Published: April 30, 2008 10:22 pm         

Retired attorney and civic leader honored

Retired Beckley lawyer and civic leader Warren A. Thornhill III was honored Wednesday with the West Virginia Grantmakers Spirit of Philanthropy award.

The award was presented at a special luncheon in his honor at Black Knight Country Club by Roslyn Artis, secretary of West Virginia Grantmakers and past president of the Beckley Area Foundation. Thornhill was nominated for the award by the Beckley foundation.

Plans for the Spirit of Philanthropy award were initiated last year to recognize excellence in philanthropy as practiced in the Mountain State.

The West Virginia Grantmakers Association is a professional membership organization for local grantmaking institutions. BAF is a member of the statewide group, taking advantage of opportunities to exchange ideas and obtain information about current trends and research in philanthropy.

The award is inscribed, “Spirit of Philanthropy, Warren A. Thornhill III, honoring a lifelong commitment to encouraging private action for the public good.”

Thornhill was one of the initial incorporators of the Beckley Area Foundation and its second president. He served as the primary legal adviser for BAF for 20 years, preparing trust agreements, titles for real estate gifts and other documents at no expense to the foundation.

His leadership in raising the money to build the Beckley-Raleigh County YMCA facility is widely acknowledged. He also chaired a United Way campaign, served on the board of Davis-Stuart Children’s Home, has been an active member and Sunday school teacher at Beckley Presbyterian Church and served on the Raleigh County Planning Commission. The entire community recognized Thornhill with the Spirit of Beckley Award in 1993.

In conjunction with the Spirit of Philanthropy awards luncheon, Larry Ford, president of the BAF Board of Directors, presented Thornhill with a congratulatory gift from the foundation and recognized his ongoing efforts to make the community an ever-better place to live, go to school, work, play and retire.

“Mr. Thornhill continues to think creatively about improving the quality of life in our community,” Ford said. “While he has retired from the active practice of law, he remains an important adviser for BAF and takes an active roll in the Carter Family Foundation board.”