Beckley College

Dwight D. Eisenhower was our president. Gasoline cost 24 cents a gallon, and a postage stamp had just gone up to four cents. The country was in the "Eisenhower Recession" pushing the unemployment rate to its highest since 1941. Skilled workers who had left West Virginia for jobs in other states had lost those jobs and were returning home. Tuition at Harvard University was $1,000 per year, and David "Dee" Cantley couldn't even afford to attend the institution of higher education closest to his home - Beckley College. The son of a disabled coal miner, Dee knew that the small college that was his only hope to continue his education; a college that had been fought for, established, and supported by the community, affording a new pathway for many. Beckley College: A History preserves the untold story of the college and to highlight many of its leaders and graduates, as a token of appreciation that Dee shares with many others whose lives were forever changed by walking the halls and crossing the stage for that piece of paper that symbolized so much more. These are the stories of those who, like Dee, asked the question, "Should I really be here?" and found the answer to be "Yes, and this is only the beginning!" As you read these pages, may you find yourself in a few of them, at least in spirit and with the same eternal gratitude.