Veteran educator and volunteer Ben Givan is proud

of Selma and expresses unguarded optimism about the future despite current problems. He was born in Orrville, but moved to Selma at age 15 and considers Selma to be his hometown.

With the exception of a tour in the Air Force from 1951 to 1955, he’s made Selma his home for his entire adult life.

Givan left the Air Force with the rank of staff sergeant, serving both in Korea and Japan. He’s a graduate of the former R.B. Hudson High School and Alabama State University, and holds a master’s degree from Livingston University in school administration and supervision. He then spent a total of 33 years in the Selma Public Schools, 18 years as an elementary school principal.

In retirement Givan has served on the Selma City School Board, appointed by the City Council,

and finds this to be his most significant volunteer commitment these days.

He is the school board’s vice chair.

As a member of the school board, Givan said, “We try to be accessible to the people, accountable to the people and to make a difference for the children.

“Our

primary role is to set policy and to try to give parents opportunity for input. While our resources (as a school system) are limited right now, we do well with what we have.”

As a member of the school board Givan and other school board members attend up to three professional gatherings a year – one statewide, another regional and the third national. These are associations of people who belong to school boards, he said. “I find the meetings quite helpful when I attend and, in my opinion, Selma stacks up pretty well with other districts like ours.

“Money is still a problem,” he said. “We’ve got to work on our scores (on the state exams). That is our focus this year – the board’s and the administration.”

As an educator – former elementary school teacher and principal – Givan believes that education is critically important for individuals, families and communities.

“Education has been the continuing theme in my life,” said Givan. “I continue to be active in the retired teachers’ association,” he said, “serving on the nominating committee for the state organization.”

“Education has given to me my focus. All that I’ve done since the military has been working with children and youth.”

But something more than education is needed, Givan believes.

“Parental responsibility is the main thing behind the problems we are experiencing in Selma right now,” Givan said. “The schools can only do so much, the police can only do so much. We have to make the parents cognizant of the need for their counseling and direction for their own children. We all have to face reality, that the community has an illness, and until we face it, things are not going to get better.

“I’m optimistic that things are going to get better in Selma,” he said. “But

to get the improvements that are needed we’re all going to have to work together with our children and youth – the churches, civic groups, parents, the schools. Part of the problem is better resources, but I have concerns about the discipline of children today. Today’s parents are not doing what our parents did.”

Givan said that when he was a principal, a high percentage of the children were being raised by grandparents. That’s still the case, he contends, but even more so.

“Parents have to make their children their priority. Churches need to talk about it – even from the pulpit, but not all the time.

“This has become an epidemic (lack of discipline among children and youth),” he said.

Despite his retirement Givan considers himself fully occupied in volunteer activities. In addition to the school board and retired teachers’ associations,

these include service on the boards of the Old Depot Museum and Leadership Selma; and membership in Kiwanis, One Selma and First Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Street, where he has served in all capacities such as deacon, trustee, leader of the men’s Bible study and many other activities.

Givan also works as playground director for the City of Selma recreation department

for two months in the summer “for very little,” he said.

“I guess I’m doing too much,” he said, “but I enjoy it.”