Kershaw’s Dr. King and the Various Fields of Dream
Veteran, educator, entrepreneur, public information officer, naturalist, farmer and explosives ordnance disposal technician are occupations which seem to have little in common. Yet each were used to create the person of Kershaw County School District board member Dr. Charles King.
Any parent can attest to the difficulty of serving as nurturer, guide and provider for a child’s physical, emotional, social and educational development while also offering safety and support. If the role sounds similar to the responsibilities educators carry, it is because the two often overlap, said Dr. Charles King, Kershaw County School District school board member.
“Of all the elected capacities, it is often said being a school board member is the toughest and sometimes the most thankless,” he said. “Additionally, decisions sometimes must be made which can be life-changing for those involved.”
A Kershaw County School District education, combined with a strong and loving family, prepared him for leadership throughout his life.
He credits his father, one of his high school teachers Bill Jackson, an uncle and Aaron Hough, who served as his middle and high school administrator, with encouraging him to dream bigger.
“(They) always pushed me to achieve more than I thought I could and be better than I thought I was,” said Dr. King. “(What’s) interesting is Mr. Hough called me ‘Dr. King’ even when I was in middle school.”
Dr. King was elected the first senior class president of the new North Central High School following the 1979 merger of Mt. Pisgah, Baron DeKalb and Midway high schools, and he has been running ever since.
In addition to his campaigns for school board, which have resulted in nearly nine years of cumulative service, Dr. King has completed an Ironman triathlon, a marathon and numerous survival runs. He also fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning his own health club.
“Exercise has been and still is a huge part of my life,” he said. “Now, as a retiree, it is as important as ever for me to stay active and in good physical condition.”
Few experiences challenged him more physically or shaped his professional path more than service in the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after earning his undergraduate degree.
“During my military service I was an instructor in a specialty school, and this sparked my interest in teaching,” said Dr. King.
After earning a master’s degree and teacher certification, he spent five years in the classroom, mostly teaching seventh grade science. He also taught high school biology for one year. Over time Dr. King moved into leadership, serving as assistant principal and principal in his home district before becoming associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction, associate superintendent for operations and interim superintendent in Chester County.
He eventually retired from Kershaw County School District as an employee, though he continues to serve the community as a school board member.
Today Dr. King supports his wife Wendy in her veterinary practice.
“I take care of the administrative side of the business,” he said. “As a school board member, I have found it has been invaluable to have the experience of being a career educator and a private sector business owner.”
Both of his adult children have followed a similar path of service.
“I’m extremely proud to say both of them are now district employees,” he said. “Even though my kids are adults, I am still a doting dad and regularly spend time with them.”
For Dr. King, the many roles he has held — Marine, teacher, administrator, business owner and school board member — are simply different ways of serving the same purpose: investing in people and helping the next generation reach its potential.