Milton native named to Commission on Presidential Scholars

Milton native Ken Brittingham’s distinguished career in education continues with his recent appointment to the Commission on Presidential Scholars by President Joe Biden.

The importance of education was instilled in young Ken as a lad; his grandfather is 50-year Delaware educator H.O. Brittingham, for whom the elementary school in Milton was named in 1977. 

Ken’s aspirations took him to Wisconsin, where he attained a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology, a master’s degree in school counseling, a second master’s degree in school psychology and a doctorate of philosophy.

Although he modestly refers to himself as a small-town farm boy, Ken’s leadership roles in Wisconsin span from the elementary school through state department levels. Throughout his career, he was a counselor, school psychologist, principal, school superintendent, state education director, and a technical college board chairman and vice chairman.

At times, his career would take him to the U.S. Office of Education in Washington, D.C. 

“I always thought it would be cool to work there and be closer to home,” Ken said.

Although he and his family did eventually move back to his childhood home, he kept in touch with his colleagues in Wisconsin, including Gov. Tony Evers, a former state school superintendent and one of several leading state educators who nominated him for service in Biden’s administration.

In July, Biden announced Ken as one of 21 appointees to the commission, which chooses each year’s class of 161 Presidential Scholars from a pool of 600 semifinalists.

Eligible graduating public or private high school seniors are selected on the basis of their broad academic achievement, or excellence in visual and performing arts, creative writing, or career and technical fields. 

One boy and one girl are chosen from each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and families of U.S. citizens living abroad.

Commissioners serve at the pleasure of the president and without compensation. Since 1964, the federal program has honored almost 8,000 U.S. Presidential Scholars.

Ken also supports Cape Henlopen students interested in pursuing careers in education through the Herman Oscar Brittingham Scholarship, named in honor of his grandfather. The first scholarship was awarded in 2019, and this year, $8,000 was bestowed to local students.

The scholarship program is maintained by the Milton Community Foundation with no administrative fees. 

“When I exit this world, I want to be able to say that every dollar raised went right to the kids,” he said.

Ken now splits his time between his Union Street home across from King’s Ice Cream in Milton and a little beach apartment in Rehoboth. The Milton home is one of the town’s five governor’s homes; it belonged to Joseph M. Carey, governor of Wyoming from 1911-15.

“I wanted to get back to my family and the ocean,” he said.

As a child, he and his family summered at a home on Georgia Avenue on Broadkill Beach. Grandfather H.O.B., known by the children as Pop Pop Britt, helped build the home on a lot purchased for $300.

At the time, it was the northernmost street in the community, Ken said, and the children would walk to Prime Hook.

“Now, you can’t even see where Broadkill ends and Prime Hook begins,” he said. “We always had a net in the water every weekend.”

After his brother Linden, a U.S. Marine, was killed in action during the Vietnam War in 1968, Ken said no one wanted to go to the little house in Broadkill anymore, so they bought the place in Rehoboth.

At the time, Robin Hood restaurant was just about the only place open in the winter, Ken said, and Rehoboth had only one or two stop lights.

“It was pristine and beautiful,” he said. “It still is, but it’s different.”

Asked what his grandfather might think about his presidential appointment, Brittingham smiled and said quietly, “I think he’d be very pleased.”

Contribute to the Herman Oscar Brittingham Scholarship by sending a check to the Milton Community Foundation, care of President Steve Crawford, P.O. Box 12, Milton DE 19968. Learn more about the Commission on Presidential Scholars at  www.ed.gov/psp.