Tag: Michael Benedum

September 9, 1894: Publicist Sam Mallison Born

Publicist Sam Mallison was born in North Carolina on September 9, 1894. He worked for several small newspapers in the Tar Heel State before becoming city editor of the Clarksburg Telegram in 1916.

He later covered the West Virginia Legislature for the paper and gave a young Salem College student named Jennings Randolph a job as a sportswriter.

In 1924, Mallison went to Washington to serve as private secretary to Clarksburg’s Howard Gore, who’d been appointed assistant secretary of Agriculture. After Gore was elected governor, he named Mallison state auditor. Mallison later served as capital correspondent for Wheeling-based Ogden Newspapers.

In 1937, he was hired as head of public relations for the Benedum-Trees Company—a worldwide collection of oil, pipeline, and refining companies. He worked for the company for 28 years, during which time he wrote The Great Wildcatter, a biography of company founder and Bridgeport native Michael Benedum.

In 1961, Mallison published Let’s Set a Spell, a collection of anecdotes covering subjects ranging from the governor’s office to death row at the penitentiary. Sam Mallison died in Texas in 1979 at age 84.

July 16, 1869: Philanthropist Michael Benedum Born in Bridgeport

Philanthropist Michael Benedum was born in Bridgeport on July 16, 1869. He earned the nickname the “Great Wildcatter” based on his ability to find oil and gas by drilling “wildcat” wells in unpredicted places. He first struck it rich in Pleasants County and then expanded to other sites in West Virginia, other states, and, eventually, other countries. He continued working seven days a week, even into his late 80s.

Despite his success in business, Benedum is best remembered today for his generosity. Though he lived in Pittsburgh for many years, he maintained close ties with his hometown, spending $1.5 million to build the Bridgeport Methodist Church and constructing the Bridgeport Civic Center. And he underwrote hundreds of scholarships at dozens of colleges.

Michael Benedum died in 1959 at age 90. He left half his fortune to family and the other half to the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. He established the foundation in 1944 to honor his son, who died of influenza during World War I. The charity continues today and, based on Benedum’s wishes, directs much of its philanthropy to West Virginia.

July 16, 1869: Philanthropist Michael Benedum Born in Bridgeport

  Philanthropist Michael Benedum was born in Bridgeport on July 16, 1869. He earned the nickname the “Great Wildcatter” based on his ability to find oil and gas by drilling “wildcat” wells in unpredicted places. He first struck it rich in Pleasants County and then expanded to other sites in West Virginia, other states, and, eventually, other countries. He continued working seven days a week, even into his late 80s.

Despite his success in business, Benedum is best remembered today for his generosity. Though he lived in Pittsburgh for many years, he maintained close ties with his hometown, spending $1.5 million to build the Bridgeport Methodist Church and constructing the Bridgeport Civic Center. And he underwrote hundreds of scholarships at dozens of colleges.

Michael Benedum died in 1959 at age 90. He left half his fortune to family and the other half to the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. He established the foundation in 1944 to honor his son, who died of influenza during World War I. The charity continues today and, based on Benedum’s wishes, directs much of its philanthropy to West Virginia.

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