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
