Legacies Live Forever: The Short Family
Allen and Nancy Short - Photo provided by Short Family
Washington County, OH – May 28, 2019, marked an incredible lifetime achievement for two individuals who have had a profound impact in Washington County. Last month, Allen and Nancy Short celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary, and in those 64 years they have influenced thousands of lives together.
After serving in the Army during the Korean War, Allen became an educator. He would go on to spend the majority of his career as Principal of Warren Local High School after his family relocated in the 1970’s. Nancy was also a school teacher who predominantly spent her career teaching 6th graders at Little Hocking Elementary. Collectively, Allen and Nancy spent 63 years inspiring students, which included their four sons: Rodney, Darrell, Andrew, and Ken.
All four brothers were able to experience their formative years with their dad right by their side both at home and at school. For some, having a father as their principal would seem like a living nightmare, but for the Short men this was not the case.
“There might have been some tension once or twice,” laughed Ken Short, “but it was all a growth opportunity. My brothers and I are extremely proud of the decades and the thousands of students they impacted as an elementary school teacher and high school Principal at Warren Local.” The partnership that Allen and Nancy shared would be an “overarching guide” for their sons’ lives.
Tragically, while in his twenties, Darrell past away due to illness. Despite the loss of their brother, the remaining siblings rallied together to ensure that Darrell’s legacy was never forgotten. In 2004 Rodney, Andrew, and Ken Short created the Warren Local Schools Technology Fund through Marietta Community Foundation. This fund was established to memorialize their late brother and honor their parents’ efforts in the Warren area.
“When we created the fund, we thought ‘in the future, where will students need the capacity to grow,’” said Ken. “We believed that would be through technology.”
All of the proceeds from this fund go to Warren Local Schools because of the dedication Allen and Nancy demonstrated in their careers, but the technological component of the fund celebrates Darrell’s life.
After graduating from Ohio State University, Darrell began a career at IBM during the technological boom in the 1980’s. Prior to falling ill, Darrell worked for IBM for roughly 6 years and in that time motivated his family to embrace technological advancements.
Much like other aspects of the Short family, they took this motivation and found a way to share it with others. Since 2010 the Warren Local Schools Technology Fund has contributed almost $76,500 to various projects in the district, with their most recent funding project being allocated to Warren Middle School. This project will equip the middle school with a state of the art Wi-Fi system, costing over of $17,600.
If you would like to leave a legacy or honor someone else’s legacy, please contact Heather Allender, President & CEO of Marietta Community Foundation at heather@mcfohio.org.
