Newspaper Industry’s brightest stars and leaders among those being honored and inducted
WV Press Staff Report
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia’s newspaper industry will honor its past, present, and future with its Hall of Fame Celebration on Oct. 13-14 at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling.
Set for Friday evening, Oct. 13, and Saturday morning, Oct. 14, the re-imagined Hall of Fame event will recognize the newspaper industry’s newest stars and most valuable employees. The industry’s highest individual honor, the Adam R. Kelly Award, will also be presented during the celebration. The highlight of the weekend will be the induction of historical and recent industry leaders into the West Virginia Press Association’s Hall of Fame, which is housed at the Reed College of Media at West Virginia University.
“WV Press hosts this celebration every other year, but COVID forced us to cancel the event. Our board of directors wanted to re-energize the event and recognize the many talented new employees joining our newspaper industry,” said Betsy Miles, assistant executive director of the WV Press Association.
The tentative celebration program is as follows:
Friday, Oct. 13
6 p.m. – Welcome and Brightest Stars Reception
- Introduction of the WV Press Association Leadership
- Rising Stars Class of 2023 Announcement – Outstanding employees with five years of experience or less at their company.
- MVPs (Most Valuable Performers) Class of 2023 Announcement – Outstanding employees with more than five years of experience at their company.
- Adam R. Kelly Award – Announcement of the winner of the industry’s highest individual honor.
Each qualified newspaper in West Virginia can nominate one employee as a “Rising Star” and one as an MVP. Newspaper industry employees and representatives submit can Adam R. Kelly nominations to the WV Press Association at donsmith@wvpress.org
Ballots for nominees will be emailed to the newspapers on Monday.
Saturday, Oct. 14
10 a.m. — Brunch
11 a.m. – Hall of Fame Inductions – Honorees will be announced in September.
- Industry Leadership Comments
- Veterans Committee Honorees – Inductees out of the industry prior to 2000.
- Hall of Fame Class of 2023 – Inductees out of the industry since 2000.
The event is open to the public and friends of the industry. Tickets are $25 and available by emailing Smith at donsmith@wvpress.org or online at Eventbrite
Don Smith, executive director of the WVPA, said with the support of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine — the “Family Sponsor” — along with WVPA’s corporate partners AARP WV and WVU, and other sponsors, WV Press is able to make its events affordable and family friendly where spouses and family can attend at no cost to the attendee or their companies.
The following is a list of WV Press representatives:
2024-2025 WV Press Association Hall of Fame Committee includes:
- Ogden Nutting, Ogden Newspapers
- Frank Wood, Beckley Register-Herald, retired
- Phoebe Heishman, Moorefield Examiner
- Dean Diana Martinelli, Reed College of Media
- Don Smith, Executive Director of the West Virginia Press Association
2024 & 2025 WV Press Association Officers & Directors include:
- President: Hannah Heishman, Moorefield Examiner
- Vice President of Dailies: Terri Hale, The Register-Herald, CNHI Newspapers
- Vice President of Weeklies: Scot Refsland, West Virginia Daily News
- Treasurer: David Hedges, Spencer Newspapers, Spencer
- Past President: Perry Nardo, The Intelligencer & Wheeling News-Register
- Director – Term expiring in 2028: James McGoldrick, St. Marys Oracle, St. Marys
- Director – Term expiring in 2026: Doug Skaff, The Charleston Gazette-Mail
- Director – Term expiring in 2027: Sallie See, The Hampshire Review
- Director – Term expiring in 2029: Jim Spanner, Parkersburg News and Sentinel
2024 & 2025 WV Press Association Foundation Trustees include:
- President Ed Given, publisher of the Braxton Citizens’ News and Braxton Democrat
- Frank Wood, The Register-Herald, retired
- Pam Pritt, formerly of The Pocahontas Times
- Nanya Friend, Charleston Gazette-Mail, retired
- Randy Mooney, Bluefield Daily Telegraph/Beckley Register Herald, retired
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