• Distinguished Alumni Class of 2014

    distinguished alumni 2014

    Pictured from left are members of the Oxford Area High School Distinguished Alumni Class of 2014: David M. White, Martin Sumner and James D. McLeod. The inductees were presented with handmade wooden bowls created by former teacher Scott Gold.

    David M. White, Class of 1960

    After graduating from Lincoln University in 1964, Mr. White moved to Baltimore to teach physical education at Franklin Square Middle School. During his 10-year stay, Franklin Square was named a Model School for the education of inner city youth, with teachers demonstrating their instructional methods for other teaching professionals in the city.

    While teaching at Franklin Square, Mr. White was instrumental in starting a dance group for his students, serving as director.

    Mr. White then went to Carver High School in Baltimore, where he coached the varsity and junior varsity football teams in addition to teaching physical education. He was then hired as head football coach at Lake Clifton High School, leading the team to a state championship in 1990 and earning Maryland Coach of the Year honors.

    In 1996 Mr. White moved to Frederick Douglass High School as football coach, athletic director and physical education teacher. He was instrumental in starting the first tennis and boys' lacrosse programs at that inner city school.

    Mr. White returned to Carver Middle School, where he spent six years before his retirement in 2008 with 44 years of service in the Baltimore City School District. Throughout his career he has mentored student teachers at Morgan State University and Towson University.

    James D. McLeod, Class of 1969

    After graduating with a degree in business administration from the University of Dayton in 1973, Mr. McLeod returned to Oxford as owner and operator of McLeod Motor Co., a Ford-Mercury franchise. From 1996 to 2001 the company transitioned to selling used cars and trucks.

    Mr. McLeod served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Automotive Association, representing all new car dealers in Chester County. He was appointed to the association's Legislative Committee and participated in writing and reviewing pending legislation.

    With Ford Motor Company, Mr. McLeod was a Zone Dealer Council member representing Ford dealers in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

    Since 2001 Mr. McLeod has served as Executive Director of the Oxford Area Senior Center, and in 2005 he earned his Pennsylvania real estate license.

    Mr. McLeod has a long record of service at the local, county and state levels. In 1994 he helped establish the Oxford Educational Foundation, which raises funds for Oxford Area School District teachers to implement innovative programs that are not funded through the budget and awards an annual scholarship to an Oxford Area High School senior.

    Mr. McLeod joined the foundation's Board of Directors in 1995, serving as president for two terms. He has also served on Oxford Area School District committees which studied truancy and drop-out rates.

    Mr. McLeod has served on various Oxford Borough commissions, where he has been responsible for studying parking, sidewalks, and signage. He served on the Police Chief Search Committee and is a current member of the Civil Service Commission.

    Mr. McLeod has served on the Pennsylvania Legislative District 13 Advisory Board and the Chester County Department of Aging's Paratransit Advisory Council.

    Mr. McLeod served on the Board of Directors of the Oxford Area Chamber of Commerce, including two terms as president, and in 1986 was the recipient of the Oxford Area Community Service Award. For the past 30 years he has organized the Chamber's annual Halloween Parade.

    Mr. McLeod is a member of the Fulton Bank Brandywine Division Board of Directors and for 16 years has been a member of the Oxford Rotary Club, where he serves as secretary. He was a founding board member of the Southern Chester County (Jennersville) YMCA, serving for 30 years with two terms as chairman. During this time he oversaw the fundraising and building stages for the current Y facility in Jennersville.

    Mr. McLeod served nine years as chairman of the American Red Cross Chester County Brandywine Division’s Disaster Action Team, assisting displaced fire victims throughout Chester County. He was chairman of the Oxford Area Regional Sewer Authority for 12 years

    Mr. McLeod served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Oxford Neighborhood Services Center. As a member of the Oxford Presbyterian Church, he served three terms as an Elder and two terms as a Deacon.

    Mr. McLeod is a current member of the Oxford Athletic Association, with which he served two terms as president.

    Martin Sumner, Class of 1992

    Born and raised in Oxford, at Oxford Area High School Mr. Sumner played soccer, basketball and tennis, earning 12 varsity letters and numerous team, league and area awards, and was inducted to the high school's Sports Wall of Fame in 2009. He also played trumpet with the concert and marching bands. During his high school summers Mr. Sumner worked in construction for his father’s home building and remodeling company.

    Mr. Sumner was named valedictorian of the Class of 1992 and entered the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied finance and strategic management. The summer after his sophomore year he worked as a marketing intern at Herr Foods and after his junior year at The Berwind Group, a regional investment bank in Philadelphia. During his junior and senior years, Mr. Sumner spent significant time assisting his family in winding down his father’s business, as he was diagnosed with and subsequently passed away from cancer.

    After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Penn in 1996, Mr. Sumner moved to Washington, D.C. to join Mercer Management Consulting where he advised senior management of companies on strategic issues, participating in 15 projects across multiple industries during his three year tenure. From Mercer, he spent two years at Thayer Capital Partners, a middle market private equity firm where he was responsible for evaluating and executing investments in high growth companies.

    Recognizing his desire to pursue an advanced degree, Mr. Sumner applied and was accepted to the Stanford University Graduate School of Business where he earned his Masters of Business Administration. In addition to his studies at Stanford, he was the president of the soccer club and worked closely with Jack MacDonald, a long-time Stanford finance professor. During the spring of his second year, Mr. Sumner secured a full-time position with The Carlyle Group, a leading private equity firm based in Washington D.C.

    Since joining The Carlyle Group in 2003, Mr. Sumner has been promoted three times and now is a Managing Director where he focuses on investment opportunities in the industrial and transportation sectors. He has been a key contributor to several of the firm’s investments totaling over $2.25 billion of equity invested including Axalta Coating Systems (formerly DuPont Performance Coatings), Allison Transmission and AxleTech International.

    Mr. Sumner has also been involved in the sales of several Carlyle portfolio companies with an aggregate value of over $5 billion. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Axalta Coating Systems where he chairs the audit and compensation committees as well as Veyance Technologies where he chairs the audit committee.

    Mr. Sumner is married to Meredith McMichael Sumner, a 1991 graduate of Oxford Area High School. They have three children.