From
farm girl to scholar
Computer
analyst wins 2003 DeBow scholarship
By DEBORAH A. MILES
Imagine growing up on a farm in Arkansas, going to a
segregated school and working evenings and summers
harvesting peas, corn and cotton.
With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, you succeed in
furthering your education and find yourself working for
New York state and eventually earning the prestigious
Jean DeBow Women in PEF Scholarship.
In a nutshell, that’s what happened to Vallie
Phipps, a spirited woman with an effervescent personality
who works as an associate computer programmer analyst for
the state Office of Temporary Disability Assistance
(OTDA).
“To me, I knew no better,” she said of her
upbringing. “There was always work to be done in the
fields. I had to take care of the animals too, feeding
the hogs and chickens, and milking the cows. We had no
electricity.”
She didn’t have a choice of schools to attend and
was given used books to do her studies.
“The odds were against us,” she said.
“Even the teachers weren’t very good.”
Beating the odds
Her father did not have an education, but told her that
knowledge is something she could keep forever. This
motivated Phipps to become valedictorian of her class at
McMittress High School.
Through a scholarship and work-study program, Phipps
earned her bachelor’s degree in business education
from Southern Arkansas University.
Phipps married, moved to New York and has been working
for the state for more than 25 years. During that time,
she also raised three children.
Her schedule has been grueling. Along with working
full-time, Phipps teaches classes in business
communications on some evenings and weekends at the New
York Career Institute, while concurrently earning her
master’s degree at Pace University.
And for the last nine years, she has walked across the
Brooklyn Bridge every day — an activity that brings
peace to her mind and body. She also likes to jog in nice
weather and practices yoga.
Phipps received the DeBow scholarship while pursuing her
master’s degree, which she received in June.
DeBow remains
role model
“Knowing that Jean DeBow valued education as much as
I do, it was just an honor for me to apply for the
scholarship,” Phipps said.
Division 191 steward Robert G. Wright recommended Phipps
for the scholarship.
“Her phenomenal journey as a farm girl in Arkansas
to her current professional status is a tribute to the
legacy of the late PEF Vice President Jean DeBow, who
championed unionism, women’s rights and
education,” Wright said.
Phipps, too, values the union. She attends meetings,
participates in rallies and signs petitions for union
causes.
“I feel good knowing PEF is always there for me,
“ she said. “PEF is my security as far as my
job rights as a state employee.
“If I do run into something unfair, I know I can
call on PEF.”
The Jean DeBow scholarship is open to women in PEF who
are pursing a secondary education. The $2,000 award is
presented annually at the PEF convention. Applications
are available from the PEF Scholarship Committee at PEF
headquarters in late spring, and are due back on August
1. For more details on the scholarship, visit www.pef.org/jean_debow_scholarship.
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