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Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of four articles profiling the Wheeling Hall of Fame's newest members in advance of June 3's induction ceremony.
WHEELING -- A civic leader who capitalized on the region's potential for tourism and a pioneering physician who advanced the practice of medicine are among the Wheeling Hall of Fame's 2017 inductees.
J. Ross Felton and the late Dr. John Frissell have been chosen for the hall in the category of business, industry and professions. They and eight other people will be honored during a June 3 ceremony and dinner at WesBanco Arena.
Felton helped to set the stage for the Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay Park, Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp. and professional hockey in the city.
The Hall of Fame Board cited Felton's "influence in charting the course of modern-day Wheeling" and characterized him as "one of the people responsible for Wheeling's resiliency."
In making its selection, the board said of Felton, "His lifelong efforts have laid the groundwork for our city's 21st-century reinvention, a reinvention that is taking place today on the streets of Wheeling.
Quietly through his leadership he has created a path we can follow into the future, a path grounded in tourism, high-quality entertainment and historic preservation."
Felton, a Fairmont native, was hired to be part of the management team at WWVA in 1965. Four years later, the radio station and the Jamboree show moved from the Wheeling Island Exhibition Hall to the Capitol Theatre. Hall of Fame officials said the theater's reopening "set the tone for a golden era in our community's history." He also was a co-founder of Jamboree In The Hills.
A dinnertime conversation between Felton and G. Randolph Worls, also a Wheeling Hall of Fame member, in December 1984 led to the creation of the Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay Park. He and Worls also founded the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In 1994, Felton was one of four incorporators of the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp. He served on its boards for more than 18 years. He also was a leader in attracting the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds to Wheeling and, several years later, assembling a group of local partners to become owners of the Wheeling Nailers.
Frissell, who died in 1893, was a founder of Wheeling Hospital and accomplished several surgical firsts in West Virginia. He also was a military surgeon and medical superintendent during the Civil War.
A native of Massachusetts, Frissell moved to Wheeling in 1836 and established a medical practice while teaching botany in schools and lecturing on various topics.
The Hall of Fame committee stated: "Soon after arriving in Wheeling, Frissell became noted for his surgical skill. In 1838, he performed the first operation to repair a hare-lip and deformed upper jaw, while the following year he operated on a club-foot. In 1841, Frissell completed an operation for strabismus (crossed eyes) and in 1846, the first operation for kidney stones. In 1853, he became the first surgeron in the state to use chloroform for surgical purposes."
Frissell was instrumental in the development of three medical institutions in the city. He and three other doctors established the Wheeling Dispensary in 1845. Later that year, he and Dr. Simon Hullihen opened the Infirmary for private patients.
In March 1850, the Most Rev. Richard V. Whelan, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling, chartered Wheeling Hospital with Frissell and Hullihen as surgeons. After Hullihen's death in 1857, Frissell was given sole charge of the hospital. He also served as attending physician for the Sisters of St. Joseph, Sisters of the Visitation and their students.
As attending surgeon, he saved the life of Union Col. Benjamin Franklin Kelley, who was wounded grievously at the battle of Philippi in 1861. Frissell was appointed medical superintendent of military prisoners and sick soldiers in the Athenaeum Prison and Wheeling Hospital. He also was named assistant surgeon by the U.S. surgeon general and served on the state board of examiners for surgeons entering military service during the war. He served as Marine surgeon for the city until his death.
Frissell died at age 83 in his home at 54 14th St. and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling.
The Hall of Fame ceremony dinner is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the arena box office at 304-233-4470, or through members of the Hall of Fame board.
Board members are chairman Robert DeFrancis, vice chairman Jeanne Finstein, secretary-treasurer Patricia Pockl, Jon-Erik Gilot, David H. McKinley, the Rev. Bob Willits, Dianna Vargo, Cheryl Harshman, Maureen Zambito, Wayne Barte, Gary Sacco, C.J. Kaiser, David Javersak, Jay Frey, Philip Stahl, Douglas Huff, Richard Coury and William Nutting. Wendy Scatterday is the Wheeling City Council representative.