David Winship came to Buchanan County to help children learn about the nation’s beginnings. Along the way, the retired educator discovered a place he wants to visit again.
Portraying George Washington, Winship spoke to more than 1,000 children at the county’s four elementary and middle schools during a September program arranged by the Levisa River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
His subject was the Constitution — why it was created, how it works and why the generations now sitting in classrooms will have a role in protecting it.
The trip began with an invitation from Frannie Minton, who had seen Winship portray Benjamin Franklin at a DAR meeting. His presentation explored Franklin’s life as a printer, patriot and statesman.
Minton wanted Buchanan County to meet him, too.
“And I said yes,” Winship recalled. “You know how if Franny asks you something, you say yes?”
What started as an invitation to address the local DAR chapter grew into an opportunity to become its Constitution Week school program. Constitution Week runs from Sept. 17 through Sept. 23, throughout the United States.
On Tuesday morning, Winship visited Twin Valley Elementary/Middle School, then traveled to Council Elementary/Middle School later that day. Council’s Head Start children also had an opportunity to visit with him.
Thursday brought presentations at Riverview Elementary/Middle School in the morning and Tommy P. Justus Elementary/Middle School in Hurley that afternoon.
Most of his audiences were students in grades three through seven. For a man who spent his career in public education, speaking with them was familiar and enjoyable work.
Winship discussed the Constitutional Convention, ratification by the states and the amendment process. He explained that the founders included a way to change the Constitution because they understood the country and its needs would change over time.
His lessons also touched on slavery, the rights of men and women and the Second Amendment.
Behind the Washington portrayal is a lifelong interest in history, although Winship is careful about how he describes himself.
“I’m a history buff. I’m not a historian,” he said.
Born in Bristol, Tennessee, he grew up around King College, where his father taught English and his mother handled public relations. He left Bristol in the 1960s for school and travel before returning to the region in the 1980s.
His career took him into Washington County, Virginia, schools as a librarian and a facilitator for the elementary gifted program. He retired about 15 years ago, but teaching remains a central part of his life.
For about a decade, Winship has portrayed Washington during a February celebration in Washington County. An essay contest sponsored by retired teacher Dr. John Lantz encourages fourth graders to find something interesting about Washington beyond what appears in their textbooks.
Winship has also portrayed Franklin, once appeared as Thomas Jefferson and taken on the roles of colonial tradesmen during educational programs.
Those portrayals allow him to connect his interests in history, education and printing.
At King University, he continues working in a letterpress shop his father started. He also takes printing lessons beyond the shop, explaining the process at events where students learn about colonial life.
During a recent program about the beginning of the Kings Mountain march, Winship used previously printed broadsides to demonstrate how letterpress printing worked. Students could take the sheets home, carrying a piece of the lesson with them.
“It’s something that I thoroughly enjoy,” he said.
His creative work extends to poetry and newspaper writing. Winship contributes to a Salem-based newspaper that now publishes online and has a poem in “Had I a Dove,” a collection of Appalachian poets’ responses to hurricane flooding in the region.
For him, writing, portraying historical figures and working with students share a family connection.
“I come from a long line of teachers and preachers,” he said.
The Buchanan County visit also gave Winship time to become a student himself.
Between presentations, Frannie and Rayburn Minton took him on a tour of what they described as the county’s four corners. He recalled visiting the Breaks years earlier, but had never spent much time traveling around Buchanan County.
The tour changed that.
“I was just taken by Buchanan County,” Winship said.
He did not visit Southern Gap High School or Appalachian School of Law during the trip, but said he would like to see both on a future visit. As a retired educator, he was particularly interested in the new high school.
“I really look forward to seeing a nice modern school,” he said.
Winship thanked the Mintons for introducing him to the county and helping make the school visits possible. He left with memories of the children he met and an appreciation for the place they call home.
“I just thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity not only to speak with the students about the Constitution, but also to be in Buchanan County and experience Buchanan County,” he said.
“And in all honesty, I look forward to coming back.”
