George and Virginia Black
George and Virginia Black chose to depart this world together November 15th. George with a stroke and Virginia with heart and respiratory issues. Preceded in death by son Christopher. Survivors include Sarah Paige (active in the Order early 70’s), son -Kent and two more daughters. My daughter, Deb Black with 2 children, Brandon and Erin are some of the extended family. George was 86 and Virginia 82.
~~ Ann Jaecks
I worked with George and Virginia in Kenya. They held down the Kabiro outpost in Kwangware during the early 80s watching over the Kabiro Harambee ( Self-help) School and the Kabiro Health Clinic. I mean they actually lived in the school. To watch over the school and clinic was a major task, especially the administration. Virginia and George never complained or made a big thing of running two of the best programs we had in Kwangware at a time when we were moving on to the New Village Movement. The Blacks hosted most of our major donors to show what communities can accomplish if allowed to take leadership.
I was just in Kawangware and the Kabiro School is still in existence with over 400 students and new buildings. A much improved staff to student ratios is found. Now it is about 1 to 30, but in the Black’s period we were running about 60 students per teacher. When George and Virginia facilitated the school, we had 1,200 students ( including Katherine Alton).
As you talk of guardians and saints who pioneered in human development on behalf of all, be sure to put the Blacks down.
~~ Dick Alton