Dr. Powell has devoted his life to teaching, helping the disadvantaged, and to training and developing educators.  One of his most recent achievements has been to author a book about his experiences growing up at the Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s School in Normal, and later at U-High. 

After graduation from ISU with a teaching degree, Dr. Powell obtained a Master’s degree in Biological Science from Purdue University.  During this time, he began a teaching career in Hammond, Indiana.  For ten years he taught, and also served as an assistant football coach and varsity track coach. 

After obtaining his PhD from Purdue with a major in Educational Administration, Dr. Powell became a School Superintendent, with a focus on creation and development of special education programs.  Dr. Powell was Superintendent in three different school districts.  In the Capital School District in Dover, Delaware, Dr. Powell was in charge of the Kent County School for the orthopedically handicapped, a facility serving the educational needs of all school districts in the county.  During his tenure in Dover, Dr. Powell also did consulting work and development of teacher preparation curricula for colleges and universities.

Dr. Powell went on to serve as an adjunct professor at several colleges, focusing on educational administration, as well as biology and science courses.  For fifteen years, Dr. Powell worked with the Division of Developmentally Disabled, a state agency serving the mentally and physically handicapped in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Dr. Powell has been married to Ruth for over 45 years, has 7 daughters and thirteen grandchildren.  Since he was very young, Dr. Powell has carried a small piece of paper in his wallet that states, “Success has always been easy to measure.  It is the distance between one’s origins and one’s final achievements.”  From very humble origins to lofty achievements in educating and helping the underprivileged, Dr. Powell is, by any measure, a great success.