By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
When Don Learned joined the Barton Community College Board of Trustees in 2005, the college was going through a rocky time. Through the last 19 years, Learned has assisted in guiding the college on the board with his education background.
After getting elected five times during that stretch, Learned attended his last Trustees meeting Tuesday afternoon after announcing his resignation earlier this summer.
"We have a wonderful college here," said Learned. "I have served under four chairmen. The faculty is awesome. When I came to Great Bend in 1972, the college was only three years old. I didn't know much about the college. I really didn't know too much about it until I got on the board. Since then, I've just been amazed."
Learned retired from USD 428 in Great Bend in 1992 as the principal at Roosevelt Junior High School and then spent years as a substitute teacher. Now 88 years old, Learned and his wife are moving to the Dallas, Texas area on Friday to be closer to their daughter’s family.
"We've been down there a lot," said Learned. "We know all of my son-in-law's relatives. They all like us. We like them. We'll have some privacy. It'll be different. We've been downsizing. We're moving on Friday and it'll be sad to leave Great Bend."
Learned was presented a plaque and a few gifts at Tuesday’s meeting. Earlier in the meeting, the board voted to appoint Cole Schwarz as Learned’s replacement.