Family’s Board Service Spans 76 Years

Samuel Race succeeded his father, H. Arthur Race, as a board member in White Township, Warren County, when the senior Race retired after 36 years of service. The son surpassed the father, by devoting over 40 years to his local board of education. Those years came to an end in December 2005 when Race retired to devote his time to another activity in the township.

His community is a rural one that covers about 28 square miles. It has one school that serves approximately 450 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. Students then proceed to Belvidere High School or to the county technical school. Over the years, Race has witnessed the expansion of his school district. As the population grew during the early years of Race’s board membership, he chaired a committee to explore the possibility of turning White Township into a K-12 regional school district. “It was a multiyear effort of research and meetings to determine if this could be done. I thought it would be an experiment in home rule, but we discovered that the residents wanted no part of it.”

With the mandate to keep their one school viable, the board turned to additions to deal with the increase of students. The district added a third school wing in 1999, and Race is proud that it fulfills space requirements while providing a sound teaching environment for the students.

His term as president from April 2002 to 2005 provided some of his most satisfying moments as a board member. “When I participated in the eighth-grade graduations,” he said, “it was a great pleasure to see what the staff had accomplished in student preparation. I witnessed the growth of the students over the years, and it was gratifying to know that our students have tested well above average in the region and the state.”

Although he is retiring from the White Township Board of Education, Samuel Race will not be idle. He has been elected to the township governing body and will continue to serve its citizens. “As a committee member, one of my goals will be to promote cooperation between the township committee and the school board so that we can work more effectively together.”