Dr. Roger L. Long officially announced over the weekend that he will
run for the Halifax County School Board in Election District 5. With
his announcement voters in the District who are now represented by
Nancylee Bagwell, will have a choice to make in their write-in votes.
Previously Mattie M. Cowen and Robert Carlton Wazeka, Jr. each said
they expected to seek election through write-in votes since no one
qualified to have his/her name on the November General Election ballot.
  Dr. Long is a 35-year veteran in Virginia public education. He taught
five years at the elementary and middle school levels in Lynchburg and
Danville and he served as an elementary school principal in Lynchburg
and Chesterfield County. He served in the Nansemond/Suffolk schools as
general supervisor, director of instruction, and director of personnel
and planning.
He also served four years on the staff of the Division of Field
Services at The University of Virginia where he was an instructional
contact person to 14 school divisions, including Halifax County. He
retired from Chesterfield County Schools as director of school planning
services.
Dr. Long received Masterís and Doctorís degrees in Public School
Administration from The University of Virginia. He graduated from
Lynchburg College after attending high school in Clifton Forge and has
taken additional classes at Old Dominion University, Virginia State
University, Virginia Commonwealth University, The College of William
and Mary and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Long and his wife, Maxine, live at 1102 Marshall Avenue in South Boston
and are members of the Dan River Baptist Church. He noted that he has
been a taxpayer in Halifax County for over twenty years and has been a
resident since 2003. ìMy involvement in Halifax County goes back to
1958 when I met my wife, Maxine Jennings, at Lynchburg College. Maxine
is probably better known in Halifax County than I, and she has many
relatives who taught in and attended Halifax County Schools. Maxine was
a member of the first class that went through four full years after
consolidation of high schools into Halifax County High School (now
Middle School). Maxineís mother, Lois Turner Jennings, taught Math at
Volens and Halifax County High Schools until she became ill in the
1960s. Maxineís father, Robert Jennings, was a tobacco farmer in the
Cody area. (He provided me the opportunity to work in tobacco for two
summers. I learned the value of hard work!) Maxineís stepmother is Anne
Guthrie Jennings who lives on Mulberry Road. Maxine has always been my
strongest supporter. I try to reciprocate that support to her and her
family, our two sons, their wives and our five grandsons!î
Long was appointed to the South Boston Planning Commission in 2006. He
said, ìI feel the challenge to become involved in our community. I am
very concerned that the economy of South Boston and Halifax County has
taken drastic setbacks in the past ten years. I want to do my part as a
citizen to participate and assist to create a positive future for the
area.î
ìEducation deserves priority attention in any community! I am a strong
advocate for public education because of its impact and positive return
to the community. Since we returned to Halifax County, I have been
seeking ways to give back to Virginia education for the many
opportunities that have been provided to me. If elected, four (4)
concerns will be my focus:

1. Open communication with the citizens of Halifax County;
2. Improvement of educational opportunities for Halifax County students;
3. Strong support for the dedicated teachers and staff members of
Halifax County Schools;
4. Identifying many sources to finance education from outside and
inside Halifax County.î
Dr. Long said that many people have urged him to become a candidate,
because no one had qualified in ED# 5 to have a name on the ballot. He
urges voters in District 5 to write- in the name, ROGER LONG, on the
November ballot for the School Trustee seat.