Dan Whitley's Home Page

I was born in Washington, D.C. in 1945 toward the end of World War II. My father was a Naval officer stationed at the time in Washington; we lived in Northern Virginia. I take no credit for the conclusion of the war, nor for the difficulties of the world since then. However, I have contributed my share of difficulties since my birth, and for those I must take responsibility. One of my very favorite newspapers, The Washington Post , is also my original hometown newspaper. The Washington Post beats the New York Times hands down because it has comics!!!

My parents were from North Carolina , and it is there that I grew up, except for first and second grade years which were spent in Alexandria, Virginia when my father was recalled to Naval duty during the Korean War. As with WWII, so with Korea - I had little to do with the cessation of hostilities there.

My father, D.P. Whitley, Jr., passed away in October, 1993 in High Point. My mother Sally, Sally Whitley , moved to the Atlanta, Georgia area in the fall of 1998, and died from Alzheimer's Disease in Decatur, Georgia on July 29, 1999 . My mother's mother was Annie Maude Benbow Edgerton.

My sister Ann is married to Doug Singleton, and they live in Decatur, Georgia. Ann has a son Paul and Doug has a daughter Laura. Ann is a media specialist with the Winnona Park Elementary School in Decatur. She plays fiddle with the Peavine Creek String Band and Whistling Rufus. Doug also plays with Whistling Rufus, and their dog Rufus is in the picture. In addition to being a partner in an accounting firm, my brother-in-law Doug is a professional dance caller. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the most comprehensive newspaper in the Atlanta area.

My hometown is High Point , North Carolina, known for furniture-making and hosiery. High Point is in Guilford County , the county seat being Greensboro . Another nearby city is Winston-Salem . My home church is High Point Friends Meeting, which is part of North Carolina Yearly Meeting . (FUM). For local news coverage try The High Point Enterprise or the Greensboro News & Record and the Winston-Salem Journal .

I have been away from High Point since 1967, and the city has changed enormously since then. Perhaps one of the reasons is that most New Yorkers have moved to North Carolina! (However, having lived in New York State for over twenty-two years, I have very little desire to leave. A beautiful state with wonderful people!)

I graduated from Guilford College , after having spent my freshman year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . I attended the Earlham School of Religion . Both Guilford and Earlham are Quaker schools. I was brought up in the Religious Society of Friends, my home church being High Point Friends Meeting.

Since leaving North Carolina, I have worked among Friends in Indiana , Western , Baltimore and New York Yearly Meetings. I have worked on the local level, with national and international Friends groups, such as the American Friends Service Committee and the Friends Committee on National Legislation . My first paid Quaker position was as a Sunday School teacher with First Friends Meeting in Richmond, Indiana in 1967.

Today I am pastor of the Clintondale Friends Christian Church in Clintondale, New York. Clintondale Friends is an independent Friends church, having withdrawn from New York Yearly Meeting in May of 1995. My ordination credentials were originally with the Religious Society of Friends, then were with Elim Fellowship, and now are with the Clintondale Friends Christian Church. I value highly my relationships with Friendds, with Elim Fellowship, but felt moved to have my local church recognize my gifts in ministry. I am not officially a Friend, but sometimes I refer to myself as a Reformed Quaker, even though there is no movement by that name (yet!)

I am married to Cheryl, who is an assistant professor of social work at Marist College in Poughkeepsie.

We have a cat named Amber.

Cheryl and I live in Clintondale which is near Poughkeepsie, NY, equidistant from New York City and Albany. (See Directions to the church to find us.) Three newspapers in our area are the Daily Freeman (Kingston), the Poughkeepsie Journal (Poughkeepsie) and the Times Herald-Record (Middletown.)

The Highland Public Library has a branch at the church, housed in the 1811 Meetinghouse. It is a part of the Mid-Hudson Library System .

Cheryl and I are part of the Tres Dias community. We highly recommend Tres Dias for those who are seeking renewal in their walk with the Lord Jesus Christ and a greater understanding of their place in his church.

My hobbies include hunting, shooting, fishing and playing the guitar and the trumpet. My constant search is for time to spend with my hobbies. My favorite guitar is the Martin . The best guitar player I know of is Django Reinhardt. A friend recommended a great music site, Elderly.com. Check it out!

Cheryl and I enjoy traveling through the Shenandoah Valley where we often stop to visit our friends the Babkirks, who operate the House of Kirk . Clive and his family are master craftsmen in wood. Hope you enjoy their page!

One of the things that I try to avoid in my ministry is politics. For years I was rabid about political matters, but have come to see that the only thing that will save our nation and the world is a revival of the Holy Spirit. However, it is important for us to be involved as citizens, and voting is onr of the most important of our obligations of citizenship. I have come across an organization that I recommend for information on candidates and the issues. Check out Project Vote Smart. This is my personal recommendation, and has nothing to do with the Clintondale Friends Christian Church. I offer it as a service to you, the reader of this page.

One of the things that takes up my time, in addition to the church, is the Clintondale Fire District and Fire Department. When I came to Clintondale I was told that as pastor of the Friends Church, I was automatically the chaplain for the local volunteer fire department. Along the way I served as Treasurer for the Fire District, then was elected a Fire Commissioner, and served two five-year terms, stepping down after ten years on December 31, 2004. I was just appointed (August 8, 2007) to fill a vacancy on the Commission; I'll have to run in the fall to fill out the full term. I joined the Clintondale Fire Department in 1996 as a member of the fire police squad. Here I am with Deputy Chief Rick Raffa at a medical call. Click on the Firehouse.com News Ticker below for another good page on firmatics: -->--> -->

Click headline for top content from Firehouse.Com
The WEb's Community & Resource
for Fire, Rescue, EMS & Safety

You may e-mail me at Dan Whitley

Return to Home Page .