THE WI NEWSLETTER 01/12

THE WI NEWSLETTER

Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith

Issue 149

January 2012

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY TO DO THIS!
I can’t believe it, Christmas is over, the new year has begun and we have only a little over 2 months until the Clarksburg picnic which takes place in Sarasota, Florida on March 10th, 2012. This year I am having the picnic the second week in March and am expecting more people to attend.

Following is a list of those who have sent money for the WIN Scholarship and tickets have been made out for the following.

Patty Meredith Wills (Monongah)
Vada Hicks (WI 1966)
Nancy Hill (WI 1966)
Eileen Saeks (WI 1966)
Wayne Winters (WI 66)
Victoria Skidmore (WI 66)
Dina Smith (WI 66)
Jan Bee (WI 66)
Lynda Sprouse (WI 66)
Jane Faust (WI 66)
Bob Siron (WI 66)
Nancy Van Horn Stunger (WI 54)
Joanne Post (WI 64)
Carl Lyon (WI 42)
Carl Lyon (WI 42) yep, he gave twice!
Tauni Bryan (Victory 56)
Catherine Custer Burke (WI 52)
Mary Ann Bailey Donato (WI 56)
Bud Collins (WI 55)
Hank Mayer, Jr. (WI 56)
Jim Alvaro (WI 56)
Gladys Willams
Nancy Mayer Capilla (WI 59)
Roleta Meredith (WI 59)
Judy Kimler (WI 59)
Judy Aspy Payne (WI 59)
John Teter (WI 61)
Nancy Crane Jones (WI 48)
Mere Gurson Schwartz (WI 57)

The WI Class of 1961 from their 50th Reunion gave a big gift to the WIN Scholarship. This is a great way to give back to CLARKSBURG. Inside a Christmas Card that I received from Barbara Patton, I was shocked to see a check from the WI Class of 1961 Reunion for $1,000.00. I never tell what an individual gives to the scholarship fund. I am the only one who knows. However, since this is from a WI Class Group who sent it with a note of Thanks for all I do, I had to share this with you. What a wonderful Thank You Gift! This is the biggest check ever given to the WIN Scholarship! I nearly fainted when I received it. I am so excited that they wanted to help the WIN Scholarship! Thanks to each and every one of you who helped with this gift! Of course no tickets were given for this amount.

If you don’t see your name above, you should do something about that! Join the WIN scholarship supporters..,…you can send any amount you wish to give.

You can support the WIN Scholarship and at the same time buy tickets for the drawing on the 2012 Scholarship Quilt. We will sell these tickets through February. After that, you will have to be present at the Clarksburg Picnic on March 10, 2012 in Sarasota, FL to purchase tickets. The tickets are 6 for $5.00, 12 for $10.00, 18 for $15.00 or 24 for $20.00-- etc....Of course, as in the past, no check is too large or too small. The more you buy, the greater your chance to win. Make your check payable to:

Roleta Meredith/WIN Scholarship

Mail it to:
Roleta Meredith
3201 Charles MacDonald Dr.
Sarasota, FL 34240

Thank you and good luck……

VISIONS OF WEST VIRGINIA

BELOW ARE TWO SQUARES THAT ARE IN THE QUILT

PONDER AND WRITE
submitted by: Dave Bates (WI '51)
My father passed on to me his love of poetry. From my earliest remembering to my post high school years he read and discussed, for our mutual enjoyment and my learning, fine poetry, of every genre. This resulted in my lifelong commitment to the world of poetry. I guess that this information comes as no shock to those who read our newsletter.

My father introduced me to hunting. Squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs, quail, and grouse. Every time we took to the woods, shotguns under our arms, he would say to me, " David, never, NEVER shoot anything you won't eat." The strollings through the wonders of the fall season were one of the high points of my growing years. This same activity showed me mature men and their values and joys. Oh, yes, if the target was running along the ground or through the trees it was likely to wind up on our dinner table. If it was airborne, it was as safe as if it were in its momma's nest. This was an unfortunate fact until the end of my hunting days.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Remember and write about the most significant/happiest/memorable thing (2 or 3) that your mother and/or father did for you as you were growing up?

OSBORNE SHELTER AT VA PARK
submitted by: David McMunn (WI '57)
In a recent newsletter you mentioned the Osborn Shelter at the VA Park in relation to the location of the WI Reunion. I thought that you might be interested and I know that it would please Alex to know of that continued with his alma mater.

Alexander Bland Osborn was a local businessman and generous benefactor. Born in Clarksburg July 29, 1903, he died at his Buckhannon Avenue residence on Tuesday, November 16, 1993 at the age of 90, having retired as the President and founder of Osborn Construction Company and West Virginia Welding Supply Company. Alex graduated from WI and attended West Virginia University’s College of Engineering. A veteran of World War II, he served with the U.S. Army Engineering Corps in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany, earned four battle stars and was discharged a major.

Upon his death he left a substantial estate in trust for several charities, with the income payable to them during the first 15 years after which the principal was turned over to them and the trust ended. The beneficiaries were United Hospital Center, West Virginia University for its Cancer Center, West Virginia University for scholarships, West Virginia Wesleyan College for scholarships, Davis and Elkins College for scholarships, the local Chapter of the Red Cross and the City of Clarksburg for its parks and recreation. The City used some of those funds for the Osborn Shelter at the VA Park.

Alex was intelligent, a good businessman, a devoted Clarksburger and an ornery cuss with a good sense of humor. He fit well in the long line of WI grads with such and similar qualities and I know that he was proud of that association.

NEW READERS

Jodonna Powell Holbrook (RW '61)	Pholbroo@cox.net
Steve Bias (WI '60 but moved)	bronsonbiasgroup@aol.com
Jim Callis (WI '53)	oozerbang@hotmail.com
Victoria Vicki Skidmore (WI '66)	victoris1@aol.com

CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESS

Mary Ann Wood (WI '72) correct current address is	MWood@insassoc.com
Ron (WI '59) and Becky McClain (WI '60) Werner	ronaldwerner@ma.rr.com
Doug Aspy (WI '62)	dougaspy@gmail.com
Cathy (Kay) Strogen (WI '65)	strogenc@yahoo.com
Donna Elsey (WI '68)	was: delsey@energycontractorsllc.com is now: delsey@bluedotinc.com
Bill Yoke (WI '65)	was: Bill@wykarchitects.com is now: weyoke@gmail.com

DELETING THE FOLLOWING
Betty D. Newbrough Watts (VHS 1965) BDD@citynet.net
John P. Spatafore (VHS 1954) jpgg126@comcast.net
Sue Lynch Baldini (Bridgeport 1959) sue@citynet.net
bhennig_hhs@sbcglobal.net
ludwick@soc.mil
sthomas@ma.rr.com
scolapio.james@mayo.edu
kwildt@sc.rr.com

Below are email address with whom I cannot communicate as their server will not allow my mail thru to them due to the newsletter link. So if you know one or several people will you please share the newsletter each month with them? Thanks

traciew@earthlilnk.net
jasee@charter.net
isue4u@comcast.net
succolay@earthlink.net
nobles.101@msn.com

SPORTS OF ALL SORTS
The football bowl season is in full swing, the college basketball schedules are starting conference play and the NFL playoffs start next week. A wonderful time of the year if you are a sports fan.

WVU faces Clemson in the Orange Bowl with a chance to play their first complete game. Maybe it is wishful thinking, but I have a good feeling about this match-up. If the defense plays decently, we've got a shot.

The Mountaineer basketball team needs to get some consistency or we are in for a long season. Kevin Jones or Truck Bryant can't score 30 points in most Big East games, so the freshmen need to give some help. Without that, we'll have trouble competing.

I'll be pulling for Alabama to get past LSU in the BCS Championship game. If that happens, West Virginia born coaches will add another national championship to bring the total to 15. Not too bad !! Who said Miami U. is the cradle of coaches?

Finally, a question. Does anyone else feel WVU is not doing the right thing getting into two law suits with the Big East? I had hoped we were above getting down into that muddy mess.

Happy New Year. Let's see if we can keep this sports thing going for another year or so.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)

To Bill:

Elmer MItchell ('49-'50 football seasons) was one of the toughest halfbacks to come out of WI. He wasn't big, but he was a rawboned country boy with a reserve of power that was backed up by courage, aggressive determination and a love for the game. Characteristic of his play as a ball carrier, if he had no other choice, Elmer would lower his shoulder, plow into his opponents and either drive them into the ground or make them wish they hadn't made contact with him. After a hit, he would always return to the huddle with a sly grin of satisfaction and ready to go again. Elmer DS was the best at his position and a great teammate.

Tim Corsini, WI 1951

Reply To Tim:

Thanks for adding Elmer to the list of excellent players from the late 40's. It sounds like he was my kind of halfback. If there was no hole, he made one. Today, there are far more finesse type runners than there are power runners. I love to see a big back, who hits the hole hard and keeps his legs churning. Usually, late in the game, when the defense tires, he breaks a long one. WVU can't seem to find one of those. Maybe the SEC gets all of them.

Thanks again for the letter. Keep them coming.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)

To Bill:

I was just thinking as I was looking at different football polls. We (WVU) are ranked 21, 22, or 23 in most polls, but to see perennial powers Texas, Auburn, Florida St. and Penn St. ranked under us, makes me feel pretty good, since the rest of the country also sees us like that.

Bob Secret, WI 1960

Reply To Bob:

I kind of agree with you. However, I am afraid to think what we would do against some of those teams ranked below us. As I've mentioned before, we have yet to play two good halves of football this season. If we don't do that in the Orange Bowl, it could be a long day.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)

Below is a story which appeared in the Fun 'N Sun Blog from Sarasota, Fl. Most of you will recognize Bob Clousson as a Clarksbug native who continues to make all of us proud to call him a fellow Mountaineer. He seems to be living life to the fullest and believe me, Sarasota is a wonderful place to do it.

A TALL STORY

BOB CLOUSSON
At 6’ 6” Bob Clousson is a hard man to miss. So is his list of accomplishments. A native of Clarksburg, West VA, the Washington Irving High basketball star went on to West Virginia University on a basketball scholarship in 1955. Playing Center along side legends Jerry West and Hot Rod Hundley, he helped turn the team into a nationally ranked powerhouse that was voted number one in a national newspaper poll in ’57 and they went to the Final Four in Louisville, KY in 1959. They lost in the final game of the national championship by a single point – 71-70 – to the University of California at Berkeley.

Bob still remembers his stats. “I scored 12 points, going 5 for 5 from the field and 2 for 2 from the foul line. But I haven’t really thought about that loss for at least the last couple of hours,” Bob says with customary good-humor.

He still kids about former teammates, too. “I made Jerry West famous, feeding him the ball all the time so he could score all those points.” The two still stay in touch, seeing one another at the team’s 50th reunion in Morgantown two years ago. From time to time West has left him tickets for games.

“When I was in Cincinnati, and Jerry was GM of the Lakers he left me tickets for a game. I got to see Kobe and Shaq play against the Larry Bird coached Pacers.”

Bob’s also done pretty well as a coach. After college he moved to Cincinnati, where he taught high school biology and coached the basketball and track teams for 34 years before retiring. His basketball team went undefeated in ’64, ’65 and ’66 during the regular season and his track team won the State Championship once and was runner-up twice in the Small School Division those same years. One of the things he’s most proud of is the number of his students that went on to play college ball on scholarships.

“I’m just happy for them, that they stuck with it and had some success. You really wish all your kids could win scholarships.”

But no prize he won was better than the heart of his wife Darlene, whom he met during his first year coaching. The two are now married 47 years. The two moved here in 1994, after Bob retired.

“We chose the West Coast of Florida after I scouted the state. Darlene used to come here as a youngster with her family. She loved the beaches and the circus and the Gulf. I loved the golf.” In 1999 they bought a cottage at Sun-N-Fun and have been here ever since. And they love the life. Both enjoy Petanque, they both shoot pool and billiards, Bob plays in the weekly tournaments and they often go to Lido or Siesta Key beach for the day. Darlene enjoys painting and Bob is an avid kayaker.

In winter he kayaks with his good friend and winter resident, Jerry Craig a couple of times a week during season and by himself once a week in summer. Bob’s been all over in his kayak, exploring inter-coastal waterways, Key Largo, and Marathon. Locally he can be found paddling on the waters around Bird Key, Otter Key and the mangroves near Lido. One particular favorite is Myakka, where he enjoys photographing alligators while kayaking. When we spoke to him he had just returned from a morning at Vamo near Midnight Pass.

As part of his kayaking, Bob volunteers with the Sarasota Water Conservation group, measuring and monitoring sea grass with the goal of maintaining the marine life in the water he so much enjoys.

And now, thanks to our summer day camp program, he’s back teaching kayaking to the kids one day a week and coaching basketball too. The team may not be quite ready to travel to the Big Dance and play for the national championship like their coach, but that doesn't matter to Bob. For him, life at Sun-N-Fun is a slam-dunk.

To Bill (via Roleta):

Thank you for putting together the newsletter. I’ve enjoyed many of the stories. I’ve attached a blast from the past memory from my WI days. When I look at that picture the first thing I think about is we all look about 10 years old followed by the thought that we actually were convinced we were some pretty tough characters! Bring on those wimps from RW, Victory, Shinnston and, of course, Notre Dame! Our practice field was just slightly tougher than concrete and the excellent training facilities we enjoyed provide an absolute miracle that any of us didn’t die from some crazy fungus, living where few men dared roam! Bus rides, practice, the weight room in the basement of the school, cheerleaders, after game parties…ah, I’m sure they were tame by today’s standards, but we were riding in what we thought was a pretty fast car. I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. Now I see all the guys at WVU games and we talk about how we dominated those other teams. Nice to have time on our side and no one to argue with us!!

Danny Richards, WI 1970

Reply To Danny:

We are glad you enjoy the newsletter. We love for people to read it, but really enjoy receiving letters like this to share with our readers. I can identify with your description of the "facilities" for the athletes. The modern day players are pampered compared to what we had "back in the day". If I remember correctly, we had four shower heads for 60 to 100 boys to use after practice.

I'm sure all of the guys from RW, Victory, Shinnston and ND felt the same about their teams as you did about WI. The great thing about it all is that we can sit around and talk about it with each other now. We seem to remember the good times, but not the bad, which is the way it should be.

Thanks for the letter. I hope to hear from you again soon.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)

MYSTERY PHOTO

picture submitted by: Bill Bryan (RW '57)
Can you identify this? Remember, I only put correct guesses in the newsletter. So put your thinking caps on and send your guesses to Roleta1@aol.com.

WI MEMORIES
submitted by: Bob Dennison (WI '57)
rdennison39@yahoo.com
You ask about memories. When I started in Central, I felt as if I was looked 'down on' by most all of my class mates. I was advised that I was to small to play football - basketball or anything (Thanks to Coach Bond). That struck a nerve and I decided that was not going to stop me - those comments set a 'GOAL' in my life. I went to work on myself physically and mentally and set up my 'first' slogan in my life. "WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF ME IS NONE OF MY BUSINESS". As an eighth grader, I made the football and basketball team but did not feel accepted = I had to try harder.

With an 'inferior' feeling I went on the to W I. Playing any and all sports trying to become accepted and not until between my Junior and Senior year ~ I felt like I final crossed a hurtle - - I was asked to go to MOUNTAINEER BOYS STATE - - that was my first step into the rest of my life, this was my lead into doing well into college academically and athletically which continued into Naval Flight School. This projected into a very comfortable life style being 'happy and enjoying my work' the next 50 years of my life.

Yes I owe a lot to other people both friend and foe and I want to tell all "GOD BLESS' and "THANK YOU" for without them I could not have been successful. This is sent to you Roleta for you forced me to bring this back to my memory and be happy with myself and 'THANKFUL' to all who have 'touched' my life...GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU...

WANTS TO CONTACT WITH FRIENDS
submitted by: Steve Bias (WI '60 but moved)
bronsonbiasgroup@aol.com
Thanks for the information about the picnic.
We live in Port St. Lucie - east coast of Fla. We will plan on making it.

Steve Bias

CENTRAL JR. HIGH 1955 & 1956

I remember: Mr. Louie Traugh, teacher.
Beverly & Stuart " Butch" Felts; Bill Stanton, Bill Patton; Randy Coyner.

W.I. HIGH SCHOOL -1957 Then we moved to Florida. My Dad lost his job at Pittsburgh Plate. (glasscutter)

Sue Smith, Kenny White, Phil Van Devender also: Jim Clovis & Wayne Satterfield (later known as Disc Jockey " Bobby Wayne.") Sharon Elliott, Stephanie Wilson, Anne Eason, Bob Teter, Jim Rogan and so many more I can't remember.

What was the name of the beer joint-poolroom that was on 3rd St., across (east) of the county courthouse?

Anybody remember "FRANK THE BUTCHER" the barber on 2nd street at the foot of Lowdnes Hill. He charged only .25cents for a haircut - and he really was bad!

BOYS ROLLED UP THEIR PANTS LEGS
submitted by: Barb Charles widow of Joe Charles (Bridgeport HS 1955)
Someone wrote a question in the November newsletter pertaining to boys rolling up their pant legs (jeans). Would the reason for this have originally been started because of not wanting to get the pants legs caught in their Bicycle Chain?

I graduated in 1954, and we didn't wear poodle skirts, but shortly after that I guess they were all the rage, but it seems people think everyone in the 50s wore them.

I thought it was wonderful when pantyhose became available. No more girdles or garter belts. Now, I wear slacks. LOL.

MY FAVORITE TEACHER AND PLAYING BASKETBALL
submitted by: Jim Callis (WI '53)
My favorite teacher was Miss Israel, my 7th grade teacher at Central. She was especially kind to me since I was motherless. I was her class artist. We had an interclass basketball tournament, our class won the 7th grade championship for her. In that game, I stole the ball from Clash Kishbaugh and we won the game! Freddy Talbert was our great rebounder. Miss Iisrael was thrilled I thought she was also gorgeous. God bless her memory. Kishbaugh went on to WVU and started at guard with the great Hot Rod Hundley. I attended Potomac State for 2 years and played basketball my freshman year. In 1953 WVU came to Keyser to play against us and they beat us very badly. At hat time, Kishbaugh and Hot Rod were the WVU guards. After my 2 years at Pot State, I transferred to Michigan State to graduate and lost track of WVU basketball.

I went to WI for two years and two years at Greenbrier Military and I graduated there in 1953. My oldest brother Tom, was playing football at Potomac State when I was born. My next oldest brother went to PSC in the early 50's

I am now 77 years old and I am still playing bb in a local senior league, thank the lord.

Thanks for your dedication. Keep the questions coming. This is probably more than you wanted to know......take care....

PAUL “HUCKLEBUCK” WILLIAMS
submitted by: Lisa Williams (Granddaughter of “Hucklebuck”)

To Roleta:

Subj: Your site The WI Newsletter

Thank you for mentioning my grandfather Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams on your site. http://wi59.tripod.com/news/news1106/news1106.htm.

Although my grandfather was made famous by the song "The Hucklebuck" it was not his only single or contribution to music. He has a three volume CD set. He helped a lot of musicians get their start, and the Paul Williams Band was the houseband for Atlantic Records and the Apollo Theater.

To learn more about him visit his website at http://www.PaulHucklebuckWilliams.com and his Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/PaulHucklebuckWms.

Additionally there is a very nice article written about his musical life, by his son and former Paul Williams Band drummer Earl Williams. The article has been published in the August 2011 issue (#261) of the Blues and Rhythm Magazine. http://www.bluesandrhythm.co.uk/.

If you would like to read the article, let me know and I will send it to you.

Thank you

RE: CLARKSBURG BUSINESSES
submitted by: Susie Newbrough Young (VHS '56)
Re: recent copy of the Newsletter from Buzz and read about the businesses that used to be in Clarksburg. My first employer's is not listed - Loar & White Men's Store on 3rd Street. I went to Business College and started working at L&W right after that. The gentlemen for whom I worked were a nice group and easy to work with. They were: Charlie Mayer, Rick Frenzel, August Frenzel (Rick's Dad), Clyde Huffman and Earl McClain. I worked there until I got a job at Hope Gas Company, now Dominion. I worked there for over five years and then went to Washington, DC to work for General Services Administration. While there I met my husband, Jerry.

Also, down the street from L&W was a jewelry store (the name I cannot remember) and also up the street was Broida's, where I spent several dollars while living in Clarksburg.

I can remember walking down Main Street during the Christmas season and seeing all the beautiful decorations. I have been back once during the Christmas season and it just wasn't the same.

THE GOLDENSEAL MAGAZINE
submitted by: Sherry Hutchison Keith (WI '64)
Hello fellow Clarksburgers and readers of the WI Letter!

Wanted to share a little information I just read in the Goldenseal Magazine Summer 2011 Issue.. Page 70 tells about a new book : The High Tide of American Conservatism: Davis, Coolidge, and the 1924 Election by Garland S. Tucker, III..

It takes a look at the presidential race involving WV's only major-party candidate for the office of President. John W. Davis, Democrat Conservative from Clarksburg.

336 page hardback book published in 2010 by The Emerald Book Company sells for $29.95 plus shipping and is available online at www.emeraldbookcompany.com. Phone number is 512-891-6100. All you History buffs out there.....

Many thanks again for the Letter!

SWINGING BRIDGE
submitted by: Penny Fish Wolverton (WI '58)
Sorry that I as so late in sending this. There was a swinging bridge that went from Howard St. (in Broad Oaks) to Elm ST. I walked it many times when I was in grade school and to my Grandmother's house on Elm. It crossed Elk Creek. Very scary when the creek was high.

TRUTH ABOUT “ROSIE THE FLOWER GIRL”
WHO WAS ALWAYS SELLING CREPE PAPER FLOWERS DOWNTOWN
submitted by: Neil McDaniel (VHS '62)
This is a delayed response for information concerning Rosie the “flower girl”. These facts were received from her neighbor, who I grew up with.

Rosie lived in a house in Adamston (actually a shack without running water or electricity) with an elderly couple named Gross, who may or may have not been married or been her parents. This was located on Railroad St. (later changed to Mayes St.) and was across the tracks and ran parallel to Adams Ave. Mayes St. and its houses were demolished when the expressway was constructed. In addition to the old couple and Rosie there were two males (Jeep and Flute). There were two younger females whose names are not known.

This extended family group kept to themselves and little is really know about their true relationship. Except for the old couple all were retarded and uneducated. It was rumored that the County or City paid the old couple to act as foster parents.

Rosie was most often seen in the company of old Mr. Gross and “Jeep”. She made all of her flowers and would sit under an apple tree in her yard putting them together if the weather was good. No one seems to know what happened to them after their shack was demolished.

HISTORY OF MY MATERNAL GREAT GRANDFATHER
FROM THE CIVIL WAR ARCHIVES
submitted by: M. Frances (Tate) Barrett (WI '50)
Joel Dobbins is buried at the National Cemetery in Grafton, WV My maternal grandfather Adam Dobbins was 14 when the Civil War started so he was listed as being a member of the Braxton County Homes Guards. He was too young to be issued a rifle so he was listed as "water boy". His father, Joel, was also a member of the Home Guards as well as Co. F 10 WV Infantry. I believe The Home Guards were an early National Guard.

FIRE AT THE TRADERS HOTEL

Clarksburg, W. Va., Jan. 21, 1911 -- One person is believed to have met death under falling walls and a financial loss of $300,000 caused in a fire which destroyed the Traders Hotel block and the Grand Opera House. The fire started in a servant's room of the Traders Hotel, and spread rapidly. A score of business places, located in the hotel block were destroyed.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA
* West Virginia is the only state created by carving out territory from another state, without that state’s permission.

* On October 24, 1861, in a public referendum, voters overwhelmingly supported the creation of the new state, to be called Kanawha. The following month, a convention at Wheeling changed the name to West Virginia. A hundred years later, a Beckley newspaper suggested the name of the state be changed to either Kanawha or Lincoln because so many people believed West Virginia was the western part of Virginia, and not a separate state.

* West Virginia’s capital was originally Wheeling. It was changed to Charleston in 1870, back to Wheeling in 1875, and back to Charleston in 1885.

* West Virginia has the highest average elevation of any state east of the Mississippi River, and the most irregular boundary of any state.

* Weirton is the only city in the U. S. that extends from one state border to another.

* Both candidates for Governor in the 1888 election—Nathan Goff Jr. and Aretas Fleming—claimed to have won, and both were sworn in as Governor on March 4, 1889. Goff appeared to have won the election by 130 votes, but Fleming disputed the vote count and asked the Legislature to declare him the winner. The President of the Senate, Robert S. Carr, also claimed the governorship.

* A hanging in Ripley in 1896 turned into a spectacle that attracted nationwide attention. A New York Sun reporter likened the town’s atmosphere that day to a festival. The event is described in a song by Tom T. Hall, The Last Public Hanging in Ripley, West Virginia.

* West Virginia University played Pitt in the first football game ever broadcast on the radio, in 1921 on KDKA.

* The residents of Mullens in Wyoming County voted to retain the spelling of the name of their town, rather than switch to the spelling used by A. J. Mullins, for whom the town was named.

* In 1928 Minnie Buckingham Harper of Welch became the first black woman legislator in the U. S. She was appointed by the Governor to the House of Delegates to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband.

* During World War II, 1700 persons from foreign countries, many of them diplomats, were imprisoned at the Greenbrier resort.

* On January 26, 1960, Danny Heater of Burnsville High School scored 135 points in a high school basketball game, earning him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.

* From 1849 until 1851, the 1010-foot Wheeling Bridge was the longest bridge in the world. It was blown down by high winds in 1854. The New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville, completed in 1977, was the longest steel-arch bridge in the world until 2003, when a longer bridge was completed in China.

* Bluefield radio station WHIS claims its broadcast of a murder trial in 1931 was the first ever outside of Russia. The defendant, accused of murdering her three-year-old stepchild by scalding it to death in a wash tub of boiling water, appealed her conviction on the grounds that the broadcast had made a "circus" of her trial.

* In 1838 excavations began at the Grave Creek Mound, one of the largest conical mounds in the U. S. Among the relics recovered from two burial chambers is the famous Grave Creek Stone, on which are markings that scientists and students of ancient languages have never been able to explain. No other writing like it has ever been found. It has been suggested the stone may be a hoax.

* The first state sales tax in the United States went into effect in West Virginia on July 1, 1921. The tax was levied against the gross income of banks, street railroads, telephones, telegraph, express, electric light and power retailers, timber, oil, coal, natural gas, and other minerals. [Robert Murray Haig and Carl Shoup, The Sales Tax in the American States]

* The first federal prison exclusively for women in the U. S. was the Federal Industrial Institution for Women in Alderson, which opened in 1926. Among its inmates have been: Axis Sally, Tokyo Rose, Lolita Lebron, who opened fire on the House of Representatives chamber in 1954, Lynette ’squeaky' Fromme and Sara Jane Moore, who attempted to assassinate President Ford, Billie Holiday and Irene Smith, the sister of country music legend Hank Williams Sr., both on drug convictions, and Martha Stewart, the celebrity homemaker, convicted of lying to investigators about a stock sale.

* The first brick pavement in the U. S. was laid in Charleston in 1870 by a private citizen at his own expense.

* The first barenuckle world heavyweight championship was held on June 1, 1880, near Colliers, about 300 yards from the Pennsylvania border. Paddy Ryan won an undisputed title by knocking out Joe Goss of England in the 85th round. [Famous First Facts]

* The first union soldier killed by enemy action in the Civil War was Bailey Thornberry Brown. On May 22, 1861, while engaged in obtaining recruits, he was fired upon by Confederate pickets at Fetterman, near Grafton. He was given a military funeral. The first significant land battle between Union and Confederate Armies was the Battle of Philippi, on June 3, 1861.

* Memorial Tunnel was the first tunnel in the U. S. to be monitored by television. The tunnel opened November 8, 1954, and was closed in 1987.

* The first trust in the U. S. was the salt trust organized November 10, 1817, by the salt manufacturers of Kanawha. It went into operation on January 1, 1818, at the Kanawha Salt Company. It was formed for the purpose of controlling the quantity of salt manufactured, the method of manufacture, the packing, and the production. [West Virginia Encyclopedia]

* The first municipally owned parking building in the U. S. was opened Sept. 1, 1941, in Welch. It accommodated 232 cars and showed a profit the first year. [Famous First Facts]

* The first recipients of food stamps were the Chloe and Alderson Muncy family of Welch. The family, which included 15 children, received $95 worth of stamps from Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman on May 29, 1961, as a crowd of reporters watched. [Barbara Weese]

* ESPN’s Scholastic several years ago picked as the best sports team nickname in America the Dots of Poca High School in Poca. The team nickname was suggested by a sportswriter for theCharleston Gazette in 1928.

* In 1997 and 1998 the population of West Virginia had the highest median age of any state. In 1998 the median age was 38.1, slightly older than Florida.

* The Delta Tau Delta fraternity was founded by eight students at Bethany College in 1858. The fraternity began as a secret society, formed in response to what the students believed was a fixed vote for a prize in oratory.

* Each October several hundred parachutists jump 876 feet from the New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville on Bridge Day, West Virginia’s largest single-day event, which attracts about 100,000 spectators. Automobile traffic is rerouted for the event, which has been held since 1980. The bridge is the second highest in the United States, behind the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. Four people have died during Bridge Day jumps, the most recent in 1987 and 2006. Bridge Day was canceled in 2001 because of fears of a terrorist attack.

* A memorial building to honor World War I veterans dedicated on May 30, 1923, in Welch is said to be the first such building.

* On the map of West Virginia included in Microsoft’s Bookshelf 98, Beckley is misspelled as "Beckely." White Sulphur Springs is spelled "White Sulfur Springs." On the 1996 Magellan Geographix map of West Virginia (which was seen by America On Line users looking for a state map), Summersville is spelled "Summerville."

* The youngest person ever elected by popular vote to the U. S. Senate was Rush D. Holt, who was born in Weston. Elected in 1934 at age 29, he had to wait until he turned 30 in June 1935 to take his seat. (Sen. Henry Clay was actually younger than Holt but was chosen by the state’s legislature, before the Constitutional amendment providing for popular election of Senators.) His son, Rush, was elected to Congress from New Jersey in 1998.

* Gov. Cecil Underwood was the state’s youngest governor when he was first elected in 1956 at the age of 34. Elected again in 1996, Underwood became the nation’s oldest governor. He turned 78 on Nov. 5, 2000.

* On May 31, 1992, with the Cold War apparently over, the Washington Post revealed a fact that a small number of West Virginians had largely kept secret for thirty years: Underneath the Greenbrier resort at White Sulphur Springs existed a huge, two-story bunker designed to house the entire United States Congress and support staff for forty days in the event of a nuclear attack on this country.

* The first public school for blacks in West Virginia, organized in Parkersburg in 1862, was, according to a contemporary newspaper account, the first such school south of the Mason-Dixon line and one of only two public schools run by blacks in the U. S.

* The first rural free mail delivery was started in Charles Town on October 6, 1896.

* On September 10, 1938, the Mingo Oak, largest and oldest White Oak tree in the United States, was declared dead and felled with ceremony. Its age was estimated at 582 years.

* Pocahontas County has the highest average elevation of any county east of the Mississippi River.

* On Oct. 23, 1998, J. R. House, quarterback for Nitro High School, broke the national high school career passing record of 12,104 yards that had been set by current Cleveland Browns quarterback Tim Couch, who played high school football in eastern Kentucky from 1992-95.

* There are no traffic lights in Calhoun County. [For an interesting look at Calhoun County, visit the Hur Herald website].

* There are no traffic lights in Clay County. [A temporary portable light was installed in late 2006 to regulate traffic during the construction of a new bridge; it will be removed when the bridge is finished. Karen Nicholas says she understands there was once a traffic light in the town of Clay, but that it was taken out by a drunken shooter who later became the Town Deputy.]

* From the 1980 census to the 1990 census, Winfield grew in population from 329 to 1,164, a 253.8% increase. Bradshaw in McDowell county dropped in population from 1,002 to 394, a loss of 60.7%.

* Towns in West Virginia named after cities in other countries include Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Calcutta, Geneva, Ghent, Glasgow, Killarney, Lima, London, Moscow, Odessa, Ottawa, Palermo, Rangoon, Santiago, Shanghai, Vienna, and Wellington [WVBL].

* Once upon a time, there was a community in Ritchie County named Mole Hill. The citizens, deciding a name change was in order, exercised a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, changing their Mole Hill to a Mountain [WVBL].

* The first public spa in the U. S. opened in 1756 in Bath, Virginia (now Berkeley Springs, W. Va.).

* The first newspaper to appeal primarily to women, the Ladies Garland, was published in Harper’s Ferry on Feb. 14, 1824 [WVBL].

* The first patent for a soda fountain was granted in 1833 to George Dulty in Wheeling [WVBL].

* The first court in the U. S. to admit videotaped evidence, convicting a drunk driver was Charleston Municipal Court in 1967 [WVBL].

* The world’s largest sycamore tree is located on the Back Fork of the Elk River in Webster Springs [WVBL].

* The world’s greatest gas well, "Big Moses" in Tyler County, was drilled in 1894. It produced 100,000,000 cubic feet of gas per day [WVBL].

* The world’s largest axe factory (which no longer exists) was located in Charleston [WVBL].

* The first and world’s largest clothespin factory was located at Richwood [WVBL].

* A one-lane bridge on Route 152 (formerly Route 52) in Wayne County was mentioned on NBC television in 1960 during the West Virginia Democratic Primary. When the bridge was replaced, it was named the Huntley-Brinkley Bridge [WVBL].

* During the 1980s, these films were shot wholly or in part in West Virginia: Pudd'n'head Wilson(1984, in Harpers Ferry), Reckless (1984, in Weirton), Sweet Dreams (1985, in Martinsburg), and Matewan (1987, in Thurmond) [WVBL].

* In a high school football game in 1912, New Martinsville defeated Woodsfield, Ohio, by a score of 157-0 [WVBL]. On October 25, 1924, Concord College defeated Morris Harvey College 110-0.

* In a high school basketball game in 1918, Shinnston defeated Weirton 136-0. According to Doug Huff, a national record compiler and sports editor of the Wheeling Intelligencer, this is the widest shutout ever in a boys high school basketball game in the U. S.

* In a basketball game in 1997, Woodrow Wilson High School of Beckley defeated Mount View High School of Welch, 116-28.

* On December 21, 1984, West Virginia University player Georgeann Wells became the first woman to dunk a basketball in a college game. The ball is now in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

* Settled by wealthy coal mine owners at the end of the nineteenth century, Bramwell, near the southern border with Virginia, was once dubbed "the richest small town in America." It was home to as many as 19 millionaires, who made their fortunes in the Pocahontas County coalfields. The prosperous Bank of Bramwell was the hub of southern West Virginia’s financial network. The bank closed in 1933 in the midst of the Great Depression, and most of Bramwell’s wealthy residents left [West Virginia, by Nancy Hoffman].

* On Nov. 11, 1963, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was the guest speaker for the annual Veteran’s Day program in Welch and was introduced by Mayor W. B. Swope as being "a heartbeat from the presidency." Eleven days later Johnson became President. The mayor’s introduction appears in The Death of a President, November 20 - November 25, 1963 by William Manchester, although Welch is misspelled as Welsh [Cathy Morris].

* Chester Merriman of Romney is said to have been the youngest soldier of World War I, having enlisted at the age of 14.

* The Lilly Family Reunion held each year at Flat Top in Merer County is said to be the largest family reunion in the United States. It attracts 10,000 guests each summer.

* The following names of towns in West Virginia are palindromes (that is, they are spelled the same way forwards and backwards): Ada (Mercer County), Amma (Roane County), Okonoko (Hampshire County), Otto (Roane County), and Reger (Upshur County) [Dan Tilque].

* Kenova, W. Va., and Penowa, Pa., are two towns named for the states they are situated near.

* The founder of WOAY radio and television station in Oak Hill-Beckley intended to call the station WOAK, for "Oak Hill." However, because of his poor handwriting, the FCC thought he wrote "WOAY" on the application. The mistake was never corrected.

* The town of Glen Gary received 35 inches of snow on February 11, 1983.

* Although dictionaries prefer that the third syllable of Appalachian be pronounced “lay” (with a long a), it seems that most West Virginians pronounce the syllable with a short a.

* Apparently, most West Virginians (including recent Governor Joe Manchin) do not pronounce the t in the name of the state. In the recording Take Me Home, Country Roads, John Denver does not pronounce the t.

* In the days before television and FM radio, Wheeling station WWVA was one of the nation’s popular radio stations. Its nighttime signal covered much of the United States. A 1936 survey by CBS found that WWVA received more mail than any other CBS station.

* Hank Williams, the legendary country music entertainer, apparently died in the back seat of a car traveling the roads of southern West Virginia on New Year’s Day 1953. His chauffeur, unable to rouse him, stopped to get assistance at a Pure Oil Station at Oak Hill. In 2006 the gas station was demolished, although local residents had hoped to establish a museum in the building which would honor Williams.

* In December 2008 Morgantown had the lowest employment rate in the U. S., leading all 369 surveyed cities with an unemployment rate of just 2.7%, well under the national average of 7.1%. Princeton, W. Va., is in Mercer County and Princeton, N. J., is in Mercer County. Both counties are named for Gen. Hugh Mercer, who died in the Battle of Princeton in the Revolutionary War. Princeton, W. Va., is named for Princeton, N. J.

* Fans in East Bank renamed the town West Bank for one day after East Bank High School won the state high school basketball championship on March 24, 1956. The team was led by Jerry West. Each year on March 24, until the school closed, East Bank High School changed its name to West Bank High School in Jerry’s honor.

TRICK PLAYED BY SIBLING
submitted by: Dede "Short" King (WI '94)
KING4189@aol.com
I can't think of any tricks that I actually pulled, but I wanted to share one that my brother Chad did as long as I could remember. Throughout our years in school, myself and all of my siblings had, at one point, made an ornament with a photo of ourself on it. Mine was a beautiful spun ornament that I made in 2nd grade. Every year, we would put the tree up and hang our "photo" ornament somewhere on the tree, usually in the front right where everyone could see it. For the weeks up until Christmas, you would walk past the tree and no longer see the ornament. Chad would hide it somewhere; on the back of the tree, under the tree skirt, etc...My brother passed away in a car accident back in 2004, 2 days before his 30th birthday. To carry on the "joke", anytime someone passes the tree, they will move someone's photo ornament in memory of Chad :)

CEDAR BOX GIVEN TO WI SENIOR GIRLS
submitted by: Dede "Short" King (WI '94)
KING4189@aol.com
I'm not sure if they still give out the senior boxes to female graduates, but when I was a senior in 1994, it was Grandma's House Furniture in Nutter Fort that provided the boxes.

EDITORS NOTE: Was that little cedar box given to senior girls in every Clarksburg School? If so, did the tradition continue for girls who would graduate from Liberty after Victory consolidated? Did ND girls receive the box? Did girls in the entire county or just Clarksburg?

FADS IN THE MID 60’S
submitted by: Richard George (W '65)
dirich2@msn.com
When I went to WI we had Senior dress-up day on Friday's.

I remember wearing a madras sport coat, shirt and tie, penny loafers with no socks and jeans cut off and stringy.

My dad was mad at me for wearing leather shoes and no socks. He gave me valid reasons, so I wore socks when I left home and took them off when I got outta sight.

Mr Cubbons was mad at us guys too. I suppose we were the start of something different.

I also remember hearing the Beatles on the radio the first time with my friend, Mike Vernon, in his parents new 65 dodge.

Mike said "did I hear of these guys"? I said "any band with the name of Beetles would never make it".

All of you know the rest of the story.

OBITUARIES
SANDRA SUE SMITH MOORE, WI 1959

May 28th, 1941 - December 13th, 2011

Sandra Sue Smith Moore, 70, of Wheeling, passed away on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, at Liza's Place.

She was born May 28, 1941 in Clarksburg, WV, daughter of the late Charles and Helen Snopps Smith.

"Sue" was a 1959 graduate of Washington Irving and West Virginia Wesleyan College. She was a retired school teacher having taught in both Ohio and Marshall Counties, and had worked part time at Oglebay Park Carriage House Glass. She was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority, and was a Methodist by faith.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Mary Pat Gaston.

Surviving are her children, Karin Moore Irwin and her husband, Ryan formerly of Wheeling and currently of Louisville, KY, and M. Gregory Moore of Wheeling; and a grandson, Brooks Irwin.

DORIS ELAINE HILSON BLUE, WI 1959

Doris Elaine Hilson Blue, WI 1959, of Huntington, WV passed away Monday, December 19, 2011 at her home with family, after a fight with cancer.

Elaine was born on May 26, 1941, in Clarksburg, WV to the late Elnoria Mae and George Franklin Hilson.

Her brother, George F. Hilson Jr., preceded her in death.

She is survived by her husband Kenneth E. Blue, her children, Kimberly E. Blue and Kenneth E. Blue II and granddaughter, Brooksie K. Blue, her sister Carolyn L. Zachary, her brother James S. Hilson, and nieces, Christie J. Zachary and Kaia Hilson and nephew Mark Hilson.

Elaine Blue was an accomplished artist, poet and author. She journeyed a life of compassion, compulsion and creativity. She graduated with Associate Degrees in Child Development and in Art from Pasadena City College in 1961, and a Board of Regents Bachelors Degree from Marshall University in 1980.

She was a community organizer, elementary school teacher, counselor, director and assistant director of various child care centers. She was an observer of people, and a full participant in life. The people she met and her life experiences often found their way into a play, a poem or on a canvas full of color. She was the founder, director and producer of The Huntington Theatrical Ensemble. Throughout her professional and artistic careers, she received numerous accolades and awards from various local, statewide and national organizations. Her art work has been exhibited in museums, galleries and cultural centers throughout the Tri-State and beyond. Her written work has been studied, critiqued and enjoyed by many.

Here is a link to an article about her work. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x990420262/Huntington-artist-author-Elaine-Blue-dies

IDA MAE COX LEEMASTERS
Mrs. Ida Mae Leemasters, age 73 died November 27, 2011, at United Hospital Center. She was the daughter of the late Orie E. Cox and the late Geneva F. Phillips Cox. Mrs. Leemasters was also preceded in death by her best friend and husband, James Dorman Leemasters, who passed away on February 9, 2006.

She is survived by one daughter and caretaker, Debra Kay Leemasters of Nutter Fort; one granddaughter, Leigh Ann Brewer and her husband Josh of Nutter Fort; two sisters, Phyllis A. Lantz of Rose Bud and Jean Hornick of North View; and several nieces and nephews complete her family.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was also preceded in death by one sister, Betty F. Harvey.

Ida graduated in 1956 from Roosevelt-Wilson High School.

HARRY WILLIAM “HOWDY” GARDNER III
Harry William “Howdy” Gardner III, passed away December 16, 2011, at the United Hospital Center.

He was born December 4, 1951, in Clarksburg, a son of the late Harry William Gardner Jr. and Helen L. Smith Gardner. Surviving are his sister, Becky Judy and her husband Reed of Clarksburg, and one brother, Michael M. Jenkins and his wife Penny of Montana.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Gardner was preceded in death by one sister, Pamela Jo Gardner.

Howdy, as he was fondly known to many, was a graduate of Washington Irving High School, Class of 1969. He attended Fairmont State College, where he was a member of the Tao Beta Iota (TBI), having remained active with the alumni association. He was a retired truck driver for CFI Con-way Truckload. He was proud of receiving a safety award for 2 million accident-free miles while working for them.

JAMES LEON ALLEN

James Leon (Jim) Allen, 86, passed away, December 14, 2011.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Margaret (Mim).

He was born in Arden, WV, the son of O.F. and Ella McVicker Allen.

He is survived by two daughters, Beth Allen-Goff and her husband Steve Goff of Lake Floyd, and Susan Kessler and her husband Robert of Warm Springs, VA; and one son, James S. (Jimbo) Allen and his wife Michelle of Lake Floyd. Mim and Jim have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Hartsel Dale Allen and Graydon Linn Allen.

He started working after school when he was 14 at the Consol Coal Mine in the PK addition of Clarksburg. He graduated from Washington Irving High School, Clarksburg, WV, in 1943.

He entered West Virginia University in the fall of 1943, but had his college career interrupted by World War II. Jim received an honorable discharge from the Navy as an Aviation Cadet. He then returned to WVU where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. He graduated WVU in 1949 in Chemistry and Pre-Med. He spent a year at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

He returned to West Virginia and spent 42 years working for the Monarch Life Insurance Co. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Clarksburg for 64 years where he served as a deacon, an elder, and on the church board of trustees. He was a faithful member of the church’s Parlor Sunday School class.

Jim and Mim lived at Lake Floyd for over 62 years, and he served a time on the lake’s board of directors. He was a good neighbor and loved his friends, his family, and he loved Lake Floyd. He enjoyed golfing and loved telling and listening to good stories.

CYNTHIA ANNE GOFF HAK
Cynthia Anne Goff Hak, 32, of Fairmont, died suddenly December 6, 2011, at her residence.

She was the daughter of Sharon Lorretta Bramer Hull and Robert Everett Goff.

Also surviving are her husband, Joshua M. Hak, whom she married March 23, 2002; one son, Mason Patrick Hak, at home; one brother, Terry R (Lisa) Goff; one sister, Danielle Lee Leeson, and other relatives.

She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Terrance and Loretta Bramer, and paternal grandparents, Louise and Ralph Goff.

Cindy was a 1997 graduate of Bridgeport High School. Having two degrees, she twice graduated from WVU — in 2001 and again in 2007. She was a member of the WVU Equestrian Team. Cindy worked at Amedisys Home Health Care and WVU Hospitals Ruby Memorial

JENNIFER LYNN TETER PRITCHARD
Jennifer Lynn Teter Pritchard, 38, passed away on December 7, 2011.

Jennifer was the daughter of the late Jackson Teter and Judith Ann Welch Teter of Bridgeport.

She is survived by her husband, Randy Pritchard.

Also surviving are one sister, Beth Ann (Paul) Limer; two brothers, John (Rebekah) Teter, and Joseph William (Melissa), as well as four nephews and five nieces.

Jennifer was a graduate of Liberty High School, Class of 1991, and a graduate of the United Technical Center in 1995. She previously worked at Dr. David R. Hess’s office and at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, both as an LPN.

VICTORIA BEATRICE MARANO MADIA
Victoria Beatrice Madia (Marano), 81, died December 9, 2011, at the Heartland of Clarksburg Nursing Home, after an extended illness.

She was born April 16, 1930, in Clarksburg, WV, a daughter to the late Sam and Mary Ann Walsh Marano.

She is survived by one son, the Rev. Leonard J (Helen) Madia; one daughter, Debra M. (Richard) Pauley; four grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by one brother, Russell Marano.

She was a graduate of Washington-Irving High School and retired from the United Hospital Center.

FRANK BERKSHIRE HORNOR
Frank Berkshire Hornor, 88, died on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011.

A beloved husband, father and grandfather, he was preceded in death on Nov. 28 by his wife of 63 years, Betty Ball Hornor. Their mutual love and admiration were evident right up to their passing away, within just weeks of one another.

Frank was the son of James Lee Hornor and Grace Haymaker Hornor, and the grandson of Katherine and Frank Haymaker.

Frank Hornor’s happy childhood was spent on Meigs Avenue and at the nearby Victorian home, built by his grandfather, in what is now the Quality Hill Historic District. His own father, James Lee, held the position of county tax assessor during the Depression, and his photo hangs in the Clarksburg Courthouse. Frank Hornor was president of his senior class at Washington Irving High School. He was especially fond of Oral Lake, where he swam as a boy and where he has been a life-long member. Sea Pines Beach at Hilton Head was another favorite spot.

His years at Duke University, from which he graduated in 1947 with a degree in business, were interrupted by three years of military service, first as a Lt. Jr. Grade in the Navy and then as a full Lieutenant. He served on a mine sweeper as the ship’s chief navigation officer in the Pacific Theater during WW II. Upon completing his degree at Duke, he enrolled the following year in the M.B.A. program at the Wharton School of Business, graduating in 1948, then marrying the former Betty Ball of New Martinsville the following September.

Frank’s achievements in banking spanned 40 years — from his start with Chase Bank in New York City in 1948 to his retirement in 1988 as Senior Vice President, commercial lending, at First Virginia Bankshares Corporation, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, where he spent the last 18 years of his career. In his early working life, he was an assistant vice president at Pittsburgh National Bank from 1950 to 1959, followed by five years as vice president, in charge of the Trust Department, at the Union National Bank in Clarksburg. He returned to Pittsburgh in 1964 as vice president, head of national accounts, at Western Pennsylvania National Bank.

While in Bridgeport from 1959 to 1964, Frank served as president of the PTA at the Bridgeport Grade School, as treasurer at the Benedum United Methodist Church and as an active member of the Kiwanis Club.

As a banker and civic leader in Northern Virginia for nearly two decades, Mr. Hornor volunteered in various capacities, heading up fundraising drives for the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. At Hilton Head, he served on the board of the Calibogue Club homeowners association for many years.

His greatest devotion, however, was to his family. He will be greatly missed by his daughter, Patt Allen of Newnan, Ga., his son, James Hornor of Brunswick, Maine, (and their respective spouses, Homer Allen and Eileen Hornor); eight adoring grandchildren, including Anne Haymaker Hornor Snider of Midlothian, Va., Katie Hornor Husby of Charlottesville, Va., Virginia Hornor of Colorado Springs, Colo., Elizabeth Hornor of Maine, Sarah and Virginia Allen of Newnan, Ga., and Helen and Charlie Hornor of Brunswick, Me. Frank also is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Holly Hornor of Amherst, N.H.; his sister-in-law, Colleen Plantinga of Westport, Ct.; and numerous nephews and nieces; as well as three great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his brother, Don, of Columbus, Ohio, and just two and a half weeks ago by his beloved wife and dearest friend, Betty Ball Hornor.

HARRY WILLIAM GARDNER III
Harry William “Howdy” Gardner III, age 60, of Bridgeport passed away Friday, December 16, 2011, at the United Hospital Center in Bridgeport following an extended illness.

He was the son of the late Harry William Gardner Jr. and Helen L. Smith Gardner. Surviving are his sister, Becky (Reed) Judy, and one brother, Michael M (Penny). Jenkins.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Gardner was preceded in death by one sister, Pamela Jo Gardner.

Howdy, as he was fondly known to many, was a graduate of Washington Irving High School, Class of 1969. He attended Fairmont State College, where he was a member of the Tao Beta Iota (TBI), having remained active with the alumni association. He was a retired truck driver for CFI Con-way Truckload. He was proud of receiving a safety award for 2 million accident-free miles while working for them.

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