James “Frank” Huff knew he wanted to complete his college degree to better position himself for advancement in business and out of a sense of personal fulfillment. However, he didn’t know just how motivated he was until he found himself “sitting on a nothing mattress” in a hot, cinderblock dorm room in Fayette back in 1982 and still resisted the urge to throw in the towel on his academic dreams.
A native of Georgia, Huff worked as a shipfitter at a Newport News shipyard for many years and also served for 30 years in the Naval Reserves. Huff first learned about UIU’s innovative Coordinated Off-Campus Degree Program (COCDP) when he encountered a UIU administrator at an event in Norfolk, VA around 1980. He quietly started to work on his degree shortly thereafter, all the while dreading the program requirement that he attend four weeks of in-person classes at the Fayette Campus. Even up until the day of his departure to Fayette, and with nearly all of his degree requirements complete, Huff wavered, unpacking and repacking his suitcase before finally asking a shipyard supervisor to drive him to the airport.
Upon arrival, Huff remembers sitting in his dormitory wondering if he had gone crazy for taking this education and career step well into his 40s. He even packed up his bags once more to head home, but before he could do so, encountered a gentleman he thought looked to be well into his 60s who was also enrolled in UIU’s adult learning program.
“If a guy his age thought a degree was important enough to suffer this much for it, and if he can do it, well then I can too,” Huff recollects thinking at the time.
Huff eventually learned to embrace his time in Fayette. He recalls learning a great deal from UIU’s professors and classmates and enjoyed becoming familiar with some of the regulars in downtown Fayette, many of whom were interested in his work at the shipyard. He remembers attending an event at the President’s Home and getting rides around town from the City Police Chief.
One specific memory embedded in Huff’s mind involves a radio he had rented from a store on Fayette’s Main Street that he would listen to while working on assignments or relaxing in his Maltby-McCosh dorm room. One evening, another COCDP student shuffled by the room looking lonely and depressed. Turning back, the classmate asked Huff if he could borrow the radio for a bit. Huff recalled seeing him later that day, sitting in his room with eyes closed listening to the radio and a contented look on his face. This always stuck with Huff as he recalls the many different backgrounds of students who put in the work and made sacrifices necessary to complete the COCDP education program offered by Upper Iowa.
Huff eventually settled in Hampton, VA, and put his degree to use by working in commercial real estate for decades. Huff eventually became the owner of several commercial properties, including the Sans Souci Motel, the only motel on Buckroe Beach in Hampton. Recently, Huff sold the property and several surrounding it to the City of Hampton for development purposes.
Frank lives with his wife, Bettie, between two homes in Hampton, one on the beach and one inland. He enjoys spending time with his three children and seven grandchildren. Huff still thinks of his UIU experience often and is proud that despite the challenges of pursuing his degree as an adult learner, he never gave up on his dream of earning a degree.
