Local News
Underwood ‘a gentleman’
Politics can make strange bedfellows, as one adage goes, but it can also make for some enduring friends — partisan differences aside.
A case in point is the friendship of two former governors, Cecil Underwood and Hulett Smith.
Underwood died Monday at 86, leaving behind a legacy as the youngest and then the oldest to be elected governor in West Virginia.
More importantly, he left behind many friends, among them Smith, the Beckleyan who successfully battled him in 1964 for the right to govern West Virginia for four years.
“Cecil and I, even though often political opponents, were lifelong friends,” Smith recalled Tuesday.
“In the 1964 campaign, when we both ran for governor, it was not unusual for us to be in the same town to campaign hard all day and then end up having a cup of coffee to close out the day.”
Over the decades, Smith said, the two remained friends and often joined hands to work on education projects benefiting the state.
“I always will think of him as the gentleman governor on the list of governors I’ve known,” Smith said in a statement.
Smith, who reached the milestone of 90 last month, still lives in Beckley. He served as governor from 1965 to 1969 and formerly served on the West Virginia Parkways Authority.
Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass said he was “greatly saddened” to learn of the former governor’s death.
“He and I shared our careers in government at around the same time,” Douglass said.
“Throughout his career, he was always a great friend to agriculture, particularly to student farmers in 4-H and FFA, and a great personal friend to me. He was a true gentleman and will go down in history as one of West Virginia’s greatest leaders. He will be missed.”
- Local News
-
-
Improvements under way to make Bluestone Dam safer
Improvements and repairs planned at Bluestone Dam over the next 10 years will make the structure safer, but new operating procedures could lead to increased flooding in some areas downstream from the dam, officials said Thursday at a public meeting in Hinton.
-
DOH to relocate cemeteries for expressway
West Virginia Division of Highways officials will begin relocating cemeteries next week to make room for the next phase of the Coalfields Expressway.
-
GVEDC board gets training
Jeff Finkle, president and CEO of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), spent several hours with local development officials Thursday, giving pointers and leading a discussion on economic strategies.
-
Mix-up leads to W.Va. couple on wrong ballot
Stan and Janet Norman are running for office whether they like it or not.
- Calendar — Friday, March 19, 2010
-
SCHOOL CLOSINGS and DELAYS
Click HERE to go to the West Virginia Department of Education with up-to-date school closings and delays by county.
- Tentative agreement reached between Appalachian Regional Healthcare and the United Steelworkers of America A tentative collective bargaining agreement between Appalachian Regional Healthcare and the United Steelworkers of America was reached Wednesday for more than 2,300 ARH employees represented by the USW in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia.
-
Greenbrier to host Fun Fest and Egg Hunt
The Greenbrier will host its first Community Children’s Easter Fun Fest and Egg Hunt for children ages 3-12 March 28.
-
Bluestone Wildlife Area cleaning up from flood
Very little flooding was reported along the New River near Bluestone Dam Saturday, but in other locations the river overflowed its banks and caused considerable damage, including in the Bluestone Wildlife Management Area, officials said.
-
W.Va. gets $72 million in school construction bonds
West Virginia is getting more than $72 million in federal bonds for public schools.
- More Local News Headlines
-
