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WHEELING - Seven Wheeling area residents are among 28 West Virginians who will be honored as this year's West Virginia History Heroes.
During this year's West Virginia History Day at the West Legislature on Feb. 21, the seven will be honored during a ceremony at the Culture Center at the Capitol Complex in Charleston.
The following locals will be recognized:
Dean Connors of Wheeling, nominated by Victorian Old Town Association; Jon-Erik Gilot of Wheeling, nominated by the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable; Kara Gordon of Glen Dale, nominated by the Fort Henry Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution; Gene Gray of Glen Dale, nominated by the Marshall County Historical Society; Charles Julian of Wheeling, nominated by the Friends of Wheeling; Derrick Smith of Neffs, Ohio, nominated by the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia; and Terry Williamson of Wheeling, nominated by the Cockayne Farmstead.
The purpose of the award is to recognize "individuals chosen for dedicated service on behalf of an organization's programs or for recent significant contribution to the state and local history through research, interpretation, publication or preservation."
-- Entrepreneur and property owner Dean Connors had transformed several buildings in Wheeling. His efforts to revitalize and champion the historic Plaza on Market area have been widely recognized and his impact has been profound. He often can be found in the plaza telling its history. Connors is a member of the Wheeling Heritage board of directors. He was appointed by Wheeling's mayor to the Waterfront Enhancement Committee, a group tasked with studying ways to improve the economic sustainability of the historic waterfront area. He also hosts a weekly radio show with the mayor to promote history, activities and business.
-- Jon-Erik Gilot has advanced the study of West Virginia during the Civil War era through his writings in books, journals, magazines and social platforms. He is a contributing historian to the Emerging Civil War blog. As a popular lecturer and host of a monthly Civil War lecture series, he has worked to promote both West Virginia topics and historians. A professional archivist and curator, Gilot has also been active in historic preservation with several Wheeling area organizations, including Wheeling Historic Landmarks Commission, West Virginia Independence Hall Museum Foundation and Friends of Wheeling.
-- Site Manager Kara Gordon has developed creative, popular programs at the Cockayne Farmstead in Glen Dale to transport visitors of all ages to the Victorian era. In May 2021, she staged two Victorian wedding re-enactments, outfitting participants in period attire that she made by hand. In 2022 and 2023, Gordon organized a World War II Weekend that featured a wartime encampment at which visitors learned from soldier reenactors and a 1940s house, a boot camp obstacle course and a 1940s swing dance. She has also made traveling trunks for both time periods for use in teaching hands-on history during visits to local schools.
-- Gene Gray has provided extensive historical information on the Gray Dairy Farm to the Marshall County Historical Society. He donated personal collections on the dairy to the museum, including the farm's milking machine, bottle caps and a rare bottle, and he continues to contribute information on other local businesses of the last century, including a photo album. These items are on display for others to see, and Gray also provided monetary donations that have enhanced the quality of the display.
-- Derrick Smith has been a key member of Preservation Alliance of West Virginia's Historic Trades Task Force where he has provided subject matter expertise in strategic planning sessions to help the organization respond to the storage of historic trades workers in West Virginia. He has partnered with PAWV to provide educational presentations to students in Marshall County. For more than 10 years, Smith has helped with historic wood window restoration workshops across the state, educating people and to preserve West Virginia's significant cultural resources.
-- Terry Williamson has volunteered at the Cockayne Farmstead for the past three years and has become an indispensable volunteer. She spearheaded the Community Victory Garden project and has managed the maintenance of all the farmstead grounds, often spending hours in the hot sun removing weeds, planting, watering and trimming. A former kindergarten teacher, Williamson also assists the site manager with the new Traveling Trunk program that has taken history to more than 1,500 school students in the past year. The first to volunteer for every event, she helped to plan and hold the two longest events: the Garden Tea and World War II Weekend.
-- For more than 40 years, Charles Julian has provided valuable historical research assistance for local researchers and genealogists. While at WVU-Potomac State College, he spearheaded efforts to digitize campus and local newspapers and make them available online. Since he returned to Wheeling, Julian has concentrated his efforts on capturing local history related to the Warwood section of town, compiling research, providing programs and encouraging residents to find the "compelling narratives" in their locales. Other projects include inventorying and documenting occupants of Mount de Chantal Visitation Cemetery and researching Wheeling architect George Bradley Cunningham. Julian also served several years on the West Virginia Library Commission.