Poundstone & Ellis recognized for contributions to the community; new plaza dedicated in their honor

October 15, 2018

BUCKHANNON, WV:  Last week, two prominent figures from our town, Elizabeth J. “Binky” Poundstone and Franklin C. “Hank” Ellis, were recognized for their significant contributions to the city of Buckhannon. Family and friends joined City representatives to celebrate their achievements. The new Poundstone – Ellis Legacies Plaza stands adjacent to the West Virginia Wesleyan College baseball field commemorating some of their many initiatives that continue to benefit the community. Thank you, Binky & Hank!

Full text from the new signs:

** ELIZABETH J. “BINKY” POUNDSTONE**

MRS. POUNDSTONE WAS BORN ELIZABETH JEAN ZICKEFOOSE IN BUCKHANNON ON DECEMBER 29, 1929.  BINKY WAS THE MATRIARCH OF THE CITY OF BUCKHANNON FOR DECADES.  FIRST APPOINTED TO SERVE THE BALANCE OF HER LATE HUSBAND CHARLEY’S SEAT ON CITY COUNCIL IN 1963, SHE WAS ELECTED AS CITY RECORDER IN 1964 & WAS ELECTED TO SERVE 13 CONSECUTIVE, TWO-YEAR TERMS, RETIRING AS CITY RECORDER IN 1990.  SHE REMAINED ACTIVE IN CITY AFFAIRS, BEING ELECTED TO CITY COUNCIL IN 1990.  MRS. POUNDSTONE WAS FIRST ELECTED AS BUCKHANNON’S MAYOR IN 1996, & REELECTED IN 2000.

MUCH OF THE TREMENDOUS PROGRESS REALIZED IN OUR BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR COMMUNITY DURING THE DECADES OF HER SERVICE TO HER HOMETOWN WAS ATTRIBUTED TO BINKY POUNDSTONE, INCLUDING ACQUISITION OF THE CITY WATERWORKS SYSTEM, EXPANSION OF SANITARY SEWER WORKS, WASTE COLLECTION, THE BUILDING OF THE BUCKHANNON DAM, PAVING OF STREETS, CONSTRUCTION OF SIDEWALKS, INSTALLATION OF STREET LIGHTS, EXPANSION & RENOVATION OF CITY HALL, PARKS’ DEVELOPMENT, & CITY FINANCIAL & IN-KIND ASSISTANCE TO THE THEN STOCKERT YOUTH CENTER, NOW THE CITY OF BUCKHANNON’S STOCKERT YOUTH & COMMUNITY CENTER.  MRS. POUNDSTONE WAS ALWAYS A FERVENT SUPPORTER OF ALL THINGS CONCERNING OUR YOUTH, SENIOR CITIZENS, & VETERANS OF OUR COMMUNITY.  SHE GUIDED INITIATIVES TO CONVEY CITY PROPERTY TO PERMIT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BUCKHANNON WALMART IN 2000, REALIZE THE VETERANS’ ADDITION TO HEAVNER CEMETERY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LEWIS-UPSHUR ANIMAL SHELTER, & THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OUR RIVER TRAIL SURROUNDING THIS VERY PLACE.  SEVERAL ANNEXATIONS OCCURRED DURING HER TIME AS MAYOR, & THE FIRST MUNICIPAL FLOOD MITIGATION PROGRAMS WERE INITIATED DURING HER TERMS AS CITY RECORDER & MAYOR.

BINKY WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FORMATION OF THE WEST VIRGINIA MUNICIPAL LEAGUE IN THE 1970S & SERVED ON THE FIRST BOARD DIRECTORS OF THE WVML.  SHE GARNERED SEVERAL AWARDS FOR HER 37 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE INCLUDING HER RECOGNITION BY THE WVML AS CITY RECORDER OF THE YEAR & THE 1983 B-U CHAMBER OF COMMERCE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR.  BINKY WAS ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF THE WV CITY CLERKS & RECORDERS ASSOCIATION & SERVED AS A LONGTIME MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE WV PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT BOARD.

HER NETWORKING WITH STATE & FEDERAL OFFICIALS WAS LEGENDARY, & AIDED BUCKHANNON’S FAVORABLE TREATMENT BY AGENCIES THAT SPONSORED GRANTS PERMITTING DEVELOPMENT OF OUR CITY’S INFRASTRUCTURE AS THE WATER & SEWER PLANTS WERE EXPANDED OR NEWLY BUILT DURING HER TIME AS CITY RECORDER OR MAYOR.  SIMPLY STATED, IF THERE WAS A MOUNT RUSHMORE OF CITY OF BUCKHANNON CONTRIBUTORS, MRS. POUNDSTONE WOULD BE A CENTRAL FIGURE.  SHE DIED IN WYOMING WHILE VISITING HER SON CHARLIE ON SEPTEMBER 6, 2000, SURVIVED BY HER DAUGHTERS LIBBY & JANE, & SONS CHARLIE & JOHN.

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING HER PASSING, THE BUCKHANNON RIVER WALK TRAIL SURROUNDING THIS VERY SPOT WAS RENAMED IN HER HONOR & MEMORY.  OUR COMMUNITY’S RESIDENTS SHALL ALWAYS BE MINDFUL OF THE RICH BINKY POUNDSTONE LEGACY & SHE SHALL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED FONDLY AS A PASSIONATE & COMPASSIONATE LEADER.

THE POUNDSTONE-ELLIS LEGACIES’ PLAZA WAS DEDICATED BY THE CITY OF BUCKHANNON &

WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE DURING WVWC’S HOMECOMING WEEKEND ON OCTOBER 6, 2018

** FRANKLIN C. “HANK” ELLIS**

MR. ELLIS WAS BORN IN BLUEFIELD, WV, ON AUGUST 18, 1921. HANK SERVED IN THE U.S. NAVAL RESERVE FROM 1942 UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT IN 1967 AS A LIEUTENANT COMMANDER. HE WAS THE COMMANDING OFFICER ON THE USS LCT 710 FROM MAY OF 1944 THROUGH MARCH OF 1945 WHERE HE CARRIED CARGO FROM LARGE SHIPS TO & ACROSS THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY.  HE MADE THE D-DAY LANDING ON UTAH BEACH, NORMANDY, FRANCE, ON JUNE 6, 1944.  IN JUNE OF 1945, HE WAS THE GUNNERY OFFICER ON THE USS-LCI 728 IN PEARL HARBOR.  HANK RETURNED TO NORMANDY FOR THE 20TH REUNION OF D-DAY IN 1964, THE 50TH REUNION IN 1994, & THE 60TH REUNION IN 2004.  HE WAS AWARDED THE FRENCH LEGION MEDAL OF HONOR IN 2015 BY THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT.

HANK GRADUATED FROM BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR HIGH SCHOOL IN 1939, & THEN RECEIVED HIS BACHELOR’S DEGREE FROM WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE IN 1943.  MR. ELLIS RECEIVED HIS MASTER’S DEGREE FROM WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY IN 1947.  HANK WAS A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL PLAYER FOR THE WHEELING BLUES FROM 1947-50, & SERVED AS A MEMBER OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC BASKETBALL COMMITTEE FROM 1969-72.  HE COACHED & TAUGHT AT MARTINS FERRY HIGH SCHOOL IN OHIO IN 1949.  IN 1950, HANK RETURNED TO WVWC WHERE HE COACHED & TAUGHT HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION FROM 1950-90.  SERVING AS OUR COLLEGE’S HEAD BASKETBALL COACH, HE AMASSED 303 VICTORIES.  AS THE HEAD BASEBALL COACH HIS TEAMS EARNED 298 WINS.  HANK ALSO SERVED AS THE HEAD CROSS COUNTRY COACH, & LATER AS ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT WVWC.

ON APRIL 30, 1986, OUR COLLEGE BASEBALL FIELD THAT THIS SIGN IS SHADOWED BY, WAS NAMED IN HIS HONOR.  HANK WAS INDUCTED INTO THE BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR SPORTS HALL OF FAME, THE WV SPORTS HALL OF FAME, & THE WVWC SPORTS HALL OF FAME.  SIMPLY STATED, HANK ELLIS WAS ONE OF IF NOT THE MOST DECORATED ATHLETES, COACHES, & SPORTS LEGENDS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR COMMUNITY & WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE.

HANK ELLIS FURTHER DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO SERVICE AS EVIDENCED BY HIS BEING A LIFE MEMBER OF BUCKHANNON VFW POST #3663 & THE FRANK B. BARTLETT AMERICAN LEGION POST #7.  HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE FRANKLIN LODGE #7 AF & M WITH A MASTER MASON 50 YEAR PIN.  HANK FURTHER WAS A 50 YEAR MEMBER OF THE BUCKHANNON LIONS CLUB.  HE WAS AN ACTIVE PARISHIONER IN THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF BUCKHANNON FOR DECADES.

HANK ELLIS DIED ON OCTOBER 29, 2015, SURVIVED BY HIS SON FRANK “HANK” ELLIS, & HIS TWO DAUGHTERS, CHERI ELLIS GREEN & JEANNE ELLIS ZICKEFOOSE.  HE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS BELOVED WIFE OF MORE THAN 64 YEARS, RUTH ALICE SHERRARD ELLIS, IN 2009.  OUR BUCKHANNON-UPSHUR & WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE COMMUNITIES SHALL ALWAYS BE MINDFUL OF THE LONG & LASTING LEGACY OF HANK ELLIS, WHO POSITIVELY IMPACTED THOUSANDS OF YOUNG LIVES DURING HIS LENGTHY & DISTINGUISHED TENURE AT WVWC.

THE POUNDSTONE-ELLIS LEGACIES’ PLAZA WAS DEDICATED BY THE CITY OF BUCKHANNON &

WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE DURING WVWC’S HOMECOMING WEEKEND ON OCTOBER 6, 2018.

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For questions, contact Callie Cronin Sams, callie.csams@buckhannonwv.org.