of other places. But in addition to that, she served as the executive director for Gale. She served as the uh on the the Board of Regents of the University System. And so as a result of that, she was one of the most well-known people in all of public education. Uh she put a pretty face on public education. Uh and uh and it and then in the dark of night, Aline was gone. Uh and we felt like that. It was so important that we wanted to recognize her. And to to look at people who have made con uh uh uh major contributions to public education and who have done it from an advocacy standpoint. Aline would stand up and s and scream and holler at legislators and and uh and she would advocate for public education when nobody else would do it.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

That's awesome. And uh she was such a lady of just class and professionalism. Uh she was so incredibly nice to me as a young administrator. I just remember being so impressed by her. And that's you got any comments about Eileen?

SPEAKER_01 22:36

Uh I think Paige, Dr. Stokes, you probably know this better than anybody, under her leadership grew to be the teaching association for Georgia and providing the the services that that Paige provides for teachers. And I think that Aline was a critical part of that for Paige. To get to that to that point. No doubt about that.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Yeah, that that's really how I got to know her. I I was a part of some uh leadership programs that Paige put on with some uh the first group was just principals, another was a principal in their leadership teams, the high school redesign initiative. And that's where I really got exposed to Eileen, and she was just so wonderful in that organization.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

She was the president of Gale, and I don't think I don't know what year that was exactly, but she she was the president of Gale in 99 and 2000. So while she was at Dalton City, I would imagine.

SPEAKER_03 23:33

Yes, so she was at Dalton uh the she went from Dalton City to Forsythe.

University Of West Georgia Partnership

SPEAKER_02 23:37

Okay. So at this time we'd like to thank one of our partners with Gale, and that's the University of West Georgia. You heard a little bit about the University of West Georgia when Dr. Stokes was uh introducing himself, but the dean of the College of Education, Mike Dishman, uh under his leadership, uh they have been an incredible partner for Gale. In fact, I'm gonna let Dusty talk just a little bit of what they do at Summer Gale. I know some of you have seen them. They have a huge presence uh in our Gale organization now. But talk to them a little bit about Dr.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Dishman came to us and decided he wanted to make a big splash at Summergale. Uh no pun intended there. Um so he uh we ended up working a deal, and and a few years ago, Dr. Stokes actually, we had challenged uh one of our former great leaders of Gale, Deborah White, to come up with something to help encourage people and families to be a part of Summergale and do that. So we started doing the night at the water park, and that's one of the big things that West Georgia became the sole sponsor of is the the water the night at the water park for Smergale, and they are a vital part of Gale, and they have a huge presence at at Summergale. So Dr.

SPEAKER_03 24:54

Stokes, University of West Georgia. I have I have nothing but pride and and for my my alma mater. I graduated from West Georgia College. I have a master's degree in public administration from that fine institution. Uh and the uh the the thing about West Georgia now is that you have to understand that they have more educational leaders enrolled at West Georgia College. They are the number one in terms of serving educational leaders, and that's all the way from a bachelor's degree to a doctorate. Uh and they are it's it's quite an event for them to continue to do what they do. One word about West Georgia. When I went to West Georgia College as a college chemistry professor in 1974, we had 6,000 students. They now have almost 15,000. When I came to the University of Georgia as a student in 1964, that's I realize that's back before the war, but uh we had they had 13,000, we had 13,000 students my first year at West at the University of Georgia, and it was uh uh the headlines of the Athens Banana Herald was that it uh West uh the University of Georgia has enrolled 13,000 students, and there's no way that Athens can accommodate that number of people. So things have changed a little bit, and so we've all grown, but those two folks have really grown. And uh it I'm so proud of what they do, and but they're uh what they do in terms of leadership and creating opportunities for people to be trained as educational leaders.

Skip Yow And The Gold Dome

SPEAKER_02 26:46

That's that's fantastic. And I know many of our Gale members are products of the University of West Georgia, and we'd just like to thank them again for their partnership and just encourage everyone to go west. All right, so this time we'll talk about some other uh awards that we have. I think Dusty's ready to interject before we do.

SPEAKER_01 27:04

The next award we have, I don't know if you know this or not, but uh make I'm sure you do, is another graduate and or employee from West Georgia, and that on the list would be Skip Yao. Dr. Stokes wants to talk about that. I think they work together at West Yowell.

SPEAKER_02 27:18

Skip Yao Award is given out at Summer Gale. So, Dr. Stokes, why don't you talk to us a little bit about Skip Yao?

SPEAKER_03 27:24

Skip Yao is a hoot. Uh he was. At West Georgia College, he was the director of auxiliary enterprises. And uh very shortly after uh Skip left that job, I took that job as the director of auxiliary enterprises. But he has he has been the uh lead advocate person for Gale since I I reckon since uh H.M. Footbright took the job. Uh he and HM were very close friends. Uh they were uh their families were close. But uh Skip uh was an ideal lobbyist. Uh Skip is not one that you would hire to come and speak to a convention or speak to a meeting. But if you wanted somebody to go behind the scenes and work with people to get what you wanted done, Skip was the man. And he did that over and over and over again. And he put together, he and a couple of other folks put together an organization that's called the Gold Dome Group. And it still exists today, and it's all the educational lobbyists get together uh on a weekly basis during the legislative session to talk about educational legislat legislation. But Skip Yao is the one that started that, and we continue it to this day. And we present a an award uh with Skip's name on it for people who advocate who advocate for public education, particularly at the state legislature level. And uh we've we've had some some uh folks that really did a fine job for that. The first recipient of the Skip Yow Award. Oh, what's that guy's name? I can't remember. Uh uh is he still working? I think he's still employed. He's still employed. I think his name is Brian Kemp. Uh and he he received the first Skip Yow Award. And because he has done so much for public education in his four uh uh two terms, eight years of of being governor.

unknown 29:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

And that Gold Dome uh weekly Friday episode, who leads that now, Dr. Leader of that now.

SPEAKER_03 29:40

Uh who is the leader of that now? Uh it it sort of rotates. It uh uh they they can't you know they have trouble getting folks sobered up enough to do the job. No, I'm I'm still I I took that on from Skip. If I'm if I could follow him as a as a uh auxiliary enterprise director, I could follow him as the leader of the Gold Home Group. That's perfect.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

And Dr. Stokes, what if there's somebody out there that goes, what I'd like to get on that uh weekly webinar teams meeting with you? Who how could they contact or who should they contact to get on that list?

SPEAKER_03 30:15

Uh they they should contact Jimmy Stokes at uh JStokes at Gale.org. All you have to do is show up. You can sit there and watch, or you can uh speak up, you can do whatever you want to do. But uh it we go over every piece of let uh educational legislation that has done anything that week, um, as well as talk about think directions that we're going in and that sort of stuff.

SPEAKER_02 30:41

Perfect. And that's every Friday at 1 p.m. during the session. And if they can't join live, uh it's recorded as well.

SPEAKER_03 30:47

And we recorded if anybody wants to watch it.

Signature Awards And What They Mean

SPEAKER_02 30:52

Perfect. Uh, there's some other awards that we give out. We're gonna talk about it. Summer Gale, we give out an award called the Dr. Jim Puckett Outstanding Achievement, Educator Achievement Award. So let's talk about that award real quick, Dr. Stokes.

SPEAKER_03 31:05

Uh that's probably the oldest award that we give in Gale. Uh each of the affiliates determine uh an individual that they were uh and they select uh to be the outstanding educator for the year in their particular discipline. And uh so we per have we have done that since Gale started in 1974. Uh and so every year we uh we started off there were only four, and now there are eight uh that we give. Uh so we've we've increased the number of uh awards that we give. And it's interesting, um, I this uh I'll get in trouble for this, but there's only one person who has won three of those awards. Uh this lady won one for being a high school principal, for being a curriculum director, and for being a uh a system superintendent. She is the real Dr. Stokes. Uh uh and I I tell this only because it's funny, because we moved to Madison in 1996, and she was the superintendent of schools, and uh people would call to complain about what was going on or whatever, and I would answer the phone and they'd say, I want to speak to Dr. Stokes. I said, Well, this is Dr. Stokes speaking. She said, No, no, I want to speak to the real Dr. Stokes. And so uh she is the real Dr. Stokes, and she has won three of the the uh outstanding educator awards, and uh I don't know anybody else is anywhere close to that. That is awesome, outstanding.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

Uh let's talk about another award that's given out at Wintergale, and that is the Dr. Jimmy Stokes Award. So, Dusty, why don't you talk about that a little bit?

SPEAKER_01 32:51

Dr. Jimmy Stokes Award is the distinguished service award that is appointed by each affiliate in their quote unquote discipline area. So each affiliate would decide who would be their distinguished service award recipient for the Dr. Jimmy Stokes Award. We really needed to name after him for the the service that he provided to Gail and the the state as a whole um for all the services that he has provided throughout his career. Yeah.

Scholarships Honoring Yates And King

SPEAKER_02 33:20

Um that's an outstanding award, and and Dr. Stokes has been a huge advocate for public education, and uh he he's really been an outstanding leader uh not only in school districts, but for the Gale organization. He continues to be a strong leader in the Gale organization. Uh, we're gonna talk a little bit more later on in another podcast, some roles he continues to serve on. Um, but even as recent as today. Uh earlier today, Dusty and I reached out to Dr. Stokes because we needed some help with something. And and his knowledge with Gale and his historical perspective is unbelievable, and we are so appreciative of not only his leadership in the past, but in the in the current and in the future as well. We're very, very appreciative of you, Dr. Stokes. Thank you very much. All right, now we've got two scholarships that we give out at Summer Gale. Uh well, one we've given out for quite a while, the John Yates scholarship, but this past year, um Alan McKinnon of Raymond James approached us and and that organization wanted to begin to give a scholarship in memory of or in honor and memory of Frank King. So why don't we talk about those those scholarship opportunities for Gale members? Uh Dusty, how do they go about applying for those?

SPEAKER_01 34:39

Yeah, the uh application goes out in our weekly flyer for a few months prior to, and it's also on the website in an area, I don't know exactly the drop-down resources. Resources, I would imagine, something like that. I I don't I'm not I'm not applicable, so I don't ever look for that on the website. Um but we uh have criteria that you have to have been a GAL member, an affiliate member, and we we score you based on your participation in Gale. And also you would be required to receive two letters of recommendation from other Gale members. It doesn't have to be your specific district, but I would imagine if you got Dr. Stokes to write you a letter for recommendation, you'd have a high chance that would help a high chance of receiving an award.

SPEAKER_02 35:21

But uh it's a good idea for any of you out there applying for either of those scholarships. Think about who your references are. Dr. Stokes, why don't you talk just a little bit? Tell the people who who John Yates and who Frank King were and what they meant to public education.

SPEAKER_03 35:36

Uh John Yates was uh uh uh not only was, is a hoot, uh a living hoot. Uh John Yates was a uh high school principal for uh an extraordinary, in fact, he became the president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. It's the only one Georgia's ever had. And uh so uh he was the first, but he later became the prin the superintendent of Lumpkin County Schools, and uh and then when uh H.M. Fulbright retired, uh John Yates became the executive director of Gale, and he served, I think, 10, 11 years, uh and did a a a swell job, and he led us through a lot of changes that had to be made, and they were difficult changes, uh had grown affectionate to uh particular places to meet for uh particularly for Winter Gale. And John finally said, folks, this is just not gonna work. We're gonna have to do it where we can can expand it and we can expand the program that we're offering. And he stood up and said, We're gonna do it, and we did it.

SPEAKER_02 36:43

And uh so And he does he still live in Lumpkin County? I know it's up in the mountains. Yeah, as far as I know. Got a card from him not too long ago trying to remember that return address.

SPEAKER_03 36:52

Yeah, as far as I know, uh he still lives in Lumpkin County. Uh he's he's over 90 years old now. So he's and he is uh uh I mean we uh when we had the beach run, which was a uh I I I know some of you are uh upset that we're not that we're discontinuing the beach run, but I'm gonna tell you, from a an school administrator standpoint, I held my breath for the entire beach run every year. The beach in the hot weather, and you wonder you were afraid somebody's gonna pass out and die on you. And so it and we had folks almost do that. And we said, hey, this is this is crazy. You know, nobody does n does this. But uh John Yates started that because he was a runner, and he would get out there and run with everybody. He was he he was so he is something else.

SPEAKER_02 37:44

Absolutely. And it's a great guild tradition, isn't it?

SPEAKER_03 37:48

Frank King, Frank King has been the uh superintendent of schools uh uh at a number of places in South Georgia. Uh primarily I I know that one of the last places that he was the superintendent of schools was in Tiff County, but he also served for many years in Upson County and in Thomaston City Schools. Uh he he was quite uh uh I one of the I have a connect I had a connection to to Frank. Uh Frank and the guy that I coached for at West Georgia College, uh Bobby Pate, they played the football together at uh Presbyterian College. And so Frank King was always a legend as far as our coaching staff was concerned. But he was he uh he was quite a man and and he well he had a a very generous heart, and he would help us any way he could. Absolutely.

Final Encouragement And Closing

SPEAKER_02 38:40

And a lot of current leaders may not have known that history about Frank King. What they probably know him more of is his role with Raymond James and helping with bonds and eSpliss and building projects and those kind of things. So two great individuals that we have those scholarships for. So next year we would encourage all of our Gale members that are continuing their education to fill out those scholarship applications. Thank you for joining today's Gale Unscripted.