[ad_1]
ENID, Okla. — Longtime Enid resident Clayton Nolen has two enterprise playing cards he offers out when making new acquaintances.
One has his contact info as an area radio host. The opposite, which Nolen calls his a “retired enterprise card,” additionally has his contact information — together with strains like “No Enterprise, No Plans, No Worries,” and “Too Wholesome to Beg, Too Previous to Steal, Too Lazy to Work.”
Certainly, Nolen stated he’s loved having much less to do since he retired in 2014 from Enid Public Colleges.
“I inform individuals … We spend 85% of ourselves going to physician’s visits, and the opposite 15% attempting to determine how we’re gonna pay the insurance coverage,” he stated.
Whereas he’s lately taken a slower path, the 74-year-old educator, church chief and civic volunteer has spent a long time serving the Enid neighborhood alongside varied avenues. He’s now being acknowledged for his contributions as a Pillar of the Plains honoree.
Nolen is certainly one of three Pillar of the Plains finalists who shall be acknowledged throughout a reception at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 at Stride Financial institution Heart. This yr’s different finalists are Krista Roberts and Connie Sturgeon-Hart.
“Once I consider ‘Pillar of the Plains’ … (it’s) anyone actual outdated, been right here for a very very long time,” Nolen stated with a chuckle, “and his or her contributions should not simply in a single space. It’s unfold out in lots of, many alternative areas and has helped not simply set up issues however has helped most of the people in several wants.”
If Nolen had been to be named 2021’s Pillar recipient, he can be the primary Black particular person to obtain the glory.
For years, Nolen has mentored many African-American boys in Northwest Oklahoma, pushing them to achieve success of their jobs, church buildings and households.
By specializing in these three tenets of success, he stated, “They will see a future, and that future may be very optimistic. They usually can see themselves shifting up and doubtless in among the issues they at all times wished to do.”
Nolen served as Enid’s Ward 3 commissioner from 1985 to 1989, throughout which he based the still-active Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Vacation Fee; created the general public entry channel that grew to become PEGASYS and was later given to Enid Public Colleges in 2016; and handled the buying of the financially struggling Phillips College’s property. He additionally chaired town’s Police Civil Service and Neighborhood Improvement Block Grant Funding commissions.
“I by no means thought that I’d be doing it in Enid,” Nolen stated about serving in public workplace. “There was not very many diversities in several positions right here in Enid.”
Ward 2 Metropolis Commissioner Derwin Norwood, who now represents a part of the identical space after ward boundaries had been redrawn, stated Nolen has been an important advocate for the neighborhood and for the church in Southern Heights, Enid’s traditionally Black neighborhood.
“He actually made certain we understood how necessary it was to get an schooling,” Norwood stated. “He led by instance.”
After graduating from school at Central State College, Nolen labored for Enid faculties as a touring speech pathologist for seven years, additionally moonlighting as an grownup schooling trainer.
He quickly took over as director of EPS’ grownup ed program, which was moved from Roosevelt Elementary Faculty to Carver Instructional Heart and was expanded to daytime and night lessons. He additionally directed lecturers who made visits to homebound college students.
Nolen later grew to become the chief GED examiner, acquired the Juvenile Detention Faculty and have become the supervisor of the colleges at Sequoyah Boys’ Group Dwelling and Integris Behavioral Well being.
He additionally served on round a dozen education-related native and state boards, committees and job forces throughout his 42 years with EPS. At the moment, Nolen nonetheless serves on solely the Reality and Sentencing Advisory Council for 4 space counties.
“(Schooling) was my life. It was my livelihood,” he stated. “So I needed to assist that in any method that I might.”
Nolen hung up his instructing hat in 2014. Nolen’s spouse Varna, is also retired from schooling as a particular ed trainer at Longfellow Center Faculty.
“It was time. Typically you keep on the occasion too lengthy,” he stated.
Enid’s still-continuing GED program later was relocated to Lincoln Academy when Carver grew to become an early childhood heart, and Nolen stated he nonetheless sees former college students round city, a lot of whom he stated succeeded regardless of completely different circumstances.
“Seeing successful together with your college students at all times made me really feel good,” he stated. “You identify ‘em, I’ve had them.”
He now additionally hosts “The Gospel Present with Clayton Nolen,” an area Sunday morning radio program on 100.9 FM and 960 AM.
Nolen, a trustee of the Grayson Missionary Baptist Church board, stayed devoted to his church all through the troubling COVID pandemic, which noticed weekly providers transfer solely on-line whereas main renovations that started in 2019 continued on the constructing, Enid’s oldest traditionally Black church.
Companies solely started being held in particular person once more in November for the congregation, which at the moment numbers round 30 to 40 individuals.
A newly accomplished addition, together with renovation of current area, included new handicap-accessible bogs, a brand new pastor’s workplace, fellowship corridor, kitchen, two school rooms, a secretary’s workplace and a brand new entrance off the northeast nook of the church.
Nolen, whose mom handed away in January, started going by her belongings this yr. He donated a number of Bibles from her huge assortment to the church, together with a lot of her garments, sneakers and piano sheet music.
His pastor and longtime buddy, the Rev. Norris Williams, stated Nolen “has the center” for the individuals in the neighborhood.
“I do know that every thing he does is with the intentions of fine at all times,” he stated. “He’s a Christian man who believes in his religion.”
[ad_2]
Source link