Class of 1971: Gerald "Jerry" King

I started my "life's great educational adventure" in a two-room brick country school in Posey County. It was during this time I came to love history and geography. I liked Native American Indian culture and found arrowheads in the fields by our house. When I graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1960, I had no plans of attending college. After four years in the Army National Guard, during the height of the Cold War, I worked at Kroger and Whirlpool until 1966. I never forgot my love of history, geography and anthropology.

In 1966, I started thinking seriously about my future. I’d heard motivational speakers challenging me with "everyone has a purpose and a gift for doing something to make the world a better place." The ISUE campus would be the catalyst that allowed me to help change things for [others].

I wondered if I could attend...if I could afford it. I went to ISUE’s office on St. Joe and said I wanted to enroll. A pleasant young lady reached into a filing cabinet and pulled out some papers. After filling them out, she said, "You are now a student this fall. What would you like to take?" I took ancient Greek, Roman, English, Russian and of course, American history classes, and later, educational courses. My senior year, I did my student teaching at Harrison High School in 1970. Because of my experience at ISUE/ USI, I was able to share my love for history and fulfill my dream of challenging the minds of many students.

Gerald "Jerry" King '71

History