Wheeling Hall of Fame Board Announces 2017 Inductees
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WHEELING -- Ten people, representing a wide range of achievement and talent, will be inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame next month.
Robert DeFrancis, hall of fame board chairman, announced the honorees Wednesday. This year's inductees, by category, are as follows:
– Margaret Ann "Peg" Brennan, education and religion;
– J. Ross Felton and Dr. John Frissell, both for business, industry and professions;
– Betty Woods "Snookie" Nutting and Judge Frederick P. Stamp Jr., both for public service;
– Mollie O'Brien and Robert Villamagna, both for music and fine arts;
– Charles P. Saad, sports and athletics;
– Harry S. Sands and his wife, Helen Turner Sands, being inducted jointly for philanthropy.
They will be honored during a June 3 ceremony at WesBanco Arena.
A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6:30 p.m. DeFrancis said, "I promise you it will be a grand evening for the city of Wheeling."
The event is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling the arena box office at 304-233-4470, or through members of the Hall of Fame board.
Brennan, an educator and scholar, makes history alive in the community, while documenting current events for future generations. "Through research, writing, lectures and activism in the fields of historic preservation and education, she inspires the citizens of today to value and learn from their yesterdays," the board stated.
Felton, in management at WWVA, helped to set the stage for the Winter Festival of Lights at Oglebay Park, Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, Wheeling National Heritage Area Corp. and professional hockey in the city, DeFrancis said.
Frissell, who died in 1893, was a founder of Wheeling Hospital and accomplished several surgical firsts in West Virginia, including the use of chloroform for surgery, the board chairman said.
Nutting, a lifelong preservationist, helped to save 22 buildings in the city and became synonymous with the Victorian Wheeling concept, DeFrancis said.
O'Brien, a Grammy Award winner, is known internationally as a folk, Americana, bluegrass and rhythm and blues singer. She has performed at major music festivals and venues around the world.
Saad, who died in 2014, had a 30-year career in athletic training for major and minor league baseball, professional basketball and college athletics. In the off-season, he worked 33 years at the Wheeling YMCA.
The Sandses, who both died in 1952, established a trust that has given more than $7 million to charitable organizations in the Wheeling area. Their farm, Sandscrest, is now owned by the Sandscrest Foundation Inc. and is used as a religious and spiritual retreat of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia.
Stamp, who presides in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, was appointed to the federal bench in 1990 and served as chief judge from 1994 to 2001. Previously, he served in the West Virginia Legislature and as chair of the West Virginia Board of Regents.
Villamagna, an award-winning visual artist and assistant professor at West Liberty University, was the state's 2016 Artist of the Year. His iconic art is in many permanent collections. He is an active member of the Wheeling Arts Commission.