WHEELING — The Wheeling Hall of Fame will gain 10 new members during ceremonies set for this fall.

Members of the hall of fame board on Thursday announced its 2021 class of inductees. Among them are Lisa Allen, CEO of the Ziegenfelder Company; Karla Boos, founder of Pittsburgh’s Quantum Theatre; James Buchanon “J.B.” Chambers, businessman and philanthropist; Ronald DiLorenzo, educator and musician; Beverly Allen Balch Fluty, medical technologist and historic preservationist; R. Douglas Huff, retired sports editor for The Intelligencer; Donald W. Levenson, business owner and technology innovator; Hugh Stobbs, founder of Wheeling’s distance races; William Edward “B.E.” Taylor, songwriter and recording artist; and the Rev. Bonnie Bowman Thurston, teacher, pastor and author.

The event is set to take place at 6 p.m. Sept. 10 at WesBanco Arena.

The catered event is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased at wesbancoarena.com, or by calling 304-233-7000 Monday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

A move by Wheeling City Council two years ago amended some criteria for the selections to the Hall of Fame, allowing some not living within city limits — but still making considerable contributions to Wheeling — to be considered for inclusion.

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott was among those speaking at the Hall of Fame announcement taking place Thursday at WesBanco Arena, and he thanked the Hall of Fame for their work in determining the 2021 class.

“A lot of hard work goes into making these nominations and sorting through them,” he said. “I know so many people have made contributions into Wheeling’s history …

“I know there’s an old saying that cities are no more than solutions to problems that people encounter when they live in close proximity to each other. You look at the list of nominees, and you see there were a lot of solutions to our problems.”

Wheeling Hall of Fame inductions are held every two years, typically in June, explained Robert DeFrancis, board chairman.

The 2021 inductions, however, were delayed until September to allow for more time to get past COVID-19 concerns, he said.

“We thought it would be best to wait and not have to wear masks, or have to sit 6 feet apart,” DeFrancis said.

He termed this year’s hall of fame class especially “exciting.”

– Lisa Allen is CEO of the Ziegenfelder Company, which manufactures and distributes Budget Saver Twin Pops nationwide. The product is now a top seller in the frozen treat section. During her tenure as president and CEO, she led the privately owned company through years of product development, growth, expansion, and profitability.

“They sell more ice treats than practically any other business in America,” DeFrancis said. “It’s a great asset in Wheeling.”

– Karla Boos founded Pittsburgh’s Quantum Theatre at age 28 and remained its artistic director for decades. A graduate of Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy, she attended Bethany College, the University of Pittsburgh, and the California Institute of the Arts.

Boos’ theatre doesn’t perform within a physical theatre, but takes its shows into the community, according to DeFrancis.

– James Buchanan “J.B.” Chambers, who died in 1933, “is a name well-known in Eastern Ohio and West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle,” according to DeFrancis.

He left his mark on Wheeling by creating the J.B. Chambers Memorial Foundation to serve youth of the greater Wheeling area. Projects funded include the baseball and softball complex at the I-470 Park, the Performing Arts Center at Wheeling Park High School, Chambers Family YMCA, Chambers Memorial Recreation Park, Wheeling Park Ice Rink, soccer fields at Wheeling Park, Miracle League Field at the I-470 complex, NASA Challenger Learning Center summer camp, and youth scholarships for creative programs at Oglebay Institute.

– Ronald J. DiLorenzo, who died in 2019, was employed by Ohio County Schools for 42 years. He was the school district’s 2000 Educator of the Year, and was a recipient of the 2007 West Virginia Department of Education Character Educator of the Year Award.

“He was a very, very well-known figure to thousands of students who went to Wheeling Park High School,” DeFrancis said. He added that in addition to his teaching and counseling skills, DiLorenzo was regarded as an excellent musician.

– Beverly Allen Balch Fluty, was born in New England, but during her life in Wheeling she became an “unstoppable” leader for historic preservation. She died in 2009.

She worked to promote and to save Wheeling’s National Historic Landmarks — West Virginia Independence Hall and the Suspension Bridge. She lectured, conducted field trips for the city’s school children, served on the board of the Wheeling National Area Corporation, advised the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service; helped develop Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum; and provided research for books, articles, and pamphlets.

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott speaks during the 2021 Wheeling Hall of Fame inductee announcements on Thursday. (Photo by
Joselyn King)

– R. Douglas Huff, a sports writer and editor, was a member of the Hall of Fame Board for several decades. After he resigned from the board, the board knew he immediately needed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, according to DeFrancis.

“This was almost a no-brainer for people for the board,” he said. “Doug’s reputation as a sports writer is nationally known. He was one of the first sports writers to get involved online.”

Most notably, Huff was a master of the statistics sports fans relish, DeFrancis said.

– Donald W. Levenson passed away in 1978. A graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology, he worked for RCA during World War II, inventing the “Echo Box,” for which he received a presidential citation. While helping to manage his family’s business, Reichart Furniture Company, Levenson incorporated Wheeling Antenna Company in 1952, making Wheeling one of the first cities in the country with cable television.

“Cable television is ubiquitous now. It didn’t used to be,” DeFrancis said.”He was one of the first business people to recognize that.”

– Hugh Nevin Stobbs died just last year, but not before forever changing the face of fitness running in Wheeling, according to DeFrancis.

In 1976, Stobbs founded the inaugural Elby’s First National Bank 20-Kilometer Distance Classic (now known as the Ogden Half-Marathon) and continued as its race director for the next 25 years. During those years, this annual race had been a United States Olympic team-qualifying event and the U.S. 20-kilometer national championship and was ranked as one of the top 10 road-racing events in the country.

– William Edward “B.E.” Taylor, who died in 2016 was a nationally recognized songwriter and recording and performing artist. Moving to Wheeling in the mid 1980’s, his band, the B.E. Taylor Group, had a Billboard regional number one hit with “Vitamin L.”

He led the house band and co-hosted the nationally recognized, awarded, and syndicated Christian music video show, “LightMusic.” In 1994, he founded his own record label through which he released “B.E. Taylor Christmas,” featuring his unique interpretation of many songs of Christmas. This led to the annual B.E. Taylor Christmas Tour.

“B.E. Taylor sadly died too soon, but his music lives on,” DeFrancis said.

– Rev. Bonnie Bowman Thurston is a teacher, author and religious leader. Born in Bluefield and raised in Beckley, she earned her bachelor degree from Bethany College and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia.

Ordained to ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), also affiliated with the Episcopal Church U.S.A., she has pastored numerous churches and taught at the university level for 30 years.

She is a world-renowned author on the New Testament, prayer, and especially Catholic spiritual pioneer Thomas Merton. She has authored or edited 29 books including six volumes of poetry.

Following the induction of the 10 new members, there will be 164 notables in the Wheeling Hall of Fame.

In addition to DeFrancis, Wheeling Hall of Fame Board members include vice-chair Jeanne Finstein; secretary-treasurer, Philip Stahl; F. Wayne Barte; Dick Coury; Rev. Darrell W. Cummings; Ben Exley IV; George Frazier; Jay Frey; Jon-Erik Gilot; David Javersak; Charles J. Kaiser; Kim McCluskey; Kelly Rine; Wheeling Councilman Jerry Sklavounakis; Dianna Vargo; Chris Villamagna; Rev. Bob Willits; and Maureen Zambito.