Preparing Our Educators

Patton Alumnus Presents “The Importance of Giving” as Part of Patton Lecture Series

David Brightbill spoke on "The Importance of Giving."

ATHENS, Ohio (February 27, 2012)–Patton College graduate and current trustee David Brightbill spoke to a room of educators and students on Thursday February 23 about how the college prepared him for his career as executive director of Washington-Morgan Counties’ Community Action program. He was invited as part of Patton College’s ongoing Lecture Series that features a different speaker every quarter from different areas in education.

Brightbill spoke of growing up on a small farm in Mansfield and how much his perspective changed when he first attended Ohio University in 1964. In his second year his roommate invited him on a trip to Portsmouth for volunteer work.

“I sat with a woman who had (multiple sclerosis) and two kids and was living in absolute poverty,” Brightbill said. “We drank a lot of coffee and talked a lot. She told me: ‘David, you’ll never know what it’s like to be poor until all you’ve got is two kids, lard and flour.’”

From that point on, Brightbill sought out work in impoverished areas. He took a year off of school to do volunteer work in coal-mining Western Pennsylvania. Later, in 1970, he student taught at the Meigs Local School District.

“I had seven classes of American history, which was my dream,” he said. “It was eye-opening though. You had kids who couldn’t read all that well. And I found out that they had never even had an essay question on a test.”

Immediately following his graduation in 1970, Brightbill began a job with Washington-Morgan Counties’ Community Action program -- a joint venture between the two southeast Ohio counties that offers many social services including Head Start programs, job training, transportation and energy assistance.

Brightbill is also a trustee for the university and on the academics committee.

“I love this place,” he said. “It changed me so dramatically that I’ve always wanted to be involved with it.”

Story By Alec Bojalad
Photo by Mark Brunton