WHEELING – The theme of the Ohio Valley Medical Center School of Nursing — “Never Let Her Light Grow Dim” — was at the forefront of the minds of former OVMC faculty as they watched the OVGH, aka the Ohio Valley General Hospital, letters float down from the building.

The “O” was the first to go from the building as the demolition contractor removed the letters from the former OVMC building via crane on Wednesday morning. Each letter was transported to the City of Wheeling’s Operations Center for storage following its removal.

After lighting up the city for more than 70 years following their installation in 1953, the future of the “OVGH” sign will now be determined through the collaboration of the OVGH History Group and the City of Wheeling.

OVGH History Group members Mary McKinley and Betty Jo Sproull, former students and nurse administrators at the OVMC School of Nursing, stood at the corner of Chapline and 20th streets to watch the removal of each letter. Both were eager to get an up-close look at the letters once they reached the storage facility.

“We’re going to take a look and see what needs to happen to the letters as there may need to be a lot of restoration or maybe not very much,” McKinley said. “We don’t know what shape they’re in until we get them down and take a look at them.”

Though the letters had not even reached the storage facility, McKinley already had restoration ideas in mind. The letters are made of steel covered in green porcelain, with McKinley envisioning replacing the neon that was once used to light the letters with LED lights.

Once the letters are restored and glowing again, McKinley said the plan is to put them on permanent display in Friendly City. The exact location of the display is still unknown, but McKinley suggested the Wheeling Police Department building as a possible location.

McKinley added that the OVGH History group has already begun obtaining grants and donations to relight and stage the letters in a permanent location. The group includes representatives from the City of Wheeling, WVU Medicine, the Ohio County Library and former OVMC employees who will collaborate with the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley to execute the project.

Michele Rejonis, City of Wheeling marketing and community relations specialist, serves as the city representative in the OVGH History Group. As she watched the letters float down on Wednesday, she noted the OVMC was a “pivotal part” of healthcare in the Ohio Valley.

“The city is proud to be a part of preserving this little piece of history for OVMC,” Rejonis said. “It’s been an honor to be a part of the history group with the ladies from the nursing school.”

Apart from making sure the letters were removed and transported safely from the building, OVGH History Group members gathered for the removal and recalled their memories of the nursing school and hospital.

As the “O” was lifted off the building, McKinley became emotional and said, “This place made a difference.”

“All I can think of right now is the employees, the families impacted by the care and the babies born there,” McKinley said. “The hospital was the basis of education for many medical personnel in the city. All those people learned their craft there, so that place really made a difference.”

Beyond what happened inside the facility, Sproull reminisced on how the emerald glow of the letters was a beacon for residents heading into the city.

“Everybody in the city of Wheeling saw those lights,” Sproull said. “I had a gentleman tell me one day, ‘I come across the bridge and look over and see those lights at OVGH, and I know I’m home.'”

OVGH History Group members want to capture the feeling of “home” the letters bring to residents in their eventual resting place in the city. Sproull noted that the contract with the demolition company specified that the “cornerstones” of the building, including the letters, two time capsules and bricks from the building, must be saved. The group has distributed more than 400 bricks to those interested in receiving one.

“We have old uniforms and even original sets of board minutes that we open, and the papers are just falling apart,” Sproull said. “Mary and I have been meeting every Tuesday for two years identifying things, and we’re creating a documentary film to document the hospital’s history.”

The documentary, “Beacon Light — A History of OVGH, OVMC and the OVGH School of Nursing,” will be created by the OVGH History Group and Wheeling Heritage. Drone footage of the letters’ removal was shot on Wednesday to include in the film.

“Mary, the rest of the committee, and I are trying to capture the essence of what a unique place OVMC was and respectfully honor that uniqueness,” Sproull said. “This whole project has challenged us. It’s been sad but also interesting to relieve the history of this building through artifacts and sort of an exercise in preventing Alzheimer’s from developing.”

To support the OVGH letter restoration project, Sproull said to contact the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley.