A Singular Legacy Like David A. Sayre before him, David Richard Youngblood made his way from the east coast to settle in Lexington, Kentucky, to devote the next twenty-nine years of his life to Sayre School. David arrived in Lexington in the fall of 1986, and his motive for moving west was a simple one: his soon to be wife, Ellen Rosenman, had accepted a teaching position at the University of Kentucky. So David left his English teaching job of twenty years at a large, public high school outside of Boston, to accept a position as Sayre School’s English Department Chair and teacher. Well over a thousand Sayre students have benefited from David’s simple life decision. One might think that moving from a powerhouse east coast public school to a small, independent one in Kentucky would have been a culture shock, but not so for David. “Every school has its stars and every school has students who need some work to improve their skills,” he acknowledged, and he happily jumped into doing what he loved best—teaching students about great literature. For David, that meant showing them how to closely read a text, mine it for clues that would illuminate the author’s message, discuss those ideas with classmates under his guidance, and ultimately produce their personal analysis or creative response in written form. And for many of his past students, that was where the proverbial rubber hit the road. Mr. Youngblood was a stickler for nuanced, articulate, informed, and well-defended essays: meaning one, or several, drafts to earn his critical approval. David never really had a favorite class (“Each year a class would invariably ask, “Are we your favorite class?” and it was always true when I said yes, because at the time they were my favorites.”) Each class was unique and special to David, and the challenge and joy for him was taking each one of them to the next level of their academic ability. He did, however, have some favorite texts, All the King’s Men was one, as well as King Lear and Native Son. David loved stories that had intriguing characters, and a story line that had “a shocking quality to it, as well as an important central message where something bothers or upsets” the reader. It was equally important that the novels he chose had “an intellectual entry to them,” so that students could engage with them on multiple levels. Now in his first year of retirement after a forty-nine year career of teaching English, David misses most the stimulation he received from engaging with his students year in and year out. He noted that with all the talk of how students have changed over the years, from his perspective Sayre students remained bright-eyed, friendly, and predisposed to wanting something positive to come out of their experience in his English classroom. Besides all the students he has inspired over the years, David leaves behind a singular school legacy. He initiated the Kennedy Awards for Creative Writing that has been recognizing student writers for twenty years and continues to inspire Sayre’s talented young writers. David also introduced the Faculty Awards as part of the Upper School Awards Day. These awards, given to no more than three or four students in any grade each year, recognize students who bring their own unique and special qualities to enhance life in the Upper School beyond academic excellence. These student recognitions are the highlight of Awards Day. Finally, after attending the NAIS People of Color and Student Leadership Conference in 2008, David helped students organize Sayre’s Gay Straight Alliance, an organization that continues to promote safe zones for all students and an appreciation for all of our diverse perspectives. So what does David hope his legacy will be? “More than anything, I hope that I was able to relate to my students and that I challenged them as best I could.” For certain, that is the very least David Youngblood has accomplished in his twenty-nine inspiring years leading Sayre’s English Department. As a mentor, leader, educator and colleague, with a wicked sense of humor, David will be sorely missed. 194 North Limestone Lexington, KY 40507 ∙ www.sayreschool.org
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