Dr. Bob Gene Raines, for whom the Education Forum is named, currently resides in Abingdon, Virginia, and is Professor Emeritus of Emory & Henry College. He was a primary force in obtaining the Jessie Ball duPont Religious, Charitable and Educational Fund grant that originated the Forum and has been a supporter of the Forum since its beginning in 1988. On April 11, 2006, at the 18th Annual Education Forum, the event was re-named "The B.G. Raines Education Forum" in his honor. He and members of his family were present for the re-naming ceremony. As part of the re-naming event, friends and former students were invited to send notes and comments about Dr. Raines, and it is still possible for those who wish to do so to share stories and comments to be added to the archive.

Bob Raines attended Clintwood High School in Clintwood, Virginia, graduating in 1954, and in 1958 earned a Bachelor of Arts. in physics at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. In 1963 he completed a Master of Arts in Teaching in Mathematics at University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he continued on to complete a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialty in Mathematics Education in 1970. His other graduate studies include physics at Washington University (1958-59), mathematics at George Peabody College (1962) and the University of Chicago (1989), and administration (1964) and mathematics (1967) at East Tennessee State University.

In 1959, after earning his B.A., Bob Raines became a teacher of physics and mathematics at Abingdon High School in Abingdon, Virginia, where he served until 1963, when he became Instructor of Mathematics at Emory & Henry College. He stayed with the college only one year, returning to public education to serve as Principal of John S. Battle High School in Bristol, Virginia, from 1964 to 1968. In 1968 he left Battle to go as a doctoral student and Graduate Instructor in Education to University of Virginia.

After earning his doctorate in 1970, he became Associate Professor of Mathematics and Director of admissions for Clinch Valley College in Wise, Virginia, where he stayed only one year and again returned to the public school system. Between 1971 and 1981, he served Washington County Public Schools first as Assistant Superintendent, then as Acting Superintendent, and finally as Deputy Superintendent for Instruction.

From 1981 until his retirement in 2000, Dr. Raines served Emory & Henry College continuously as Professor of Mathematics and Education, and in other roles as Director of the William N. Neff Center for Teacher Education, Chair of the Education Department. Division Chair, Chair of Academic Policies, and member of the academic Council, Faculty Advisory Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and Budget Committee. From 1982 to 1986, he directed a Summer Gifted Program for Elementary and Secondary Students in Southwest Virginia which he developed. He was author and Director of a project funded by The Virginia Department of Education for the purpose of training experienced teachers to teach mathematics from 1983 to 1985, and beginning in 1988 was a primary organizer and supporter of the Annual Education Forum.

After his retirement in 2000 with 20 years service, he continued to serve Emory & Henry in a part-time capacity into the summer of 2004, advising students and teaching classes in math and education. He also continued to assist in the planning and production of the Education Forum which now bears his name through the spring 2004 event.

In addition, Dr. Raines stayed involved in education with school-related services including:

• Taught numerous graduate classes and conducted workshops in mathematics for elementary, middle and high school teachers in the school divisions of Washington, Scott, Wise, Wythe, Chilhowie, Smyth, Dickenson, Buchanan, Russell, Tazewell, Bath, Giles, Bristol and Kingsport, Tennessee (1970-2004)
• Served as a member of Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and was actively involved at the local, district, state, and international level of service. Service included working as a committee member, consultant, facilitator, and chair of numerous review teams for elementary and secondary schools in the state of Virginia (1970-2004)
• Served on numerous State Department of Education Evaluation Teams to evaluate elementary and secondary schools (1970-1989)
• Served on Evaluation Teams for Approved Teacher Training Programs at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Randolph-Macon College, Hollins College, and Clinch Valley College (1985-1987)
• Guest speaker for numerous lay and professional groups of people including School Board Members and State Department of Education conferences on mathematics, science, instructional procedures, curriculum development and education problems (1973-2004)
• Served on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Latin American Committee and evaluated elementary and secondary schools in Mexico (1978-1984)
• Observed primary, elementary, and secondary schools in England (1992)
• Evaluated elementary and secondary schools in Brazil when observing/advising college students from Emory and Henry College (1997)
• Served on the McGlothlin Foundation Committee to observe, interview, and select outstanding individuals in Southwest Virginia who had been chosen as extraordinary teachers in their school system. The finalist from the various schools received a large monetary gift from the McGlothlin Foundation (1999-2004)

Stories, comments, and good wishes for Bob are archived here, and awards, publications, and memberships are listed below.

Awards:

• Emory and Henry College Excellence in Teaching Award (1978-1979)
• Phi Delta Kappa Southwest Virginia Teacher of The Year (1987-1988)
• Dr. John Davis Award for Distinguished Teaching and Service (1993)
• Received the Service Award from the Southwest Virginia Council of Mathematics (1974)
• Southwest Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics Distinguished Service Award (1995 and 2000)
• Recipient of the Appalachian Center for Community Service Hope Award (2004)
• Emory and Henry established a "Bob G. Raines Scholarship" (2005)
• The Emory and Henry Board of Trustees renamed their Education Forum to the "B. G. Raines Education Forum" (2006)
• Recipient of The John Davis Distinguished Leadership Award in Virginia (2006)

Organizations:

Publications:

• Personal, Situational, and Behavioral Predisposition Factors Relating to a Teacher's Attitude toward Elementary Mathematics, published by the University of Virginia Education Review
• Practical Ways To Teach the Basic Mathematical Skills. (Co-Author of Chapter on Geometry, published by the Virginia Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 1978 and by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in 1980
• "A Beginning," published by the Fairfax County Teachers of Mathematics Publication, THE EXPONET(1983)
• A Profile in Censorship, published in the Journal of the Virginia Council of Teachers of English (1986) and the National Council of English
• Virginia Elementary Mathematics Curriculum Guide, (Principal Author, 1966) published by the Virginia Department of Education
• Virginia Secondary Mathematics Curriculum Guide, (Co-Author, 1969), published by the Virginia Department of Education

Please send comments or questions regarding this page to Sarah Williams, swilliams@ehc.edu.