About KIDS COUNT — Our Board
The KIDS COUNT Board of Directors includes some of the most prominent business, community, political and religious leaders in West Virginia — all of whom share a common goal: improving the lives of our children and the future of our state.
Board of Directors
Betty Barrett — Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless
Betty Barrett, Founder and President, Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless, has been a member of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund Board of Directors since 1992. She has been an active member of the Huntington community for many years during which time she has helped mold the future of the city through City Council, the League of Women Voters, Cabell-Wayne Family Resource Network and the Citizen Advisory Committee to the Department of Human Services. She organized a community-based partnership for the homeless. Mrs. Barrett has worked in a variety of positions related to her degrees in Occupational Therapy from Milwaukee-Downer College and more recently, a Master of Arts in Political Science at Marshall University, Huntington, WV. Mrs. Barrett is the recipient of many prestigious awards including: Susan B. Anthony Award, Huntington, 1989; West Virginia Celebrate Women Award for Government Service, 1989; Huntington Herald Dispatch Citizen of the Year, 1990; Huntington Housing Authority Housing Volunteer of the Year, 1990; West Virginia Rehabilitation Association Citizen of the Year, 1991; Huntington "Wall of Fame," 1992; West Virginia Common Cause Award for Public Service, 1994; AARP, Huntington Chapter, Recognition Award, 1995; Huntington Women's Club, Outstanding Woman of Huntington Award, 1995. Mrs. Barrett is married to Edgar O. Barrett and has five grown children. She is also an active member of First Presbyterian Church and was involved in scouting, PTA and YMCA activities while her children were growing up.
Kathy G. Beckett -- Jackson Kelly Attorneys at Law, PLLC
Kathy G. Beckett has been practicing in the area of environmental law since graduating from West Virginia University College of Law in 1988. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Kentucky. After a number of years of practice with another firm, Kathy joined Jackson Kelly PLLC in 1997. She is an active member of the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources of the American Bar Association and a member of the bar for both the states of West Virginia and Kentucky. She is a member of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Environmental Committee and serves as a member of the West Virginia Waste Roundtable. Kathy participates on the Steering Committee of the Recycling Coalition of WV, Inc.and volunteers time supporting community programs to provide services to those in need. She is also a member of the support organization for the public library system. Kathy is married and has one son, one daughter and one cat.
Mark Bugher -- Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce
Mark Bugher is President and CEO of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Indiana University, and his Master of Arts Degree in Political Science from Marshall University. He served in the United States Air Force and is a Life Member of the American Water Works Association. Mark has served as President of Huntington Main Street and the Huntington Museum of Art, and Board Chair of the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Huntington Area Development Council. He also has served on the Board of Directors of the United Way of the River Cities and Chaired the United Way Campaign. He is a member of the Tri-state Airport Authority and has served as a citizen member of the Herald Dispatch Editorial Board. Mark currently serves as Co-Chair of Advantage Valley; President of the Huntington-Ironton Empowerment Zone, and serves on the Marshall Community and Technical College Board of Governors. In 2006, the Herald Dispatch named Mr. Bugher Huntington’s 2005 “Citizen of the Year”. He is a member of the United States Chamber of Commerce’s “Committee of 100,” a small policy advisory group formed to provide input to the US Chamber Board of Directors. Mark and his wife Patti, a former teacher, reside in Huntington. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.
Bishop Michael Brandsfield — Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
Monsignor Michael J. Bransfield was born Sept. 8, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pa. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and the Master of Divinity degrees from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. From 1971 to 1973, Bishop-elect Bransfield served as Assistant Pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish in Huntington Valley, Pa. In 1973, Bishop-elect Bransfield received the Master of Philosophy Degree from The Catholic University of America and serviced as a teacher, chaplain, and Chairman of the Religion Department at Lansdale Catholic High School. In 1980, Bishop-elect Bransfield was appointed assistant director and director of liturgy at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In 1982, he was named director of finance of the National Shrine. In Oct. 1986, Bishop-elect Bransfield was appointed the 10th director of the National Shrine. He was named a Prelate of Honor by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 1987. When the National Shrine was designated a Basilica in 1990, Bishop-elect Bransfield was named the first rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of Immaculate Conception.
Steve Haid — Stephen E. Haid and Associates
Steve Haid is president of Stephen E. Haid and Associates, a government and public relations consulting firm in Charleston and a Senior Partner with Maple Creative, a Chalreston-based advertising agency. Steve has a Ph. D. in History from West Virginia University and served as Secretary of Education and the Arts for former Governor Gaston Caperton. He also played a major role in the election campaigns of Governor Caperton and Governor Cecil H. Underwood and devised the strategy and organizing campaign for the Modern Investment Amendment of 1997. Steve helped change the state's approach to education in the early 1990s by lobbying for a basic skills computer program and greater public and teacher involvement through school improvement councils and faculty senate.
L. Clark Hansbarger, M.D. — WVU School of Medicine, Charleston Campus
L. Clark Hansbarger, M.D., is the Associate Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the West Virginia University School of Medicine's Charleston Campus. He is a pediatrician and the former director of the West Virginia Department of Health. Dr. Hansbarger and his wife, Christine, returned to West Virginia from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2002. In Albuquerque, he served as Dean of Graduate Medical Education at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and had previously been Director of General Pediatrics and Medical Director of the Pediatrics Ambulatory Service at UNM. Dr. Hansbarger is a native of Welch, West Virginia, and a graduate of the Duke University School of Economics and Business Administration and the Medical College of Virginia School of Medicine.
Tom Hamm - Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP
Tom Hamm is the West Virginia Manager of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP. Prior to joining Dinsmore & Shohl, Tom served as a consultant and political strategist in a variety of statewide and local political campaigns in West Virginia and Virginia. He has a master of Political Science from Marshall University and a B.A. in Advertising from the University of Tennessee.
Lloyd Jackson — Jackson Gas Company
Lloyd Jackson of Hamlin, West Virginia, is an attorney and businessman in the oil and gas production business. He was educated in the public schools of West Virginia and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from West Virginia University in 1974 with a degree in Political Science. Lloyd attended the West Virginia University College of Law where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review and from where he graduated Order of the Coif in 1977. He served as Prosecuting Attorney of Lincoln County, West Virginia, for six years and as a State Senator for twelve years, where he chaired the Judiciary and Education Committees. During his legislative service, Lloyd is best known for his writing of the PROMISE Scholarship legislation and the Comprehensive Early Childhood Legislation in West Virginia. He currently serves as a Trustee of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, the largest charitable foundation serving West Virginia, as a Trustee of West Virginia Wesleyan College, as a Director of the West Virginia Oil and Natural Gas Association, and as a Director of the College Summit. Lloyd is a member of the Central United Methodist Church in Hamlin, West Virginia, where he resides with his wife, Trina, and their two sons, L.G. and Ryan.
Cheryl Jones — WVU Children's Hospital
Cheryl Jones is a graduate of West Virginia University School of Nursing (B.S. in Nursing, 1986; Masters in Nursing, 1996) and has been employed with West Virginia University Hospitals/Ruby Memorial Hospital since 1986 where she has worked as a staff nurse, assistant nurse manager, nurse manager, and nurse director. Jones also served as the director of Chestnut Ridge Hospital — a 70-bed psychiatric inpatient unit and partial hospitalization program where she was responsible for the management of 110 full-time employees. She has served on numerous committees within the WVU Hospitals system including co-chair of the Patient Satisfaction Survey revisions, member of the Customer Service Steering Committee, member of the CRH Research Utilization Review Team and Team Leader of Performance Improvement teams. In June 2004, Jones became the director of WVU Children's Hospital — a fully functioning 104-bed hospital specializing in the care and treatment of pediatric patients. Jones currently serves as a West Virginia University School of Nursing Adjunct Instructor and has participated in numerous community service projects including Relay for Life, Muscular Dystrophy Association Lock-Up and the United Way Day of Caring.
J. F. Lacaria — United Methodist Church
J.F. Lacaria is Director of Leadership Formation and Ministry Support, West Virginia Conference, The United Methodist Church. He has participated in the work of the KIDS COUNT Fund since 1992, first as the representative of the resident Bishop and now as an elected board member. He is a native of West Virginia and a graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College. He also holds a Masters Segree from Yale Divinity School. J.F. has been a member of Regional Family Resource Network and Families First Council of the Govenor's Cabinet on Children and Families and is the Conference liaison for the Bishop's Initiative on Children and Poverty of The United Methodist Church. Part of this responsibility has included managing the dissemination of the simulation experience, One Month on TANF, a sensitization exercise that helps people relate to the realities of poverty. J.F. helped establish and direct the Tyler Mountain/Cross Lanes Community Service Agency while serving at Cross Lanes United Methodist Church and continues to serve on its board. He has been part of seven Missions of Peace, leading high-school youths in cultural immersion experiences in India, Nicaragua, Brazil and Zimbabwe. He is married to Lin, Director of the Cross Lanes United Methodist Nursery School, and has a grown son, John Michael.
Bruce Lawson — Certified Public Accountant
Bruce Lawson is a Certified Public Accountant and Treasurer of the KIDS COUNT Board of Directors. Prior to launching his own CPA firm in 1997, Bruce was a partner in the Charleston accounting firm of Cleavanger & Rollins. He is also managing LLC member of Monvisor, LLC, an income tax and business services company in Eleanor, West Virginia. Bruce is a member of the Kiwanis Club of West Charleston and a former member of the Charleston Municipal Planning Commission. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Kentucky.
Bishop S. Ernest Lyght — United Methodist Church
Ernest S. Lyght was born in Salisbury, Maryland, and is currently the Resident Bishop of the West Virginia Area of The United Methodist Church. He is a graduate of Morgan State University (B.A. in History, 1965), Drew University (M. Div., 1968), and Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1970 and D.Min., 1979). Bishop Lyght has served four pastoral appointments, including ten years of pastoral ministry at St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Montclair, New Jersey, followed by seven years as a District Superintendent. Bishop Lyght was elected to the Episcopacy at the 1996 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference (NEJ) and assigned to the New York Area. At the 2004 NEJ Conference, he was assigned to the West Virginia Area. Bishop Lyght has served on a variety of conference, community and general church agencies and boards, including the General Board of Church and Society (1984-1992) and the General Board of Global Ministries (1992-1996).
Jennifer McIntosh — West Virginia University
Jennifer McIntosh is the Executive Officer for Social Justice at West Virginia University. She is also Director of Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Programs and Director of ADA/504 Compliance at the university. Jennifer has more than 20 years' experience in higher education institutions throughout the country. Her areas of expertise are issues of harassment and other forms of illegal discrimination and educational programming for faculty, staff and students. Jennifer holds a B.S. in Business from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and an M.S. in Business from Central Michigan University.
Patricia D. Mick
Patricia Mick has served on the West Virginia Conference Leadership Team of the United Methodist Women since 1998 and is currently completing her first year as president. While serving on the Leadership Team, she served two years as Mission Coordinator of Social Action where she helped promoted the Campaign for Children, focusing on advocating for children and youth in education. She has also served on the Conference United Methodist Church's Justice and Advocacy Ministry Team. During the 1980s, Patricia was part of a pilot program to advocate for children and youth, and, as a result, helped start a tutoring program for at-risk students at her local library. She is a retired public school teacher who taught secondary math and French for 34 years. Patricia is now working part-time as an academic math coach and is the mother of two daughters and a grandmother of two.
Timothy S. Millne — WV Laborers' District Council
Tim Millne is the Assistant Business Manager for the West Virginia Laborers' District Council in Huntington, West Virginia. Previously, he worked as the Administrator of the Affiliated Construction Trades Foundation and an instructor at the West Virginia Laborers' Training Fund. He is active in a number of Huntington-area community groups, including the United Way, Huntington Municipal Development Authority and Kids We Care. Tim is a graduate of the Marshall University School of Business and holds a Masters Degree in Labor Studies.
Melanie Pagliaro - West Virginia Legislative Services
Melanie Pagliaro is a research analyst for the West Virginia Legislature's Joint Committee on Government and Finance and a Budget Analyst for the House Finance Committee. Prior to joining West Virginia Legislative Services, Melanie worked for a number of West Virginia Community Action groups, as well as the Marion County Commission and the Marion County Office of Emergency Services. She holds an M.S. in Education Administration from Marshall University and a B.A. in Comprehensive Business Education from Fairmont State University.
Bob Plymale — Nick J. Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute and West Virginia State Senate, Education Chair
State Senator Robert H. "Bob" Plymale received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marshall University and is employed by the Nick J. Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute, located in Huntington, WV. He serves in numerous public and community organizations, including the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce, Cabell County Senior Service Organization, Wayne County Economic Development Authority, and Huntington Museum of Arts Board of Directors. Senator Plymale was first elected to the West Virginia Senate in 1992. He has served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Pensions; Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education; Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Resources; Chair of the Select Committee on the Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA); and Co-Chairman of the Forest Management Review Commission. Presently, Senator Plymale is Chairman of the Senate Education Committee. Also, he is a ranking member of Senate Finance and serves on the 12-member Budget Conference Committee. On a national level, he serves as the Chair of the National Conference of State Legislature (NCSL) Education Committee and their Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education Finance. In 2004-05, he served on the NCSL National Task Force on "No Child Left Behind". In 2003, Senator Plymale was appointed to the Southern Regional Education Board's Board of Control and now serves on the Board's executive committee.
Tom Potter — Jackson Kelly
Thomas E. Potter is a retired member of the Charleston law firm Jackson Kelly. He now has an of-counsel relationship and is still actively engaged in firm matters as a consultant and practitioner on a limited basis. During the years of his active practice, Mr. Potter was a member and leader of the Business Law Department specializing in administrative, business and commercial, litigation, contracts, natural resources, corporate, real estate/property law, eminent domain, transportation, zoning and leases. His community activities have included chairmanship of the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce, Charleston Renaissance Corporation, the Business and Industrial Development Corporation ("BIDCO"), the National Institute for Chemical Studies, Capital Market, Inc., Advantage Valley, Inc., Charleston Rotary Club and the YMCA. He was a former member of the West Virginia University Board of Governors, and is a member of the Boards of the West Virginia University Foundation, Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia (the "Clay Center"), the Snowshoe Institute, Charleston Area Development Component ("CADO"), Charleston Area Medical Center, National Advisory Council Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center - West Virginia University, West Virginia Senior Sports Classic, Inc. and the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund.
Bill Raney — West Virginia Coal Association
Bill Raney, President, West Virginia Coal Association, joined the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund Board of Directors in 1992. He was elected President of the Fund in 2001. He is a native of Bluefield, West Virginia, and a graduate of West Virginia University with an undergraduate degree in biology and a Master's degree in Public Administration. Mr. Raney was employed by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources serving in various positions including surface mine inspector, supervisor, administrative assistant and assistant chief. He joined the West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association in 1977 and served as its Vice President until April 1992. At that time, he was named President of the West Virginia Coal Association where he continues to serve in that capacity. Mr. Raney also serves as Chairman, West Virginia Business and Industry Council (BIC); Board Member of the Ohio-West Virginia YMCA Youth in Government; Vice Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America Buckskin Council Leadership Luncheon; President and Founder of the Don Nehlen Fan Club; and Officer in the West Virginia Army National Guard. He lives in South Charleston with his wife and two children.
Doug Reynolds — Reynolds and Associates
Doug Reynolds is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing Wayne County. A Huntington native, Doug earned a bachelors degree in political science from Duke University in 1999. After graduation, Doug returned to the Mountain State to attend the West Virginia University College of Law. In 2002 he joined the Cabell County Public Defender's Office. As counsel for those who could not afford legal representation, Doug learned first hand the negative impact of unemployed youth, drugs and crime. In 2003 Doug left the Public Defender's Office to start his own law firm, focusing on the needs of small business and the people of our region. Because the need for investment in people and business has never been greater, Doug has worked tirelessly to promote business ventures that create career path jobs. Doug is a founder and director of the First Bank of Charleston, a community bank chartered on the principle of providing financing for small and start-up businesses. Doug is a fervent community activist, serving on the boards of the United Way of the River Cities, Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Huntington, Prestera Foundation and City of Huntington Foundation. Doug resides in the Westmoreland area of Huntington with his wife Maria and their sons Marshall and Grant.
Kenna Seal — Office of Education Performance Audits
Kenna Seal is Director of the Office of Education Performance Audits at the West Virginia Department of Education and has been a member of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund Board of Directors since 1991. He served as Superintendent of Braxton County Schools for over 20 years and was named State Superintendent of the Year by the West Virginia Association of School Administrators in 1994. During his tenure in Braxton County, all county schools were accredited, all elementary schools offered full-day kindergarten, and all four-year-olds had access to a pre-school program. The county's dropout rate decreased by almost 62 percent from 1980 to 1995, and the college-bound rate increased 50 percent from 1980 to 1992. In his present position, Dr. Seal works with the State Board of Education on accreditation issues in all 55 West Virginia counties. Dr. Seal is a native of Exchange, West Virginia, and lives in Sutton with his wife. In addition to his work for the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund, he is Chairman of Glenville State College Board of Advisors and the West Virginia Association of School Administrators Legislative Committee, is on the Governor's Early Childhood Implementation Commission and has served as a Member of the Rural Schools Task Force. He is affiliated with West Virginia Human Resources Association, Clay County Lodge #97 AF and AM and Beni Kedem Shrine, and is active in the Braxton County Chapter of Rotary International.
Sue Sergi
Sue Sergi recently retired as President of the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, where she served for over ten years. During her tenure as President, over $120 million was raised to design, build, equip and endow the Clay Center. After she announced her retirement, Sergi participated in negotiations that led to the merger of the Clay Center and the Avampato Discovery Museum. Before joining the Clay Center, Sergi was Commissioner of the Bureau for Children and Families in the Department of Health and Human Resources. Her position at DHHR was the culmination of 27 years of human service experience in the public and non-profit sectors. Sergi was a member of Capertonʼs Governorʼs Task Force on Children, Youth and Families and was a founding member of the corporation which later became West Virginia Kids Count Fund. Sue Sergi is a member and board member of Vandalia Rotary and a member of the boards of directors of the Clay Center, the YWCA, Arts Advocacy, and Hunters Ridge Homeowners Association. She co-chairs the internal image team of West Virginia: A Vision Shared and is a member of the scholarship committee for Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.
Randy Swartzmiller — Ergon West Virginia, Inc.
Randy Swartzmiller is a Regulatory Specialist for Ergon West Virginia Inc. and a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. Delegate Swartzmiller was first elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 2000 and re-elected in 2002 and 2004 representing the First District. Randy, who was born and raised in the steel community of Hancock County, continues to work hard for the steel industry and has sponsored numerous bills and resolutions to support the steel industry, its employees and its retirees. Randy was appointed by Governor Joe Manchin III and served on the 2005 Manchin Business Climate Transition Team assigned to business issues relevant to moving the state forward. Randy serves in a dual capacity on the House leadership team as West Virginia's Homeland Security Chairman and as Assistant Majority Whip. In 2004 Randy was presented with the prestigious "Law Enforcement Legislator of the Year Award" by the West Virginia Deputy Sheriffs Association for his continued efforts in supporting legislation and addressing the concerns of law enforcement officers and their families across the state. Randy is a graduate of West Liberty State College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree graduating Magna cum Laude. Randy is committed to improving his community serving as Chairman of the Hancock County Senior Center Board of Directors, Weirton Medical Center Board of Directors, West Liberty Alumni Association, Friends of Northern Community College, Weirton First Christian Church, United Way Volunteer and serves as an Honorary Major of the Civil Air Patrol of Wheeling, WV, an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. Randy is a lifelong resident of Hancock County where he resides with his wife and their two daughters.
Directors Emeriti
Richard Adams — United Bankshares
Richard Adams, President and CEO United Bankshares, has been a member of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund Board of Directors from 1992 to 2009. He served as President of the Fund from 1998 through 2001. He is a native of Parkersburg, WV, and received an A.B. Degree from West Virginia University and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Rutgers University. Mr. Adams is currently a member of the University of West Virginia Board of Trustees; a member of the International Financial Conference; Vice Chairman of the West Virginia Business Roundtable; a member of Young President's Organization; and a Board Member of the Parkersburg Area Local Development Council, Rediscover Parkersburg, and Wood County Development Authority. Mr. Adams is also a representative to the American Banker's Association and a member of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. He formerly was Chairman of the Board of the West Virginia Banker's Association; President of the Parkersburg Chamber of Commerce; Board Member of Camden Clark Hospital; Chairman of the Salvation Army Building Fund Campaign; Chairman of the Board of Eastern States Bankcard Association, New York; and a member of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Regional Advisory Council. He has received awards as the Parkersburg Area Jaycees' Boss of the Year and YMCA Citizen of the Year. He was also a member of the U.S. Army Reserves. Mr. Adams has published articles in Banking Magazine, Bank Marketing and American Banker.
Sam Bonasso — Consultant
Sam Bonasso was the first President of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund and was a member of the original Governor's Task Force on Children, Youth and Families in 1989. He is the Project Manager for Vision 20/20. He is the former Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation and the former president of Alpha Associates, Incorporated, an architecture, engineering and design firm in Morgantown, WV. Mr. Bonasso's career has involved diverse activities from designing ski lifts to bridges, from constructing housing to environmental systems. He is also a well known speaker and workshop presenter on the subjects of creativity, communications, and conflict resolution in business settings. He and his wife Nancy spent eight years as the live-in owner-operators of a bed and breakfast in a converted 1920's elementary school. He is a member of the West Virginia Commission on Vocational, Technical and Occupational Education and the West Virginia Business Roundtable.
Gaston Caperton — The College Board
Gaston Caperton, President, The College Board, founded the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund as Governor of West Virginia (1988-96) during his first term in 1989. As the state's thirty-first governor, Caperton was particularly concerned with improving West Virginia's education system. His comprehensive plan emphasized the use of computers and technology in public schools; aggressive school building and renovations; and raising teachers' salaries. Prior to becoming President of the College Board, Caperton taught at Harvard University and Columbia University. Caperton has received numerous state and national awards and special recognition, including six honorary doctoral degrees.
Lawson Hamilton — Deceased
Lawson Hamilton, Semi-Retired Coal Operator, was the co-founder of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund. Mr. Hamilton was active in the Presbytery of West Virginia and in his church, Old Stone Presbyterian, in Lewisburg. He was a recipient of the Spirit of the Valley Award in West Virginia and the Spirit of Life Award given by the City of Hope, a research hospital in California. Mr. Hamilton actively supported the Boy Scouts in his community and also supported Duke University Children's Hospital in North Carolina and the Berea Hospital Foundation in Kentucky. He was a recipient of honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Charleston and Davis and Elkins College. He was known throughout West Virginia for his community spirit and philanthropy.