Ronald W. Shearon
Hall of Fame Class of 1997
Ronald Shearon's contributions to adult and continuing education have evolved over more than 45 years. Raised on a farm in Wake County, North Carolina, he started working with adult educators very early in life as a 4-H Club member. Upon entering Rolesville High School in 1953, he was very active in both 4-H and his local FFA chapter. These early experiences with non- formal adult educators made a significant impression on him. As a result, he decided to become an adult educator in agricultural and extension education. Dr. Shearon has served in many leadership roles in adult education during his career as the Assistant Director of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and the first Head of the newly created Department of Agricultural and Extension Education in 1994 at North Carolina State University. For 15 years, he has provided leadership as the Associate Head and Graduate Administrator for the Department of Adult and Community College Education. Moreover, he has been highly involved in local, state, national, and international adult education organizations. He has been active in the North Carolina Adult Education Association (AEA), the local American Society for Training and Development chapter, and the national AEA. He served as Vice President of AEA-USA in 1977 and on many committees and commissions. His professional involvements include active membership in the American Vocational Association, the American Association of Agricultural Educators, the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, and the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education.
For about 25 years, Dr. Shearon taught 30 to 50 graduate students annually. He has directed 44 master's degree and 55 doctoral degree candidates during his course at North Carolina State University. He truly has touched the lives of many adult educators around the world. Dr. Shearon has contributed four books and dozens of articles to the literature in the field of adult and continuing education.
His dedication to civic life has been no less remarkable. He has been very active in the Rolesville, Raleigh, and Wake County communities. He has served on the Wake County Board of Education and co-chaired the Wake County School Merger Committee. He has been a member, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Rolesville Planning Board for 20 years. He was elected to the Rolesville Town Board of Commissioners from 1983-1987 and served as Mayor Pro Tem. In addition, he has been active in the Kiwanis Club and currently serves on the Wake County Economic Development Commission.