Kenneth T. Whitescarver
Kenneth Tyree Whitescarver, President Emeritus of Fork Union Military Academy in Fork Union, Virginia, since 1990, after sever 22 years as its president, was born in Salem on April 3, 1920. He graduated from Andrew Lewis High School in Salem in 1937 and received a B. S. degree from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. This institution in 1984 bestowed upon Kenneth its Distinguished Alumnus Award.
From 1942-63, Whitescarver was on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps as a commissioned officer. World War II saw him in a number of major combat operations in the Central Pacific. During this time he graduated with honors from George Washington University Law School (1954) and served in various legal connections in the Corps, including Military Judge. It was also during this period that, in 1946, he married Alice Clare King of Roanoke. Their children are Kenneth, III, Hunt, and William. The Whitescarvers retired to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to live where Kenneth returned to the field of law. He practiced there from 1963-68 and twice was named Citizen of the Year.
Colonel Whitescarver completed graduate work in education at the University of Reading (England) and through the University of Massachusetts. He is past president of both the Association of Military Colleges and Schools of the U.S. and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools, and has served officially in five other education-related entities.
Even in his retirement, he is “of counsel” to the law firm of Roberts, Sokol, Ashby & Jones in Fredericksburg and serves as an Administrative Hearing Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia, presiding in hearings involving certain state agencies, including the Department of Education.
Kenneth also serves the Central Regional Board of Directors of Jefferson National Bank in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was Chairman of Deacons for both Fredericksburg Baptist Church and Fork Union Baptist Church and was a member of the Virginia Baptist General Board.
Through three distinct careers Colonel Whitescarver has maintained his commitments to society. “It is not solely for his leadership skills; however, but for his compassion and his concern for the welfare of both faculty and cadets that the Senior Class dedicates the 1984 Skirmish (the yearbook at Fork Union Military Academy) to Colonel Kenneth T. Whitescarver. He is held in high esteem by all who are privileged to know him.
In recognition of his outstanding career achievements, in 1996 Kenneth Tyree Whitescarver was among the charter members inducted into Salem Alumni Hall of Fame established by the Salem Educational Foundation and Alumni Association.
