Education - Shirley Brooks-Jones, Part 2 of 3

Shirley Brooks-Jones spent her formative years in service of family, helping take care of the household and 8 younger siblings. Now a proud high school graduate, it was time for Shirley to spread her wings.

Little did she know that those “wings” would take her all over the world as a delegation leader for a presidential program aimed at world peace.

Beyond Childhood
Shirley’s first job was as a Civil Service Clerk Stenographer at The Ohio State University. She must have liked Ohio State because she stayed for 35 years, the bulk of which was spent as the Executive Assistant to the University Vice President of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

As a university employee, Shirley met many students, administrators, and visitors. To this day she smiles when talking about her work, but the truth is, she did more than work.

On her wall, there is a plaque honoring Shirley for volunteerism, particularly her years of philanthropic efforts while at Ohio State. At this point, you might be thinking that’s it, but you’d be wrong. Yes, Shirley volunteered countless hours to help the students and university she’d come to love, but that was just the beginning.

Through that wonderful Ohio State network of people coming and going, Shirley learned of a program called People to People.

Started by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a former military man, the idea was simple. Eisenhower felt if the collective “we” could put aside political and religious views, the world would stand a better chance for peace.

Peace sounded good to Shirley. She became a volunteer member of the local chapter of People to People.

For years, Shirley used vacation and personal time to act as a delegation leader for missions, which included travel to six continents and many countries. In this role, she made sure everyone was cared for and kept on schedule. She even served as trip spokesperson.

Shirley’s first trip was to China in 1979. It was a cultural exchange focusing on agriculture. China was interested in the US approach to farming. That’s all it took. Shirley was hooked. She’d never been to China, or anywhere, really. She said the trip changed her life, got her hooked on widening her world.

She describes the trips as fun, but not fun and games. They were educational endeavors, opportunities to share and learn from others. Shirley recalls trips focused on nursing, engineering, business, and more.

The People to People initiative was so successful, it far outlasted Eisenhower’s time as President. Eventually it moved to the non-profit sector, and even came to include a student ambassador program that sent students (and Shirley) all over the world.

Eventually the People to People program ended, and with it, Shirley’s decades of volunteerism, but she wasn’t done.

Next up: Details on what could be considered Shirley’s crowning achievement in her life of service will be revealed!