Nearly 35,000 miles and counting for Brian Kent

Provided photos – Brian Kent, right, lets a man sign the map on top of Kent’s electric-powered vehicle, a Nissan Leaf. Kent is travelling the country in the vehicle to promote the cars as a viable option for long-range trips.

For nearly six months Brian Kent has been traveling the country, spreading a message that electric cars are reliable long-range vehicles.

Since he left Albion on Aug. 24, Kent has driven a 2013 Nissan LEAF nearly 35,000 miles. He was at 34,260 miles on Thursday when he was in South Lake, Texas.

When he left Albion in late August, Kent intended a 100-day trip that would cover 26,000 miles. He wanted to drive through 48 states (all but Alaska and Hawaii).

Kent scrapped the plan, preferring not to stick to a strict schedule. He estimates he has talked with more than 2,000 people on the trip, often when he is charging his car.

Kent’s car is pictured in Cheyenne, WY, on Nov. 12 next to an 8-foot-high boot.

He has made numerous new friends and has emerged as a bit of a celebrity of the electric car movement. He received a hero’s welcome when he visited a Tesla sales site in Dallas-Fort Worth.

He has been featured in blogs and news sites that promote and explore electric cars and the green energy movement.

Kent plans to come home in April. He wants to be in New Jersey on March 31 when the new Tesla Model 3 is introduced.

Kent has planted a tree in almost all of the states he has visited on the trip. He is pictured in Arizona last month.

Kent set out to shatter myths about the electric vehicles. They are capable of long-range trips. He wanted to show the network of charge stations throughout the country and also meet other electric vehicle drivers.

“I wanted to show that a car like mine could do it,” he said by phone. “I wanted to demonstrate the viability of limited range, affordable electric vehicles.”

Kent parked next to a holiday light display in December.

He also wanted to break the world record for longest trip in an electric vehicle (non solar). Norman Hajjar set the mark in Tesla Model S with 12,183 miles from March 28 to April 21, 2014 in a trip that started in Portand, Oregon and ended in Venice, Calif.

Kent smashed that record. But another driver, Steve Sasman, also took a big trip in 2015. Sasman covered 27,615 miles last year in the US and Canada. News of his trip came out in December. Kent faced a dilemma in late December. He could set the 133-day record but he would have to really push his Leaf.

He wasn’t going to do it, but some of his key supporters urged him to break the record. On the last day he drove 650 miles in his Leaf, a trip from San Diego to Canada, breaking the record for the entire trip by 5 miles at 27,620 miles.

Kent has been visiting the state capitals. Here is his car in Indianapolis on Sept. 20.

He has been at a more leisurely pace the past two months since breaking the record. He has been spending time with one of his supporters, a family in the Dallas, Texas area. But he will soon be heading to Little Rock, Ark, as he works his way to New Jersey for the new Tesla unveiling.

Kampgrounds of America is one of Kent’s sponsors. They have charging stations and they have also let his stay in cabins. He spends about half of his nights sleeping in the car. He has it set up with a feather bed in back. He took out the back seats.

“The best part: no exhaust,” he said.

Besides Kampgrounds of America, Kent is partnering with Michelin, Plug in America, National Drive Electric Week, EV Charge Hub, Clean Technica, Inside EVs, and The Green Optimistic for the educational trip.

A woman in Texas signs the map on Kent’s car, one of the keepsakes from the trip.

Kent said the car has only ran out of power once. The first day of the trip when he was in the Catskills and took a wrong turn, resulting in an 18-mile detour. He needed to be towed. He said driver error, and not the car, is at fault for that incident.

Otherwise, the car has been able to go all over the country without missing a charge.

Kent also has planted a tree in nearly every state he has visited. That is 35 in 39 states. Four times he didn’t have someone lined up who would care for the tree, ensuring it was watered and cared for in the critical few weeks after a tree is planted.

He tries to see the capital in each state. He also stops at the popular tourist attractions, trying to get his car in photos with famous scenes, including mountains in the background or public art or war memorials.

Kent’s car has accumulated messages since the trip started about six months ago.

His car is covered in decals of sponsors and messages from supporters. He has wrap on top of the car that shows a map of the U.S. In each state he asks at least one person to sign their state.

“This is the best life experience I’ve ever had,” Kent said. “I’ve met an amazing array of people along the way,” he said.

Kent is pictured at a beach in California. He is calling the journey, “The Negative Carbon Road Trip.” The trees planted will more than offset the carbon dioxide for running his vehicle.

Dr. Howard Ward and Jeremy Babcock work to ensure top-notch facilities, services for students

Photos by Tom Rivers – Howard Ward and Jeremy Babcock, both Albion graduates, are pictured at Rochester Institute of Technology, where Ward is an associate vice president and Babcock the executive director of housing facilities.

ROCHESTER – His spacious office in the Global Village at the Rochester Institute of Technology is a long way from his living conditions as a kid, when Howard Ward grew up without running water at a migrant labor camp on Baker Road.

Ward, who earned a doctorate in higher education, is an associate vice president at RIT. He has worked 39 years for colleges and universities.

At RIT, he oversees an $82 million annual budget, 208 employees and leads a team committed to impeccable facilities and service for students and staff. The Global Village is a $55 million student housing and retail complex.

Jeremy Babcock has known Ward for two decades. He spoke at Babcock’s Albion High School graduation in 1995. The two stayed in touch when Babcock worked in student services at Brockport State College. Babcock had the tough job of handling student discipline. He also helped manage construction projects.

He would often call Ward or have lunch with him, seeing him as a friend and sounding board.

Babcock, after 10 years at Brockport, joined Ward’s team at RIT on Feb. 20, 2012 – Babcock can recite the day. Babcock took a job as an assistant director of housing. On Nov. 1, Babcock was promoted to executive director of housing facilities following a grueling search and interview process.

“He’s skilled and talented,” Ward said about Babcock. “He’s well respected on campus. I look forward to his vision.”

Babcock, 39, oversees a staff of 24, the residential halls and 1,000 apartments. He deals with everything from keys, pest control, furniture, laundry facilities and many other issues.

Two overcomers

Ward and Babcock have more in common than their high school alma mater. They have both overcome challenges, and they both left Albion after high school, attending small colleges about six hours away from home. Both wanted to push themselves, and see if they could make it on their own.

Ward, a 1972 Albion grad, grew up in the former Coloney Camp in Carlton. He lived there from when he was 2 until he graduated. It was one of the state’s largest farmworker labor camps, home to 60 African-American families.

Ward grew up in a loving home with loving neighbors. But his house resembled a shack. It was small, poorly insulated and field rats made a racket at night, scratching against the pasteboard outer walls, trying to get inside.

Ward was a star football player for Albion. He earned a scholarship at Mount Union College in Ohio. (In 1973, Coloney Camp was torn down and Ward’s family moved into a newly-built housing development, Carlton Manor, on Baker Road.)

He excelled as a lineman for the Mount Union football team, and was leading tackler in a senior all-star game among Ohio football players. Some NFL scouts were interested. But Ward, who was popular on campus with students, college professors and even the president, was urged to consider a career in college student services.

He took that advice and would work at Mount Union, Bowling Green, Ohio Northern University and RIT. He said he has been blessed. He hasn’t forgotten his Albion roots, and he has led diversity training for school staff, and worked with students on the college admissions process.

Howard Ward and Jeremy Babcock work out of the Global Village at RIT, a $55 million student housing and retail complex.

Babcock, the son of Jim and Linda Babcock, is an active member of the Albion Fire Department and a skilled golfer. He and Ward often play golf together, including at charity events. Babcock has a knack for hitting the ball straight, about 200 yards down the middle for his tee offs.

He does it all despite being born with birth defects in both arms. Babcock said his parents and friends always encouraged him as a kid. He played Little League baseball, basketball and used adaptive equipment made by his father to ride snowmobiles and be active in many other ways. Babcock these days drives the biggest fire trucks for the fire department.

“I’m really fortunate with what I can do,” Babcock said. “My family and friends always pushed me.”

He brings a knowledge of construction, and that helps at RIT when he reviews plans for buildings, housing units and other projects. Ward said Babcock also brings a sensitivity to using doors and buildings that many staff don’t consider in the design and construction of the space.

Babcock sees the big picture, working to do what’s best for the university and the students, Ward said.

“I like his tenacity,” he said.

Babcock was 18 when he ventured from Albion to attend college near Pittsburgh at the California University of Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in business in 1999, and then a master’s degree in business administration in 2001.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I could be on my own,” he said.

A similar path

Ward also needed that distance to become his own man. He said he was a “momma’s boy” in high school and had to fight homesickness in college. He was also one of the few black students at Mount Union.

He gained confidence and friends through football, good grades and a welcoming personality. He started his career as a residence hall director. He is now one of the key leaders at RIT. He said he enjoys empowering staff and students.

Jeremy Babcock and Howard Ward are pictured at Ward’s office at RIT on Monday.

Babcock started his career as a resident director at Brockport, overseeing a residence hall with 200 students and a staff of six. He had to discipline students and have some expelled from school. Some of those students used the punishment as a wake-up call. They turned themselves around, graduated and thanked Babcock for pointing them on the right track.

Ward stayed in touch with Babcock, and was impressed how he handled some of the situations at Brockport, working with students and also with construction of new townhouses.

“He’s worked with tough characters and high-level people,” Ward said. “He’s been involved with major projects.”

RIT has been in growth mode in recent years, and continues to expand. Babcock will helped manage another $1.9 million in renovations and projects this year.

Babcock said RIT is a home away from home for students. He appreciates Ward’s push for excellence, to make the facilities safe, comfortable and appealing for students and staff.

“We need to give them the best possible experience whether dining, the residence halls, or the apartments,” Babcock said.

The two joked over lunch Tuesday about the upcoming golf season. Babcock, a lefty, is consistent with the 200-yard drives down the middle of the fairway. Ward and some of the long hitters may hit the ball farther than Babcock, but it is often sliced or hooked.

At the end of the day, Babcock wins almost every time.

“He is amazing,” Ward said.

Provided photo

Meredith Patterson, an Albion senior, won the zone competition for the American Legion Oratorical Contest and advances to the state competition on March 5 in Albany.

The zone event was held Saturday in Mount Morris. Another Albion student, Kyle Thaine, also competed. He won the district competition in Buffalo last month. Thaine and Patterson both advanced to the zone competition.

Patterson won an $800 scholarship for the Zone 5 victory and will receive another $2,000 scholarship for competing at the state level.

The participants at the zone event needed to deliver an 8- to 10-minute speech without notes about the Constitution. Each contestant also needed to speak for 3 to 5 minutes on one of five topics, assigned at the contest.

Patterson is valedictorian for the Class of 2016. She is also captain of the cross country team, a drum major in the marching band, and a lector at Holy Family Parish. She wants to attend an Ivy League school to major in political science.

Photo by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Kyle Thaine, a senior at Albion, delivers the speech that won the Orleans County Oratorical Contest, as well as American Legion Oratorical District Competition in Buffalo on Jan. 10. He is shown giving the speech today at the Orleans County Legislature meeting. Legislator Ken DeRoller is at right.

Thaine and another Albion senior, Meredith Patterson, took the top two spots during the competition in Buffalo. They move on to the zone competition at Mt. Morris High School on Feb. 6.

Thaine gave a speech from memory today that was nearly 10 minutes long. He shared about his family lineage, a legacy of service that dates to soldiers serving in the Revolutionary War. One of his ancestors, John Proctor, was a key settler in Gaines and known as the Paul Revere of Ridge Road because he rode along the Ridge warning settlers that the British were coming during the War of 1812.

Other Thaine relatives served in World War II and the Korean War.

The Legion competition teaches leadership qualities and the history of our nation’s laws. The American Legion Oratorical Contest also teaches an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights, and privileges of American citizenship.

The winner of the zone contest at Mount Morris will advance to Department Oratorical Contest held March 4-5 in Albany.

Kyle Thaine said he wants to be a history teacher for his career. He commended Patterson for advancing the zone competition as well.

Thaine and Patterson have both attended Legislature meetings before when they were seventh-graders in a service learning class. Those seventh-graders in 2011 helped fix up the cemetery for the former Alms “Poor” House on County House Road.