Tag: Huntington

March 30, 1838: Marshall Academy Incorporated Into Huntington

On March 30, 1838, Marshall Academy was incorporated in what is now Huntington. The school had been established the previous year as a private school to educate the children of farmers in the region. The first classes were held in a small log church on the knoll where Marshall’s Old Main building now stands.

In 1858, the Virginia Assembly granted college status to Marshall. However, the school closed its doors a little more than two years later when the Civil War began.

It reopened in 1868, primarily to train teachers. But it also prepared students for business and had a primary department for youth. Although its campus and curriculum expanded significantly, by the early 20th century, Marshall was technically only a secondary school. The school introduced the equivalent of college freshman and sophomore courses in 1913 and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1921.

The school grew steadily after World War II. And, in 1961, Marshall was granted university status. Since then, Marshall has grown extensively, adding a school of medicine, modern athletics facilities, a performing arts center, an engineering complex, and a Visual Arts Center.

Trey Kay Presents a TEDx Talk at Marshall about “Bridging the Divide Between Us & Them”

Trey Kay, host of WVPB’s program Us & Them, was a part of Marshall University’s 2nd annual TEDxMarshallU event on Saturday, March 14.

 

The theme of the event was “Bridges.” Kay’s talk was titled “Bridging the Divide Between Us & Them” and related how his award-winning audio documentary “The Great Textbook War” inspired his work exploring issues that divide Americans. In particular, Kay told about his subsequent friendship with Alice Moore, a former Kanawha County School Board Member, who helped spark  West Virginia’s textbook controversy in 1974. Kay said that experience has helped shape his approach in dealing with our polarized social and political climate.

The Marshall TEDx Event also featured: Hershel “Woody” Williams, a West Virginian and WWII Medal of Honor recipient, who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima. The U.S. Navy recently commissioned a ship bearing Williams’ name. Also included in the program were Sabrina Thomas, Marshall University research librarian, who spoke about rethinking the perception of foster care; Ellie White, Marshall University student and co-director of Open Source Radio Telescopes, who spoke about mentoring young people to learn about outer space; Jennifer Wells, executive director of WV Healthy Kids and Families Coalition, who spoke about how her family recovered  from Hurricane Katrina and made a connection with West Virginia; and Dr. Edna Meisel, a Marshall faculty member who has a great love for the healing properties of “Old Time” Mountain Music. 

The event was originally planned to take place at the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium in Huntington City Hall. However, due to concern and precaution for COVID 19, the event was moved to the Don Morris Room at Marshall’s Memorial Student Center before a small invited audience. The general public viewed the event via live stream.

 

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, including an annual gathering in Vancouver, as well as TEDWomen, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, onTED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of the talks from TED2019 are published to TED’s podcast TED Talks Daily, available on all podcast platforms.

 

When TEDx releases the videos from this event, we’ll make an announcement and post links on the WVPB website.

March 13, 2002: Herbalist Clarence "Catfish" Gray Dies

Herbalist and folk doctor Clarence Frederick “Catfish” Gray died in Huntington on March 13, 2002, at age 84. A native of Jackson County, he worked in various jobs, raised 10 children, and was a walking encyclopedia of traditional plant lore.

After a workplace accident in the early 1950s left him unable to do physical labor, Gray began gathering and selling wildflowers and herbs, while dispensing advice for using them medicinally. He sorted and packaged his unique blend of herbs in little bags at his home near Glenwood in Mason County.

Customers around the world enjoyed hearing his opinions on topics like diet, religion, lifestyle, and astrology. Known for his quaint, engaging personality, Gray also sold herbs at crafts fairs and other gatherings.

At the height of the 1970s folklore revival, Gray was a frequent subject of newspaper and television interviews. In addition, he was featured in the 1974 Appalshop document Catfish: Man of the Woods, and in an article in Goldenseal magazine. Catfish Gray is still well remembered by friends and customers for his cheerfulness and sincerity, and for his love of plants and people.

March 10, 1915: The First Rotary International Club Established in W.Va.

The first Rotary International Club in West Virginia was established in Wheeling on March 10, 1915. Rotary clubs were formed in Huntington and Charleston…

The first Rotary International Club in West Virginia was established in Wheeling on March 10, 1915. Rotary clubs were formed in Huntington and Charleston later that year.

The first Rotary in the country had been established a decade earlier in Chicago to promote local civic activities, particularly those involving youth. The name came from the Chicago club’s early practice of rotating meetings among the members’ offices.

Over the years, its mission has expanded. Based on the motto, ‘‘Service above Self,’’ the Rotary not only supports local community activities but has become a force for international understanding. One of its best-known campaigns has been an effort to eradicate polio. Thanks to the work of dedicated Rotary members, other organizations, and the medical community, millions of children have been vaccinated, and polio has been eliminated almost everywhere.

Rotary members meet for a meal each week, and regular attendance is required. Local clubs typically include leading business and professional people. While the Rotary was once exclusively male, it has recruited women members since 1978. The Charleston Rotary elected its first two women in 1987.

January 10, 1969: Novelist Tom Kromer Died in Huntington

Novelist and short story writer Tom Kromer died in Huntington on January 10, 1969, at age 62. During his childhood, his family moved frequently—living in Huntington, Fairmont, Kingwood, and Williamstown—wherever his father could find work in the coal or glass industries.

Best known for his first novel, Waiting for Nothing, published in 1935, Kromer chronicled the plight of the downtrodden during the Great Depression. He attracted the attention of the literary left, including Theodore Dreiser and Lincoln Steffens, who published some of Kromer’s short fiction in his magazine, Pacific Weekly. Kromer’s unfinished novel, Michael Kohler, was edited by playwright Eugene O’Neill and others and published partly in American Spectator magazine. In it, Kromer drew upon the firsthand struggles of his father and others in the coal and glass industries.

Kromer attended Marshall College (now University) for brief periods in the late ‘20s before crisscrossing the country, often hopping freight trains. After getting married in 1936, he settled in Albuquerque. He became an invalid about 1940 and gave up writing. Tom Kromer returned to Huntington in 1960 and lived there with family until his death.

January 8, 1926: Comedian, TV Host Soupy Sales Born

Comedian Milton Supman was born on January 8, 1926. Changing his name to Soupy Sales, he became a major TV star in the 1960s.Although Sales was born in…

Comedian Milton Supman was born on January 8, 1926. Changing his name to Soupy Sales, he became a major TV star in the 1960s.

Although Sales was born in North Carolina, he was raised in Huntington, graduated from Huntington High School, and earned a journalism degree from Marshall College (now University). He started his comedy career as a script writer and disc jockey at WHTN Radio in Huntington. At night, he played club dates throughout the Tri-State area and honed his witty slapstick style.

In 1950, Sales left Huntington and hosted children’s TV shows in Cincinnati, Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles. He appeared nationally in a number of shows on ABC, including Lunch with Soupy Sales and The Soupy Sales Show, a weekday morning program that debuted in 1964. Sales made guest appearances on many prime-time programs, including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Beverly Hillbillies.

In 2003, he wrote his memoir, Soupy Sez. He received an honorary doctorate from Marshall University and is honored by the Soupy Sales Plaza at Huntington’s Big Sandy Superstore Arena. Soupy Sales died in New York in 2009 at age 83.

Exit mobile version