Over the last half century, few Mountaineers can say they’ve left their mark on West Virginia University like James “Jim” Gardill. Now in his late 70s, Gardill looks back on his relationship with the University as one of appreciation and mutual commitment to what makes the state’s flagship institution so special.
A native of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Jim Bittner, the new emergency management coordinator for West Virginia University, always had a passion for emergency response, and after spending 26 years working in his hometown, he joined the WVU Police Department this fall.
More than a decade after graduating from West Virginia University, Pocahontas County native Valerie Pritt, a public relations professional and member of Lewisburg City Council, says she tries to live by a motto she learned while she was a student.
A “winding road” led Molly Aderholt, who was born and raised in Billings, Montana, and moved to the Washington, D.C area as a teenager, to her husband’s native state of West Virginia in 2000 to attend the West Virginia University College of Law.
Euphoric. Surreal. Amazing. Those are a few of the words members of the West Virginia University “Pride of West Virginia,” the Mountaineer Marching Band, use to describe the feelings they’re associating with their appearance in the 98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which steps off at 8:30 a.m. Thursday (Nov. 28) in New York City.
Few people would consider giving a treat bag to the opposition, but that’s exactly what former West Virginia University Mountaineer Mascot Program Senior Advisor Sonja Wilson proposed when the University first joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012.
For Fayetteville native Caleb Bailes, being a Mountaineer has been a lifelong identity. After taking a break while working towards an electrical engineering degree to accept a position as general manager of Carte Electric, Bailes was determined to complete his degree at WVU and enrolled in the online business management program.
Growing up in Glen Dale, West Virginia University sophomore Kenneth Brannan didn’t think college would ever be in his future. So, he signed up for military service and reported for duty shortly after graduating from high school. He served his country in the U.S Air Force as an F-15 crew chief for seven years, including two deployments, but his military career turned out to be riskier on U.S. soil than during the time he spent overseas.
When Alexander Neukam arrived at West Virginia University, he wasn’t entirely sure what path he would take. Like many students, he came in undecided, exploring his options and finding his footing. It wasn’t until a summer conversation after his freshman year with his grandparents, both nurses, that he realized his calling was in health and well-being.
Cordell McClung, a Summersville native and current owner of OAB Sports Complex, took what he called a “roundabout” way to get to WVU, but it paid off with two degrees, a newly found love for coaching and work with youth in athletics.