Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240055
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
At 72, Irvin Cannaday wanted to renew his teaching certificate. He had no thoughts about retiring after 45 years.
But his wife, Reba, said she was going to retire after 41 years as a teacher, and so should he. She got her way.
So, Cannaday will retire in June - ending a career of more than four decades as a teacher, coach, school administrator, counselor and friend to thousands of children in Roanoke.
A popular and well-respected assistant principal at Woodrow Wilson Middle School for the past 11 years, he was a highly successful basketball coach before becoming an administrator.
Cannaday's retirement has surprised some people, who thought he was so enduring he might work for another decade.
"It's been a great ride. I've enjoyed my life," Cannaday said as he reflected on a career that began in 1950 at the old Carver High School in Salem when it was all-black.
Colleagues and friends say Cannaday has been as close to a father as many of the children will ever know. Students feel so close to him that they will borrow money for lunch or pencils from him. His colleagues say he helps give children a sense of direction in a kind and considerate manner.
"He is so positive, so uplifting. He sees the good in everyone," said Kay Duffy, Woodrow Wilson's principal. "He is a father figure, a guidance counselor and, if need be, he can be a father disciplinarian."
Duffy said the children love Cannaday, even when he has to discipline them.
Not only is Woodrow Wilson losing Cannaday, but two other veteran staff members - English teacher Carol Yosafat and librarian Frances Williams - also are retiring this year. Yosafat has taught at the school for 30 years, and Williams has worked for city schools for 28 years. All three were honored at a dinner Tuesday night.
"These three people are going to be hard to replace. All are outstanding role models and leaders," Duffy said.
Yosafat is one of Cannaday's biggest fans.
"His roots in this community are so deep that he will not be replaced," she said. "He is an authority figure who rules with a velvet hand."
Cannaday was the basketball coach for six years at Carver and 14 years at Addison High in Roanoke (now Addison Aerospace Magnet Middle School). He had a combined record of 291 wins and 136 losses in basketball.
Cannaday also coached football at Carver and was an assistant football coach at Addison. He taught biology and physical education at Addison.
Cannaday, a Roanoke native who graduated from Addison, decided to get out of coaching and teaching after 20 years and become a school administrator. One reason he gave up coaching, he said, was that some teams didn't want to play in the Addison gym after desegregation.
He helped ease the integration of city schools during the 1960s and '70s.
Cannaday has also been an assistant principal at James Madison Middle School and a dean at William Fleming High School.
He was honored last year when Mayor David Bowers proclaimed a day in his honor, and nearly 500 Woodrow Wilson students surprised him with an assembly to recognize his contributions.
Cannaday said it's tougher to be a teacher and administrator now because there are more discipline problems. "Children will do and say anything now," he said. "There has been a breakdown in the family and we don't have as much control."
Religion and strict discipline were big factors in his life when he was growing up, Cannaday said, but many parents no longer emphasize them.
"My parents were my best teachers, and every night they were on their knees," he said, adding that religion remains an important part of his life.
He said it has given him insight into children and helped him work more effectively with them. Not all children can be treated alike, Cannaday said.
"Children need guidance, but you have to try different things with different people," he said.
He said there are similarities between being a coach and an assistant principal.
"You are just coaching on a higher level. And you get to work with both boys and girls," he said.
Cannaday never tires of children. The top of his desk is filled with pictures of his six grandchildren. He will get to spend more time with them now.
He and his wife have no specific plans for retirement. But don't be surprised if you find them working with children in some way.
by CNB