Author: Legacy Synthesis

Bill Eaton was an exchange student in Belgium and served in the United States Army before graduating magna cum laude from the University of Virginia. He won the Virginia Press Association award in 1978 for journalistic excellence while serving as News Editor of the Shenandoah Valley Herald in Woodstock, Virginia.

He had a distinguished career with the United States Department of State. He served overseas in Georgetown, Guyana in the immediate aftermath of the People’s Temple mass suicides; in Moscow during the height of the Cold War during the premierships of Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernyenko; in Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey during the First Gulf War; and in Milan, Italy.

He speaks Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Italian and Spanish. He was the Dean of the School of Language Studies at the U.S. National Foreign Affairs Training Center.

Nominated by President Bush, Eaton served as Assistant Secretary of State for Administration throughout Secretary of State Colin Powell’s tenure (2001-2005). He was responsible for delivering global support services to civilian U. S. Government employees in diplomatic missions at 260 locations around the world.

The U. S. Senate confirmed him as U. S. Ambassador to the Republic of Panama in 2005. There he negotiated the U. S.-Panama Bilateral Free Trade Agreement and was awarded the Order of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the highest decoration for non-Panamanians for his significant contributions strengthening U. S.-Panamanian relations.

After his service in Panama, Ambassador Eaton was selected to be the Assistant Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium. Ambassador Eaton retired in 2013.

After his retirement from the Department of State, Eaton was elected Chair of the Board of American Field Service USA (AFS-USA), the organization that began his interest in international affairs when he was selected to live and study abroad for a year as an exchange student in Diksmuide, Belgium.

Kara was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Government Vice-President, and a four-sport athlete at Handley. She was a part of the record setting 2010 Girls Outdoor Track and Field State Championship 4×4 Relay.

Kara graduated from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism. She was a member of Capital News Service and ViewFinder presented by the University of Maryland. Both programs won regional and national awards.

After graduation, she spent two years as a multimedia journalist at KFDM/KBTV in Beaumont, Texas. She returned to Virginia in 2016 to join the broadcast staff of WAVY News 10 in Portsmouth. For six years she reported on a diverse range of stories and hosted the political digital series “Candid with Kara.” In 2020, she completed the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership’s Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Leadership.

Kara received an Emmy award in June, 2023 for her work at WAVY. “Road to Reconciliation: Uncovering our Past” was a special report by Kara Dixon and Photojournalist Jack Noonan that highlighted the First Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Virginia, which is believed to be one of the oldest Black churches in the United States. Colonial Williamsburg and the congregation are working to uncover the history of the church through ongoing excavation projects.

Kara is currently the Deputy Director of Video Production for the Senate Democratic Media Center for the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. She is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Maryland and is active with young adult and diversity programs within the Catholic church.

Clark Dixon, Jr. came to Handley from Douglas School in 1965. He was the President of the Horticulture Club and a three sport athlete. Clark was the first Black athlete to start a varsity game for Handley High School.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater and Secondary Education at Shepherd University. He served in the United States Army as a member of the military police.

Clark had a distinguished 34 year career with the National Park Service.  He was the Supervisory Park Ranger at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Visitor Services. He was Superintendent of Arkansas Post National Memorial and Superintendent of Morristown National Historical Park. He ended his career as the National Park Service Program Manager for the Southeast Region in Atlanta.

Clark was an advocate for the nation’s parks and committed to advancing equity, justice, and opportunity for all to access the parks and their natural resources. He worked to expand access to parks for underserved and under represented populations.

Clark’s passion for the outdoors, nature and conservation were clearly visible in his volunteer work. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America; a member of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club; a member of the Shenandoah National Park Association, the Harpers Ferry Park Association and the National Parks Conservation Association; and a member of the Potomac Valley Audubon Society and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.

He was a Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist. In 2006, Clark, along with his wife Ora Dixon, established the Potomac Valley Master Naturalist Chapter in partnership with Potomac Valley Audubon Society. Clark served on the chapter’s coordinating committee and was its chair emeritus. He served two terms on the West Virginia Master Naturalist State Advisory Committee.

Clark’s appreciation and love of the outdoors led him to mentor younger generations and to teach Natural History workshops in campfire cooking, the use of flint and steel, and vernal pools at one of his favorite places, Cacapon State Park. He incorporated his passion for photography and art into his lessons.

Clark was a longtime member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Shepherdstown and leaned heavily on his Christian faith.

Jimmy Dix started at Handley as a 4^th grader in 1950. He developed an interest in Judge Handley at an early age and gained an appreciation for the endowment that has helped and benefited so many including his mother (`37), sister (`58), daughter (`84), and granddaughters (`2012, `2015).

Jimmy wanted to give back and help to keep the Handley legacy alive. He has now provided 60 years of volunteer service to John Handley High School.

Jimmy started volunteering at track meets in 1964. In 1967, he joined the chain crew for football games and was the lead member until 2020. He also became the clock operator at boys’ basketball games in 1967. He started operating the clock for girls’ basketball in 1978 and continues to serve as the volunteer clock operator today.

Jimmy has long had an interest in softball and baseball. He was pitching coach under Terry Shickle in 1999 when Handley won its first state baseball championship.

Jimmy was inducted into the Hunter Maddex Hall of Fame in 2003 as a contributor. He was recognized not only for his years of support to the athletic programs but also for the fact that he always donated any compensation he received back to the athletic department. He received the Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award in 2016 for his service to high school athletics..

As a member of the Judges Athletic Association Board, Jimmy recommended the establishment of the Edwin Barksdale Wing of the Hall of Fame to honor athletes

from the Douglas School who would have attended Handley if not for segregation. He believed they were part of the Handley legacy and did not give up his pursuit until it was established in 2009.

Jimmy has done his best for Judge John Handley, for the Maroon and White, and for the monogram that stands for Handley Judges.

Charlotte DeHart was a member of the Handley High School Class of 1925. She was recognized as an excellent student, an accomplished musician and a female athlete. She received her bachelor’s degree from Madison State Teacher’s College in 1929.

Miss DeHart taught elementary classes at Handley for 17 years before becoming a visiting teacher / truant officer.  She was the first full time Principal of Virginia Avenue Elementary School and held the position for 21 years until her retirement in 1970.

Miss DeHart was known as a strict disciplinarian and a demanding Principal. She was also known for her endless efforts to assist students who did not have adequate food, clothing, shelter or healthcare. She obtained the assistance of public and private agencies and often used her own money to buy shoes and medicine for students.

“Miss Dee” loved animals and often said that children and animals go together. She once stated: “All animals with good manners could come to school but they had to stay by the child’s desk.”

She had a life long commitment to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). She was a member of the board of directors for 25 years and served two terms as President. She was one of the main leaders in the efforts to reorganize the local society and build a new animal shelter in the mid-1950’s.

Miss DeHart was a talented organist and pianist. She played at Christ Episcopal Church and accompanied many Handley High School student musical groups. She played the piano for the annual Christmas concert at Handley where students from elementary to high school grades participated.

When the original Virginia Avenue School was razed in 1995, the Winchester School Board named the new facility in her honor: the Virginia Avenue Charlotte DeHart Elementary School.

Miss Charlotte DeHart is remembered as an educator, humanitarian, animal welfare activist, and community organizer.

Barry Deuel’s parents were teachers at the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Romney, West Virginia. A child of deaf adults (CODA), he graduated from West Virginia University with degrees in Education and Sports Medicine.

Barry moved to Winchester in 1983 and immediately became active in the community volunteering with area high school sports programs because of his love of sports and concern for the safety of athletes.

Barry served as the Coordinator for Sports Medicine for the US Deaf Olympics Winter and Summer teams from 1985-2017. He was responsible for staffing and compliance of United States Olympic Committee guidelines for doping and medical coverage recommendations. Athletes from 21 nations participated in the games.

He was first appointed to the Winchester School Board in 1993 and served four terms. He was the Board Chair during the renovation of Handley High School and helped to raise the approximately $34 million of private funds that were invested in the project.

He served on the Virginia State School Board Association Board of Directors 2008 and received the Association’s All Virginia School Board Award of Distinction 2002 and 2012.

Barry has received service awards from the James Wood Athletic Association, the Judges Athletic Association, and the Virginia Coaches Association. He has been inducted into the Clarke County Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the Hunter Maddex Hall of Fame. He has received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award for service from Shenandoah University.

Barry has been an adjunct faculty member of Shenandoah University and is currently a teacher of American sign language in Loudoun County High School.