CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As usual, we salute the arrival of the new year by acknowledging some West Virginians who graced the previous year. To wit:
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As usual, we salute the arrival of the new year by acknowledging some West Virginians who graced the previous year. To wit:
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To Charleston physician, state senator and tireless medical reform crusader Dan Foster, chosen as this newspaper's West Virginian of the Year.
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To thousands of West Virginia volunteers in churches, clubs, fire departments and the like who provided gifts, food and clothing to needy families during the holidays.
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To the mysterious stranger who has dropped a $1,000 bill into Salvation Army Christmas kettles at Morgantown each year since 1978.
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To hundreds of volunteer performers and organizers who gave Charleston another safe, family-friendly, alcohol-free, GoodNight fest on New Year's Eve.
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To C&H Taxi of Charleston, which continued its safety tradition of providing free rides home for New Year's Eve over-imbibers.
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To generous readers who donated $70,000 to the Gazette Charities Christmas Fund to help those in need during the holidays -- and others who supported the Daily Mail's "Neediest Cases."
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To all the families, businesses, parks, churches, etc., brightening the darkest time of year with sparkling holiday light arrays.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As usual, we salute the arrival of the new year by acknowledging some West Virginians who graced the previous year. To wit:
*
To Charleston physician, state senator and tireless medical reform crusader Dan Foster, chosen as this newspaper's West Virginian of the Year.
*
To thousands of West Virginia volunteers in churches, clubs, fire departments and the like who provided gifts, food and clothing to needy families during the holidays.
*
To the mysterious stranger who has dropped a $1,000 bill into Salvation Army Christmas kettles at Morgantown each year since 1978.
*
To hundreds of volunteer performers and organizers who gave Charleston another safe, family-friendly, alcohol-free, GoodNight fest on New Year's Eve.
*
To C&H Taxi of Charleston, which continued its safety tradition of providing free rides home for New Year's Eve over-imbibers.
*
To generous readers who donated $70,000 to the Gazette Charities Christmas Fund to help those in need during the holidays -- and others who supported the Daily Mail's "Neediest Cases."
*
To all the families, businesses, parks, churches, etc., brightening the darkest time of year with sparkling holiday light arrays.
*
To West Virginia's aging "Rosie the Riveters" -- female defense plant workers in World War II who drew long-overdue recognition during 2012, including a nationwide television feature.
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To the Boy Scouts of America, whose international mountain adventure camp in Fayette County soon will bring enormous numbers of parents and tourists to West Virginia.
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To registered nurse Nancy Tolliver, who spent her career improving health of Mountain State babies and mothers, and was given a No Greater Legacy Award by the West Virginia Perinatal Partnership upon her retirement.
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To Marcellus Shale gas drillers, who already have created more than 10,000 good-paying new West Virginia jobs, and the total is predicted to swell as high as 58,000 in coming years.
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To compassionate Kanawha Valley families who hastily adopted nearly 50 dogs in two days from the Kanawha-Charleston humane shelter to save them from possible euthanization because of a distemper outbreak.
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To 98-year-old West Virginia icon Ken Hechler, who just finished his 12th book and keeps going like the Energizer Bunny.
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To the National Youth Science Camp, which brings credit to West Virginia by hosting super-bright students from all states and several nations at a mountain retreat each summer.
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To Jennifer Gould, who had her head shaved at a St. Albans beauty shop to match the chemotherapy-caused status of her mother, Marie Gould of Kanawha City -- and several friends, including 8-year-old Shelby Cobb, who donated hair to Locks of Love -- and the Mardi Gras casino, which gave $500 to Locks of Love.
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To parishioners of Little Dove Independent Baptist Church in Mingo County -- along with various other determined West Virginia groups -- who shed pounds in diet-and-fitness efforts, as recorded by Kate Long's series, "The Shape We're In."
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