Giants

Giants Right In Front of You

On May 6, and the weeks leading up to that date, we celebrated the Class of 2023.

There was a flurry of events and convocations.

The tears (of joy, of pride, and of knowing we would miss people) were flowing.

In the fall of 2019, this group of students was in my First Year Seminar.

It was about DreamersAndGiants – WVWC History.

We studied the earlier giants (people like Roy McCuskey, David Reemsnyder, Cebe Ross, Hank Ellis, Edna Jenkins, Agnes Howard, and many more).
We studied all of the buildings and historic places on campus (for instance, the Atkinson Gate where they are standing in this photo).

They were all Dreamers.

Some of them did not persist, and did not graduate.

Many of them not only persisted, but became Giants on campus in their own right. No doubt they will make their marks on the world, in their communities, and on their families.

That fall, I told them a couple of other things.

These four years are going to fly by in the blink of an eye. (Yes, those same eyes they rolled at me when I said it. And, yes, last weekend they agreed that this had been true).
Keep an eye out all around you. There are Giants here now! (This was also proven to be true all throughout their time at WVWC – and on full display during Commencement).

When asked about who has made an impact on them in the last four years, the names that came up definitely belong to some Giants. Among those names: Debra Murphy, Alisa Lively, Joanna Webb, Carol Bowman, Tamara Bailey, Greg Popovich, and various people at Aladdin who gave them attention and advice of various kinds.They also mentioned some of their peers who have risen to leadership positions and active in all aspects of WVWC life.

These two ladies, both from the Class of 1979, played a central role in the celebrations.

These ladies are both Giants. Be sure to click on their names and see how incredible they are.

Angela Gay Kinkead spoke at Baccalaureate, and was honored with the title of Dean of the Chapel, Emerita. She is the first woman to be so honored. And she is incredibly deserving of this honor.

Caroline Rapking gave the Commencement Address. She is the first woman to ever serve as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Her term in this important role took place during one of the most difficult times in school history.

Each of them have been amazing throughout their careers.

Each of them represents what WVWC is all about.

President James Moore and Dean Lynn Linder are a couple of these Giants.

They are bringing new energy and powerful plans to WVWC.

Each of them has been here for many years as faculty members, and they know the strengths and values of the college. Although they are just getting started in their new roles, they have already put plans into motion for new programs which match the mission of the college. They are committed to the success of WVWC and of her students.

Each of them is a Giant already.

It is something for each of us to watch for.

Be sure to know about and appreciate Giants from the past.
Don’t miss the Giants right in front of you!

Giants Among Us

When we think of Giants, what is the image that comes to mind?

Is it the Giants of folklore, like Paul Bunyan or John Henry? Or maybe Goliath, of Old Testament fame? Maybe some sort of mysterious huge person at the top of a beanstalk – or the Jolly Green Giant in the commercials.

At any rate, we are likely to think of someone who is very large.

Dictionaries use words like superhuman, exceptional, extraordinary. They talk of people who have great abilities, influence, power, or importance.

Ordinarily Extraordinary

Most of the Giants that I have discovered at West Virginia Wesleyan were not huge in physical stature, but there are many who have given exceptional love and service to the school. There are many who have had great influence, not because they were trying to be Giants but because they simply were (are).

Some of these names you have heard. Some of these names are on buildings. Other names have disappeared from common knowledge over the course of time. One such example is Thomas W. Haught (formerly known around campus as “Our Tommy”).

Thomas W. Haught came to Buckhannon as a student at the West Virginia Conference Seminary in the spring of 1891 — just months after the school opened its doors. He completed the Classical Course in 1894. Because the school did not offer college level degrees in those early days, he went on to get his A.B. degree at West Virginia University in 1896.

In the fall of 1896, he returned to teach Science, English, and Mathematics. From 1899-1901 he felt the call to further his education and went to study at Harvard University.

Fall 1901 brought him back to teach at his first Alma Mater once again. That fall a new art teacher also arrived on campus, and a courtship began between “Our Tommy” (as he was known by his students) and Miss Helen Wetmore. They married in 1903 much to the delight of everyone on campus. In the very first edition of the Murmurmontis they were literally on the same page.

Salaries were low, and in 1905 he reluctanly accepted an offer to administer the State school in Keyser – now known as Potomac State – a position he held until 1908 when he finally returned to Wesleyan for good.

He taught until his retirement in 1941, and then World War II made it necessary for him to continue teaching during “the emergency” of 1942.

Beyond the classroom, Thomas W. Haught served the college in many other capacities through the years:

Librarian 1901-03
Dean and Registrar 1910-26
Acting President Three Times (1913, 1922, 1925)
Dean 1927-30
Countless Committees

Recognized by Other Giants

Upon his death in 1957, others wrote about the gigantic things that Thomas W. Haught had done.

Here are a couple of highlights, but please Click Here to read this booklet.

Lewis H. Chrisman stated:

No name looms larger in the history of West Virginia Wesleyan College than that of Thomas W. Haught. No individual has made a greater contribution to the life of the institution. He belongs to its past, its present, and its future.

Roy McCuskey (former student of Thomas W. Haught) wrote an article titled, The Contribution of Thomas W. Haught to Wesleyan College. It begins:

And, James Stansbury closed his article, which was entitled The End of an Era, with these words:

But even with all of the things above, he is most of all a Giant in my eyes for the legacy of the written word about all that took place throughout those sixty-six years. Through his writings, he has given us our history. All of us who seek to know about the early years have consulted his work numerous times. They (we) are standing on the shoulders of this Giant named Thomas W. Haught.

Thank You Note to the Founders

Dear Pioneers,

Your bravery in coming across the Allegheny Mounains in the 1700s is hard for us to comprehend. We understand from reading our history that you were adventurous, social minded and religious. Many of you were immigrants. The religious among you included our Methodist Founders.

Dear Founders,

Thank you for having the vision, courage and determination to create a college. For having a dream which has turned into our present reality. You were determined and creative and generous. It was not an easy task!

Some of you fought or were chaplains in the Union Army, and one of you was a member of the Virginia Legislature and voted to secede from the Union – and fought with Stonewall Jackson’s troops throughout the war. And yet, in the aftermath of that war you were able to join together in this common cause.

You were business leaders, judges, lawyers, pastors, and legislators who helped to create the new state of West Virginia. In 1890, there were sixeen of you – half of you were Methodist Clergy and half Methodist Laymen, and you were all leaders in the Methodist Conference.

The Lay Members of the Board of Trustees in 1890 included:

John Cambridge Bardall

Trustee from 1887-1915
He lived in Moundsville, WV and was a manufacturer of leather goods and brooms.
He ran one of the largest broom companies in the country at the time.

John Adams Barnes

Trustee from 1885-1930, and Secretary of the Board from1894-1921
He lived in Weston, WV, and served on the site location committee
Mr. Barnes was the Director of Citizen’s Bank of Weston

Benjamin Franklin Martin

Trustee in 1890-1894, and Treasurer of the Board
Mr. Martin was one of the framers of the West Virginia Constitution
He was a delegate to the General Conference in 1876
And, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1877-1881

Samuel P. McCormick

Trustee from1887-1889 (he died before the school officially opened)
He had served in the Army of the Potomac
After the war, he was a lawyer and prosecuting attorney
In 1880, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention

Henry C. McWhorter

Trustee from 1885-1916, President of the Board from 1898-1913
He was a Judge, and lived in Charleston, WV

Alex M. Poundstone

Trustee from 1885-1919
He served as a Captain in the Federal Army
A lawyer in Buckhannon, WV
West Virginia Legislature 1872-1879
Prosecuting Attorney in Upshur County 1886-1900

William Alexander Wilson

Trustee 1890
Lived in Wheeling, WV
Manufacturing and Businessman

Samuel Woods

Trustee 1887-1897, Chairman of the Board 1887-1897
Was a member of the Virginia Legislature when they voted to secede from the Union
He voted for secession, and fought with Stonewall Jackson’s unit
However, after the war, he came back to Barbour County and resumed his Law Practice
He was a Framer of the West Virginia Constitution in 1871

The Clergy Members of the Board of Trustees in 1890 included:

Here is an account of the founding of the college in 1890 by one of those who was a participant and leader throughout that process. Captain A.M. Poundstone wrote this account for publication in the 1914 Murmurmontis, some 24 years later.

Ever since that time, there have been leaders carrying on the work of the school and helping the school to grow into what you had envisioned – or maybe even more than you could have possibly imagined. These Giants (Trustees, Administrators, Faculty, Staff, Students) have lived and worked and taught and studied here in this place thanks to you. You have changed and enriched lives.

We will salute you in Wesley Chapel during the Founders Day Convocation.

Because of you we exist and learn….

Because of what we learn, we grow stronger and smarter…..

Because we are stronger and smarter, we are able to make an impact for good in the world.

Love,

Your school in 2018

Resourceful and Relevant

New technologies provide opportunities. While some fear them or dismiss them, others embrace them and find ways to harness their potential. Some turn out to be life-changing. At West Virginia Wesleyan College, we have a history of being embracers of new ways to learn and to provide service.

Telegraphy and Railroading

If you had gone into the Administration Building between the years of 1906-08, for example, you might have encountered Harry Francis Brittingham setting up the equipment for his Railroading and Telegraphy class. H.F., as he was known, had worked with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a clerk and a car distributor in this booming business of railroads. Someone at Wesleyan realized that there was a great need for educating people to work in this field. Maybe it was President John Wier or perhaps George W. Broyles, Principal of the School of Commerce. This was only five years after Marconi’s groundbreaking wireless transmission across the Atlantic.

Railroading and Telgraphy — From the 1906-07 Catalog

Although this particular book was not published until 1911, Soule’s Practical Method of Training: Telegraphy, Railroading, Express and Freight published by the University Press, Cambridge, USA may have been very much like the textbook used for these classes. And the machines may have looked and sounded much like these:

After 1908, however, we don’t see this particular course mentioned until 1942 when Dr. Nicholas Hyma and Professor William Hallam were training students for defense purposes and military service in World War II. Again, a specific need being met by the faculty and curriculum.

Also In Art

We have also seen innovations used in the curriculum in the area of Fine Arts. From 1891-1901 courses were taught in Crayoning.

West Virginia Wesleyan College offered courses in Crayoning from 1891-1901, which is very interesting considering that Binney & Smith did not begin making what we now know as crayons until 1902 and did not begin marketing them until 1903. Taught by WVWC Giants named Miss Maude McFarland (1891-94), Miss Persis H. Heermans (1894-96), Miss Alice Divine (1896-99), and Myrtle McElroy (1899-1901), art classes being taught at the college were up on the very latest of materials and methods. The company registered its patent for Carbon Black, it’s first breakthrough, on May 26, 1891.

Crayola Crayons 1903 — Image from the Oil and Natural Gas Historical Society Webpage

The word Crayon was coined by Mrs. Edwin Binney by combining the French word for chalk (craie) and the Latin root for the word oily (ola).

Resourceful and Relevant

In the November 1964 Profile Newsletter, an alumni publication, several stories show that the technology trend was continuing. All of this in only four pages!

Burroughs Computer Computing, tells of a quarter-million dollar main frame computer which was awarded to Wesleyan — this computer was a “decided rarity in West Virginia” and one of only five awarded in the country! Dr. William R. Willis, professor of Physics, was learning and managing it as well as training faculty and staff to make great use of it.
Wesleyan FM Radio to Operate Soon tells of the educational and cultural benefits to a nine county area – serving more than a quarter of the state of West Virginia.
IN Wesleyan, tells of a “professionally filmed and narrated program is recognized as one of the finest productions of its kind and shows the total College program and facilities in action.”
Wesleyan Tele-Lecture A West Virginia First
And the issue highlights the Nursing Building on the Boards as well as celebrates the fact that the progress in fundraising for what would become Christopher Hall of Science in an article entitled Science Building A Giant Step Closer.

Then And Now — Resourceful and Relevant

Nursing Simulation Lab in Middleton Hall

_._. /_ _ _ /_ _ _ /.___..

Get key here

WVWC Choir Sang at Uniting Conference in Dallas….50 Years Ago Today

April 26, 1968

Exactly 50 years ago today, Assistant Professor John E. Taylor conducted as the WVWC Choir sang at the Uniting Conference in Dallas Texas in 1968. This was a huge deal. And, they did as well as you would have expected — and received a standing ovation from the approximately 10,000 people present.

According to the 1968 Murmurmontis:

“The highlight of the year for Wesleyan’s choir took place in Dallas, Texas. The tour choir received a standing ovation during its appearance at the Uniting Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren and Methodist Churches.

Wesleyan is very fortunate to have such an outstanding choir. Mr. Taylor, though his rehearsals consumed much of the members’ free time, has once again produced an excellent choir. Chapel services are held weekly with the Wesleyan choir providing the music. The Chorale as well as the choir present many special performances each academic year.”

Mr. Taylor is one of those people who was a Giant. A name that many may have forgotten or never heard. His work followed the work of Irma Helen Hopkins (1958-1965), and the work he did here has been carried on in like fashion by such people as Larry Parsons (1969-2013) and Dan Hughes (2012-current).

We may not realize it, but all of us are standing on the shoulders of Giants.

If you would like to learn about more of the Giants at WVWC, be sure to check out https://DreamersAndGiants.com

Giants Among Us

Coston, Phyllis and Herb walking — September 2017

The sanctuary of First United Methodist Church in Buckhannon was full this afternoon. Full of people who had come to celebrate the life of Phyllis Coston. Although only 4’11” tall, Phyllis was one of the great Giants. People came to express support to her husband, Herb, and to share stories of how this wonderful woman had impacted their lives. They came to honor her teaching, her sense of humor, her tenacity. They came to honor her faith and the way she lived it and shared it. Many mentioned how much they loved seeing Phyllis and Herb out walking and talking together on campus.

However, this week West Virginia Wesleyan has lost not just one, but two of the Giants. Phyllis Kohl Coston died on March 25, and Dr. Robert Chamberlain on March 29. They are both prime examples of why I am compelled to keep working on DreamersAndGiants. Their stories must be collected, organized, preserved, and shared.

Dr. Chamberlain‘s service will be at noon on Thursday in the very same place. Both of these wonderful people have been very active members of First United Methodist Church. He served as the college physician and team physician at West Virginia Wesleyan for fifty years. He has cured many and comforted many. I can only imagine what new stories I will hear on Thursday.

Please click on their names to learn more about them. And, while you are there, you may discover that there have been many Giants walking the pathways of the West Virginia Wesleyan College campus through the years. Each has made their mark. Each has impacted lives. Each has stories!

Paula Lowther McGrew ’78

Tag: Giants

Giants Right In Front of You

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