five family members smile for the camera while holding black and white photos of relatives

Mountaineer Legacy: Four Generations of Mountaineers

From Left to Right: 

  • Lauren Kaufman Pitcher, BS ‘08, MS ’15, holds the photo of June Dickerson Pitcher (deceased), BS ‘41, MS ‘56 
  • James F. Pitcher, BS ‘92 
  • James L. Pitcher, Jr., MS ’72, holds the photo of James L. Pitcher, Sr. (deceased), BS ‘40 Morgan Pitcher, BS ‘22 
  • William P. Brown, BS ‘70, MD ‘76 
  • Molly Pitcher Brown, BS ’69, holds the photo of Judith Pitcher Magdiasz, BA ‘64, MA ‘65, MPA ‘78 

1956

  • Paul C. Cline, BA ‘56, JD ‘57, MA ‘61, has written “Second Fiddles,” describing persons who provide primary support for real and fictional leaders, such as Bobby Kennedy to JFK, Eleanor to FDR, and Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes. The vital importance of the “second fiddle” emerges from the study. He is Professor Emeritus at James Madison University. 

test

1961

  • Richard D. Fiddler recently traveled to Israel and showed his WVU pride while he was there. 

1969

  • R. Douglas Huff, BS, was honored by being inducted into the City of Wheeling Hall of Fame. 

1973

  • Mike Ware, BS, co-authored Forever Young Veterans, a book that shares stories from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Proceeds from the book go to the non-profit Forever Young Veterans. 
  • Tim Tewalt, BSJ, joined the Board of Directors of the Cumberland County Playhouse, a small professional performing arts theater in Crossville, TN. He also began his second year as a member of the Upper Cumberland Broadcast Council’s Board of Trustees, the overseer for the operation of WCTE-PBS in Cookeville, TN. 
  • Joseph A. D’Aurora, MA, recently celebrated his 50th Golden Anniversary of Ordination to the Roman Catholic Priesthood. He also was a co-founder of the Tidewater Virginia Chapter of the W.VA.U Alumni Association. He has retired and now resides in Follansbee, W.VA.

1978

  • Jay Garner, BA, MA ‘79, is the co-author of Amazon best seller “Economic Development Is Not For Amateurs!” 
  • Valerie Nieman, BS, Greensboro, N.C., received the 2022 Sir Walter Raleigh Award, the highest award for fiction by a North Carolina writer, for her latest novel, “In the Lonely Backwater.” 

1983

  • Joe and Chris Scott, BS, BS, Fredericksburg, Va., reached a travel milestone on December 4, 2022, visiting their 100th country, Cape Verde. Their 100th country was achieved while cruising on a 14-day trans-Atlantic sailing of the Norwegian Star from Lisbon to Rio. 

1984

  • Randall S. Gooden, BA ‘84, Ph.D. ‘95, has released “The Governor’s Pawns: Hostages and Hostage-Taking in Civil War West Virginia.” The book is an in-depth look at the practice of hostage-taking by the newly formed state of West Virginia during the Civil War. 

1985

  • Paul Johnson, BS, ‘85, recently won a N.C. Press Association award in news feature writing for a story on a pair of High Point University students who were infants when they lost loved ones in the Sept. 11 attacks. 
  • James Michael, BS, Pebble Beach, Calif., was named a 2022 IEEE Fellow for contributions to the protection of critical infrastructure. 

1989

  • Deanna M. Rush, BA, was honored as “Top Women in Grocery” nationally by Progressive Grocer. This accolade, which is the most prestigious award for women in the grocery industry, is given to leaders who are driving real innovation and growth. 

1990

  • Benjamin Malphrus, EDD, currently Executive Director of the Space Science Center at Morehead State University in Kentucky, has been named to the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame. 

1991

  • Jody Kashden, MS, Ph.D. ‘94, Senior Clinical Director, co-developed a retrospective study of 12,000 patients who received in-person, virtual or combined treatment at Princeton House. The results were presented at the Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare’s annual conference in Baltimore on April 12, 2022. 

1992

  • Dr. James Owston, MA, was promoted to interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at Alderson Broaddus University in May 2023. 

1993

  • Timothy Kirk, BS, Parkersburg, W.Va, assumed the role as President of AMT, a firm that provides multidisciplinary services including engineering, environmental sciences, and more. 
  • Dennis Malloy, BS, Trumbull Co., Ohio, was recently elected County Commissioner in Trumbull County Ohio. His four-year term began Jan 1, 2023. 

1994

  • Thomas D. Asbery, BS, has joined Dewberry as a federal market lead for architecture based in its Fairfax, Va., office. 

1995

  • Christian Falyar, BSN, Raleigh, N.C., recently became a Fellow of the 59,000 member American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology, an honor awarded to only a select group of the association's members. 
  • Phillip R. Earnest, MA, has been elected to membership of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County. Members of the Academy have long represented the most exceptional trial lawyers in Allegheny County. 

1999

  • Autumn Hill, BS, has spent the last 20 years as a designer at WVU Medicine and was recently appointed Creative Director for the WVU Health System. 
  • Russell Johnson, Durham, N.C., a Charleston, W.Va., native, is set to publish his first novel, a mountaineer mystery, titled “The Moonshine Messiah.” 

2001

  • Dr. Kim Capehart, DDS, was appointed as Chair of the Department of General Dentistry in The Dental College of Georgia. 
  • Mary Sackett, JD, San Rafael, Calif., has been appointed Supervisor for the 1st District of the Marin County Board of Supervisors, where she was elected to serve for a four-year term starting January 10, 2023. 

2004

  • Cori (Smith) Wamsley, MA, published her ninth book, “Braving the Shore,” in June 2022. The book features a tale of resilience, self-discovery and home, as it follows the tale of two sisters whose lives are upended after a car accident. Chelsea's story takes center stage as she navigates memory loss and searches for answers about her past, deciding whether she wants to continue life as it was or consider this an opportunity for a clean slate. 

2005

  • Matt Franzblau, BS, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., now works at Americans for Ben Gurion University, as a Senior Intelligence Analyst. Andrea Trio, BS, Wheeling, W.Va, received the prestigious $25,000 Milken Educator Award. The award was conceived by Lowell Milken to celebrate, elevate and activate the teaching profession. It is the nation’s preeminent teacher recognition program and often hailed as the “Oscars of Teaching.” 

2006

  • Kurt Skasik, BS, was among the 2022 Forbes Next-Gen Best-In-State Wealth Advisors. His successful practice is empowered by the partnership he builds with clients to make a meaningful difference in their lives. 
  • Jillian Schedneck, MFA, published a travel memoir writing book titled “Write Your Travel Memoir: A Step-by-Step Guide.” 

2011

  • Tommy Nester, MS, an 8th grade West Virginia Studies Teacher at Keyser Middle School in Mineral County was named the 2022 West Virginia State History Teacher of the Year. 

2012

  • Jamie Harrison, MS, after more than a decade of HR, change management, and project management experience in the energy (Marathon Oil) and retail industries (Whole Foods), Harrison will now lead strategic priorities for Meta, formerly Facebook, focusing on people and the future of work. 

2016

  • Kirk Moore Jr., BS, MS ‘21, earned an IFBB Pro Card at the NPC Nationals. He is the first person born with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency to become a professional in the sport. 
  • Sally J. Brown, MA,participated in the internationally renowned artist residency with Proyecto Ace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May 2023. 
  • Afsheen Misaghi, BA, received two Tony Award Nominations as a producer for his work on the Broadway shows "New York, New York" and "The Piano Lesson." 

weaver

2019

  • Ellen Weaver, BS, Alexandria, Va., has joined the Institute for Defense Analyses as a buyer in the Finance Directorate.

2021

Owen McCaffrey, BA, is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since COVID-19. He will serve as a community economic development volunteer in Paraguay. 


Deaths

David Anderson, ‘71, South Park, Pa., April 9, 2022 

Patricia Bailey, BFA ‘76, Calabash, N.C., Nov. 5, 2021 

Betsy Beardsley, BS ‘62, Point Marion, Pa., March 17, 2022 

Matthew Bieniek, JD ‘88, Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 3, 2022 

Jackquelyn Bishop, BS, Morgantown, W.Va., March 3, 2022 

Peter Caruso, BA ‘64, BA ‘66, MD ‘71, Clarksburg, W.Va., March 3, 2022 

Gary L. Clower, BS ‘71, Manakin Sabot, Va., Jan. 16, 2023 

Vincent Don Cuddy, BA ’54, Beaver Falls, Pa., Dec. 12, 2022 

 Craig Detwiler, BS ‘83, Ashland, Va., July 23, 2022 

Robert Dittmar, BS ‘86, Independence, W.Va., Nov. 7, 2021 

Thaddeus Woody Evans, Jr., BS ‘57, Roanoke, Va., April 29, 2023 

Dr. Anthony Gialamas, BA ‘51, MD ‘52, Blawnox, Pa., Nov. 12, 2022 

Joseph A. Harim Sr., BS ‘67, Uniontown, Pa., Dec. 25, 2021 

Joseph A. Harim III, BS ‘22, Uniontown, Pa., July 5, 2022 

Donald A. Haskins, MA ‘65, Glen Dale, W.Va., Feb. 18, 2023 

Gladys A. Hemphill, BS ‘52, Steubenville, Ohio, April 20, 2023 

Dora J. Hetrick, MM ‘62, Reynoldsville, Pa., July 2, 2023 

Mary Lee Holland, BA ’65, MD, San José, Calif., Nov. 17, 2022 

Jane Holt-Duecaster, JD ‘80, Rainelle, W.Va., June 21, 2023 

Dr. Thomas W. Jackson, BS ‘41, Piedmont, W.Va., Dec. 9, 2022 

Cary Johnson, BA ‘85, Mahoning County, Ohio, April 25, 2022 

Mark A. Karl, BS ‘68, JD ‘71, Moundsville, W.Va., May 28, 2022 

John M. Lane, MA ‘61, Wheeling, W.Va., Feb. 17, 2023 

William Morton, BA ‘50, Bridgeport, W.Va., Nov. 29, 2022 

Bradley Pyles, BA ‘70, JD ‘ 73, Chapmanville, W.Va., Feb. 22, 2022 

Dr. Dorothy Llewellyn Rodgers, BA ‘43, Kashmir, India, April 16, 2023 

Heather Yvonne Slivka, BS ‘96, Denver, N.C, Feb. 18, 2023 

Sharon R. Stoops, BS ‘65, Little Rock, Ark., Jan. 12, 2023 

Tyler Wright, BS ‘04, Waynesboro, Va., June 5, 2022

Have something to share?

You’ve succeeded and so have they. Share your story with your fellow Mountaineers through Moments Notice.