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J. W. Sayre Honored at Fairmont State - 11 May 2006
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(Read and presented by President Bradley)
In Recognition of Extraordinary Achievement in Academia and Significant Contributions to Society
We Confirm Upon J. Woodrow Sayre the Fairmont State University President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement
Whereas, Fairmont State University, the Alma Mater of J. Woodrow Sayre, wishes to honor and celebrate the lifetime of achievement in education and public service of said alumnus, and
Whereas, Dr. Sayre has contributed professionally to education and society for more than six decades, spanning the era of the telegraph and the era of the internet, and
Whereas, Dr. Sayre graduated in 1938 from what was then known as “Fairmont State Teacher’s College”, earned a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his studies for a Ph.D. at Syracuse University, and
Whereas, he has led a life of exemplary service to the country and his fellow man through work with the Civilian Conservation Corp, Western Union Telegraph Company, Cornell University, Syracuse University and the State University of New York at Albany, and
Whereas, he has worked as a consultant on education and taxation issues in the United States and internationally, lectured at Chautauqua and published numerous scholarly works and textbooks, and
Whereas, he has committed his time as a volunteer in organizations as varied as the Jacksonville Opera Society, the Environmental Education Council of Northeast Florida, and the School of Inner Research, and
Whereas, he strove to promote education as a teacher of students from primary through post-secondary education and as a co-founder and benefactor of the Florida Civilian Conservation Corp Museum, and
Whereas, he maintains affiliations of distinction, including membership in Kappa Delta Pi, Pi Gamma Mu, Alpha Psi Omega, American Academy of Political and Social Science, American Association of University Professors, American Economic Association, New York and National Councils for the Social Studies, Sigma Tau Gamma, and Boy Scouts of America,
Now, therefore be it resolved, to all and to each to whom these letters may come, that Fairmont State University hereby confers upon J. Woodrow Sayre the President’s Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Be it further resolved, that a copy of this resolution be presented to J. Woodrow Sayre on the occasion of the Fairmont State University Commencement.
We have caused this award to be issued from the academic halls in the City of Fairmont in the State of West Virginia, and have hereunder subscribed our names.
Presented this thirteenth day of May, in the year two thousand six, by Fairmont State University.
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Click on any photo to enlarge
Article in the local newspaper
Published: May 13, 2006 12:34 am
‘I owe so much’
1938 Fairmont State graduate ‘Woody’ Sayre to be honored today
By John VeaseyFAIRMONT — J. Woodrow “Woody” Sayre has never forgotten the education
he received at Fairmont State.
And that education came back in the 1930s.
The member of the graduating class of 1938, a Clarksburg native who now resides
in Florida, will be among those receiving special honors at the 2006 Fairmont
State Commencement ceremonies that are scheduled for 10 a.m. today.
“I owe so much for the values I received here at Fairmont State — from the
professors and the administrators,” the 93-year-old Sayre said Friday morning
while preparing for a busy day touring the campus and the area.
“I owe so much to West Virginia for the training it gave me. For the hard work.”
Sayre is the author of two hard-bound textbooks and more than 25 other books. He
presented Fairmont State President Dr. Dan Bradley Friday with an autographed
copy of “Youth Faces American Citizenship,” which he co-authored — a copy that
he signed thusly:
“The faculty of Fairmont State instilled in me a sense of values that are
reflected in this textbook.”
Sayre, who was a member of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), spent 50 years
in education — at all levels.
“I taught at Cornell, Syracuse and the State University of New York at Albany,”
he said. I was also a teacher and principal in elementary schools and in a high
school.”
He said he has lived approximately one-third of his life in West Virginia,
one-third in New York state and one-third in Florida.
He and his wife, Selma, currently live in Flagler Beach, Fla. He says Flagler
County has been described as the fastest-growing county in the United States.
“I graduated from Fairmont State when it was known as the Fairmont State
Teachers College,” he said. “I was president of the senior class. We had about
250 in the graduating class, and I believe that included the two-year students,
also.”
Fairmont State “has really grown,” he said, prior to being given a tour of the
campus. “I’m very impressed with it and very, very pleased with what is
happening.
“But the area has not changed much, except the Bridgeport area. The area has not
changed as much as I might have expected. Clarksburg’s population is about the
same as when I left.”
By a coincidence created by a funeral, his daughter, Martha Sayre Garman, is
able to be here to see her father receive his award today. She and her husband
live in Nigeria, where he is an engineer.
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