WHO IS GEORGE BOLEY???

   

    Who is George Boley?

Dr. George Boley was born 1949 in Putu Liberia, one of the poorest villages in Grand Gedea County, Liberia, West Africa. Only ten percent of the people of Putu could read and write. Hungry for an education, students were jammed packed into four makeshift buildings; for lack of room the school stops at the elementary level. Many students are turned away each year.

 

George was the eldest of his brothers and sister later to be numbered as eighteen total.

He achieved his early education attending catholic schools. He worked in the rice fields to pay for books and school fees. The work was long and hard, any money left over was taken to help support his younger brothers and sisters.

George’s goal was to educate himself then help educate his brothers and sisters.

 Having graduated from high school George realized the only way to help his family was to go abroad to further his education.

 

To raise the money needed for the trip abroad, George worked as a posting clerk at the bank of Liberia and the Nathan Ross high school teaching night classes of English, social studies, and algebra.

 Once he had the funds George chose to come to the United States of America, possibly influenced by catholic missionaries and the long ties Liberia has with the United States.

Arriving in New York City, having lived most of his life in the interior George did not take well to the large city and the city life. He sought to move out into the rural areas, which landed him in Brockport N.Y.

With the help of professor Roy Agte, director of the foreign student program at the time; George was able to enroll in the international foreign student program, which paid tuition only. He took on part time odd jobs for employment to pay his room and board while attending classes. Being an athlete he played on the soccer national championship team for Brockport, he was called by his teammates, “Boom, Boom Boley.”

A short time later George meet and married Kathryn Manuel, his present wife of thirty-eight years.

To support his family George took on a more permanent job working at Kodak Park ridge road Rochester, while he continued to work two part time jobs and attend classes at Brockport. He took no breaks and attended classes while working through the summer. This heavy workload did not detour him from his goal to educate himself and his extended family. 

Graduating from Brockport with a bachelor degree, George with his family moved to Akron Ohio where he attended the University of Akron. He achieved a doctorate in educational administration.

George worked for a year to raise money for the return trip home to Liberia. In Liberia George worked in the ministry of education in Liberia as Assistant Minister.

   

This made him the second person of his tribe to reach such a high level of education and is looked upon with great respect. Because of family ties and his educational back ground, George was drawn into the government of Samuel K. Doe and was appointed Minister of State for presidential affairs. One of his job was to  make sure important international ties and government policies remain stable.

George also organized and revitalized other ministries such as the ministry of Post and Telecommunication and the Ministry of Education.

In 1986 George Boley retired from the Ministry of Education to focus on the family business he used to support his family and extended family in Liberia (father, mother, brothers, sisters, uncle, aunts, nieces, and nephews)

 

Retired from the government; George relocated his wife and children back to the United States to put his two older sons through collage. During this time George continued to travel back and forth between the U.S.A. and Liberia tending to the family business and helping members of the extended family.

George was able to send five members of his extended family to the US, two of whom attended the college at Brockport.  

News breaks of civil in Liberia.

 Samuel K. Doe is dead. Krahn people are being slaughtered.

 George is cut to the heart, what can he do to help? His family is safe here in the US, his people are dieing in Liberia.

Depending on his relationship with the US and the international community George sets out on a journey; a cry for help to stop the war in Liberia. It was to no avail until the United Nations stepped in and sent troops by then many had died.

Six men were appointed in office by the United Nations as acting presidents (Four of the Six, incluting George Boley are below right) of the Liberian government.

 

George was appointed as one of the six to help establish peace and democracy until elections could be held to elect one president.

 Elections were held, Charles Taylor also one of the four acting presidents, was chosen president by the international community.

George returned home to the United States to resume civilian life, refocusing on the needs of his family.

 

 As dad he was and still is very active in the lives of his children, he attended high school games and volunteered with the football team boosters, the basketball team boosters, and the wrestling team boosters. He traveled with other parents in and out of state to many sports events. Spent endless hours helping with homework, and correcting the writing of papers.  He volunteered in the community of Clarkson helping with the building of a habitat house. He lends a helping hand to his neighbors whenever they need it, even raking leaves for the elderly. In his home he helped with the care of his Mother in Law before her death .He was always advising his sons and daughter, their friends, nieces, and nephews when ever they dropped by how important it was to go to college and he encourage them to attend college. He is father, and friend to many relatives on both sides of the family whom lived in our home at one time or another. Our home is always open to those in need of a place to sleep or eat. George is a humble man with a humble heart.     

He worked in the inner city school district with the desire to make a difference.

In 2006 our home was invaded by the US immigration customs authorities in search of a valid green card. His green card and passport were taken; then two hours later George appeared before a federal court judge. The immigration personnel said they had no intent to file charges. He was released soon after and told he could return to work. His valid green card held at the time of his arrest and passport was returned to him. A few days latter he was fired from his job. With the lost of his job due to his arrest four years running George was unable to find gainful employment to support his family.

With the first elected women president of Liberia the call for peace and revitalization was given to all Liberians.

George Boley returned to Liberia to revitalize his family business and secure retirement funds, due him by the Liberian government. After months of fruitless promises told to him by those in power in the Liberian government; George had to except the fact that the plague of division and economic slavery that has hunted the relationship between the Americo-Liberians (ex slaves from America) and the Native Liberians (the people of the land) for over two hundred years still remained. He returned home disappointed.

The death of his father November 2009, (George’s Father; Henry Boley below)

George returned to Liberia again for his burial.

 On the Return trip back to the United States, his green card and passport were once again taken by Immigration and Customs aka I.C.E.

George was instructed to report on January 15 to the peace bridge in Niagara Falls. In the pass he reported to the Rochester immigration office at the Rochester Airport. But on this occation in January upon arrival George was meet and instructed by two immigration officers from the office holding his passport and green card to cross the Peace Bridge to Canada. George responded, “I have no documents I can’t cross without documents”; the two immigration officers responded to George’s statement by placing their hand on their gun as a silent expression of power. This invoked fear in George. He became fearful that if he did not do as instructed he would be detained on the spot. So, George crossed the bridge. Once on the other side of the bridge George was turned around and sent back by the Canadian immigration broader patrol for lack of documents.  Waiting for George upon his return to the United States side was not two but now six immigration officers. George was hand cuffed and told he was entering the United States illegally with out documents. George responded, “You have my documents.” The immigration officer’s responded,  “IT DOES NOT MATTER”. George was arrested and detained.  

Even now in the immigration court what should take only one hour to decide bond or bail has taken nine months and still George Boley remains in detention under the control of ICE (immigration, customs, enforcement) who continue to abuse the power in trusted to them by the United States government.  I.C.E. is manipulating and controlling this case completely to their advantage. The judge over seeing the case has no power to permit or rule in favor of Bond or Bail. Some of us are not as free as you might think.  For this we ask if you know your life has been touched by George Boley in some way, please stand up and join our cry to “FREE GEORGE BOLEY”. On behalf of myself, Kathryn Boley and my family, WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT GOD BLESS.