FLOYD, Va. – Years of service and dedication as a coach and educator can be counted by the decades, but the impact Winfred Beale has had on the Floyd community is timeless and priceless.
“One of the local coaches found out I was available and twisted my arm and said why don’t you come back and coach the Buffaloes so that’s how it got started,” said Beale, whose coaching career began at Galax.
“The basic thing is the relationships with the players, the coaches, the students--just being around people,” Beale said.
As a 1970 graduate of Floyd County High School, Beale attended American University where he was on the track and field team.
Beale’s interest in education and being an educator came from a long family tradition. His mother and multiple aunts also spent decades in the classroom.
Beale recently ended his tenure as a teacher in December, but it’s 47 and a half years that he thoroughly enjoyed.
In regards to challenges, Beale touched on how race relations impacted him growing up in segregated schools in his early years.
“Through the seventh grade you know all the schools in Floyd were segregated,” Beale said. “I was one of the first classes to come to the high school as an 8th grader.”
When asked how he manages to keep up with the times, Beale said, “Young people keep you young. You know I’m getting on up there in age.”