Larry Grove on his Belle Ridge Farm in Woodville. He is stepping down from the Rappahannock County School Board after over a decade of service and 60 years as an educator. (Photo/Ireland Hayes)
‘It’s sad to leave’ after decades of devotion to education
For Larry Grove, service on the Rappahannock County School Board — where as vice chair he was seen as an unwavering voice of reason — was always about the students.
Now, after nearly 13 years representing the Stonewall-Hawthorne district, he’s stepping down, quietly ending a career in education that began nearly 60 years ago. His final meeting was Dec. 10.
“He’s had so much lived experience through a whole lot of the trends that have happened over time in education. And he’s a former counselor and a former principal, so it was just his advice I always took to heart, and it’s going to be really tough without him,” Schools Superintendent Shannon Grimsley said.
The decision to not seek reelection wasn’t easy, but the timing feels right, he said in an interview.
“It’s sad to leave, but it’s something I had to do,” Grove said. A stroke in March forced the 81-year-old to scale down his commitments, and after nearly a lifetime in education — beginning in 1967 — something had to give.
“It was either give up the farm or give up the board,” he said. “So I had to give up the board.”
Larry Grove and his wife, Kathy Grove, at his last School Board meeting on Dec. 10. (Photo/Luke Christopher)
Teaching and leading
Grove’s path to the School Board began long before he moved to Rappahannock. He served as a teacher and guidance director for Arlington County Public Schools before becoming a principal, a role he held for 20 years before retiring in 1999.
He and his wife, Kathleen, who is also an educator — former headmaster at Wakefield Country Day School in Huntly and board chair for RappCE — worked as educational consultants in Virginia and on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Overseas Schools.
After retirement from Arlington schools, the Groves discovered a Rappahannock County property that would become their home for the next two decades. Grove spent four years restoring the historic 1700s farmhouse, which they later found has links to Kathleen’s family, and the couple moved to Woodville.
When a seat opened on the School Board 12 years ago, Grove stepped up to fill the role. “I just felt like it was a good thing to do, something I knew something about … that maybe I could have some influence for the kids,” he said.
The shift from school administrator to School Board member was an adjustment, he said. As a principal, he had been immersed in day-to-day details, but on the board, the work was broader, more structural.
“You can’t be in the weeds,” he said. “From a board perspective, you’ve got to look at it from the big picture. Look at it from a policy point of view.”
That policy work came into play during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the School Board had to guide the schools through tough decisions regarding masking and in-person instruction.
“His leadership was so important during that time, he was very calm and thoughtful through it all, and really made sure that we were looking at the best ways to provide educational continuity and also supporting students and families and staff,” Grimsley said.
Grove has also led, as its chair, the Mountain Vista Governor’s School, a program for gifted high school students, she said, and over the years helped expand access to include 10th-grade students.
Grove said one of his earliest and proudest initiatives was pushing for a clear, equitable salary scale for all school employees — from bus drivers to secretaries to teachers.
Budgeting, unsurprisingly, became a recurring challenge. But Grove is proud of the work the board did to tie financial decisions to its Comprehensive Plan. Still, he notes, state-mandated requirements — many of them unfunded — continue to drive up costs.
“But I think we’re on a roll. I think we’re in good shape,” Grove said.
‘We’re just nice to each other’
What he’ll miss most is the camaraderie he’s experienced with his fellow board members.
“I’ve been involved with boards, again, since 1967, and this is probably the closest knit [board] I’ve seen … We’re just nice to each other,” he said.
Grimsley said Grove has been a great mentor to her, and a “model board member.”
“He’s a great guy to work with … A competent leader and always helpful, always a good perspective, always reasonable,” School Board Chair Wes Mills said. “We’re gonna miss that guy.”
Larry Grove on Election Day in 2021, the last year he ran for reelection to the School Board. (File photo/Luke Christopher)
Grove has been working with Lynnie Genho, who was elected in November, preparing her to take over the seat he left.
Genho said the two have been neighbors and friends for many years, and many recent discussions about the School Board have taken place as they change shifts with the Sperryville Volunteer Rescue Squad, where they both volunteer as ambulance drivers.
“I do the overnight shift on Monday nights, and he does the shift on Tuesday mornings at the rescue squad. So we’ve sat together for a couple hours after [my shift],” Genho said. “I plan to keep him on speed dial … I’m grateful that he has so graciously mentored me.”
Genho said Grove has been an “even-keeled” board member, and she hopes to mimic that in her tenure.
“He’s incredibly invested in the community,” Genho said. “He’s just a great leader. He’s quiet, he’s consistent, he’s calm, but he’s very approachable, and extremely knowledgeable.
“There’s not that many 80-somethings that all my kids feel like they could go up and give him a hug and know who he is. And Larry’s one of those people,” she added.
Beyond public office, Grove has been on the Rappahannock County Lions Club scholarship committee, focusing on expanding opportunities for students pursuing trades and traditional college paths, awarding $36,000 in scholarships last year to Rappahannock County students.
Grove leaves the board with no regrets, and a key lesson learned — always listen.
“Listen to everybody… every opinion is important,” he said.
