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WEST LIBERTY -- West Liberty University announced its Alumni Wall of Honor inductees for 2026. The four individuals have had a significant impact on communities throughout the Ohio Valley through their professional achievements. They include:
David Bridgeman '77, a dentist from New Martinsville
Todd Cover '98, president and Chief Executive Officer of Belmont Savings Bank in Bellaire
Joyce Jingle '78, a longtime choral educator in Ohio County schools
Richard L. Morgan '01, an arts educator and nonprofit leader throughout the Ohio Valley
"West Liberty University is proud of the achievements of our alumni," said Dr. Tim Borchers, President. "This group of inductees, in particular, has had a long history of service to the region and has made our communities stronger."
Bridgeman graduated from West Liberty State College in 1977 with a B.S. in Biology. He received his D.D.S. degree from the WVU School of Dentistry in 1980. He practiced dentistry for 45 years in his hometown of New Martinsville, West Virginia, before retiring in 2025. Dr. Bridgeman's practice philosophy primarily focused on preventive and conservative restorative therapies that offered some assurance of longevity beyond many typical dental restorations.
He holds fellowship in both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists. In 2020, Dr. Bridgeman was awarded the WVU School of Dentistry Alumni Board's Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 2022, he received the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators' Distinguished Member Award. In 2025, Dr. Bridgeman was honored by the West Virginia Dental Association with the presentation of its highest award, the Robert B. Bridgeman Distinguished Dentist Award.
Cover holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management from West Liberty University ('98), where he was honored as the keynote speaker for the University's Fall 2024 Commencement. Cover brings more than 25 years of diverse financial services experience to his executive leadership. He launched his banking career in regulation, working for four years as an examiner with the West Virginia Division of Financial Institutions.
He serves on the Ohio Bankers League Board and is Vice Chair of the Ohio Bankers League Bank Services Board. In the community, he serves as president of the Wheeling Health Right board and holds board seats with the Regional Economic Development (RED) Partnership, Appalachian Growth Capital, and the West Liberty University Foundation. He is also the past board president of the United Way of the Upper Ohio Valley, where he received the 2024 Building a Better Community Award.
Joyce Jingle, a 1978 graduate of West Liberty University, also holds a master's degree from West Virginia University and has held her National Board Certification for Professional Teaching Standards in Music for Young Adults for the last 15 years. Jingle was a music educator for 47 years, including 45 years with Ohio County Schools, where she served as a mentor to many student teachers and first-year teachers. She also spent several years as an adjunct teacher at both West Liberty and Wheeling Universities. During her time as choir director of Wheeling Park High School, Jingle's choirs were named the West Virginia State Honor Choir three times.
Jingle is currently retired from public school teaching but continues to be involved with music in the community as director of the Wheeling Symphony Chorus, a coordinator for Symphony on Ice, and most recently helped organize the Wheeling Symphony Young People's Concerts for more than 2,000 area students. She has also served as director of the OVAC Queen of Queens Pageant associated with the Rudy Mumley All-Star Football Game for the past 17 years.
Morgan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education from West Liberty State College in 2001 and began his professional career with Oglebay Institute that same year. Over the course of 25 years with Oglebay Institute's Stifel Fine Arts Center, Morgan served as director of Art Education and later as director of the Stifel Fine Arts Center. He developed and led educational programs serving thousands of children, students, adults, schools and community organizations. His work included school-based programs, after-school programs, summer camps, artist residencies, workshops and community arts initiatives.
Morgan developed the nationally recognized Art Explorers program and Ceramics Take Over Wheeling, which features a national ceramics exhibition celebrating the artistic possibilities of clay. He established partnerships with schools and arts organizations across the region and presented at several education conferences. He has also served as a juror, guest speaker, arts advocate and community collaborator.
The WLU Alumni Wall of Honor honors the University's most distinguished alumni and displays pride in the accomplishments of its graduates. The Wall of Honor can be seen on the third floor of the Paul Elbin Library on the WLU campus.
This year's Alumni Wall of Honor honorees will be formally inducted on Friday, Oct. 16, at the President's Recognition Dinner, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The event is part of the annual Homecoming celebration. Tickets for the dinner and information about the week's events are available at westliberty.edu/homecoming.