By: Mikyai Scott
Have you met the famous Dr. George Wood? Well if so, you should know he’s a pretty cool guy.
Wood has been at Federal Hocking for 28 years before he retired for six years, he missed the environment and staff so decided to come back and doesn’t regret a moment of it. Wood claims that he enjoyed building the four period schedule with staff and has some other good memories from Federal Hocking to look back on. When asked about the hardest part of being a superintendent, he claims it is balancing the budget.
“When I was here before, and when I look at what’s going on, high school has changed. There’s no advisory, four period days, a long lunch hour, I’d love to start seeing those things come back, and just to see people working together.”
When Wood was in high school, he didn’t have his mind set on being a superintendent, he actually wanted to play baseball for the Detroit Tigers.
“I wasn’t good enough, I couldn’t hit an inside fast ball.”
Wood also participated in tennis and cross country.
High school for Wood looked a little different than students today. Wood started school in Michigan, then moved to North Carolina while school segregation was just ending.
“During 1967 through 1971, there was a lot of racial tension”
Wood also had a small graduating class with just 350 people. After high school, he attended University of North Carolina and received his masters and a doctorate degree.
Aside from education, Wood enjoys traveling and even during Covid, he traveled all around the U.S. Wood has been to New Zealand, Europe, Argentina which, in his opinion, is the best place for food and fishing, and loves his steak and a baked potato.
“Put that on a plate and leave me alone!”
Wood and his wife have been married 45 years, his wife was a kindergarten teacher and he has three sons, Michael, John, and Ivan.
Something I bet not many of you know is that Wood is in a band: The Ames-Bern Ridge Rounders where he plays the drums!
“I’m really happy to be back here. When I retired I thought my career was over. You have no idea how happy I am.”
