HUNTINGTON — The City of Huntington Foundation Inc. has announced its five new inductees for the "Greater Huntington Wall of Fame" for 2019.
At the City of Huntington Foundation's Aug. 1 meeting, the board of directors elected John S. Anderson, David E. Becker, Charlene L. Farrell, James W. St. Clair and Judy K. Rule to receive outstanding citizen awards for this year. These inductees will bring the total number of inductees to 143.
The 2019 induction ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Huntington Civic Arena. Reservations for the event are required. The reception is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the induction ceremony at approximately 8 p.m., officials announced.
Below are short biographies of this year's inductees:
John S. Anderson
John S. Anderson was born in Huntington on July 5, 1941, the son of the late Spencer M. and Margret Anderson.
Anderson was raised with the philosophy of always caring for others and giving back to the community. He attended Marshall Lab School in 19646 and graduated with a BBA Cum Laude from Marshall University in 1963. He married his wife Patty 56 years ago and they have two children, Chris and Sharon, as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Volunteering is Anderson's passion, and along with his wife Patty, shared the distinguished Service Award at the annual Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce dinner while living and working for INCO in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. In later years he was presented the National Presidential Volunteer Award issued by President George W. Bush.
Anderson has been President of the John W. Hereford Boys and Girls Club in Huntington for the last 15 years plus an additional three years in the 1970s and received the club's highest national volunteer award. He has helped to raise approximately $3 million during the last 15 years, which is used for the operation of the clubs including serving 29,000 meals in 2018 for up to 150 6- to 18-year-old youth. He has also served as president of the board of Riverview Manor, a high rise for the elderly and disabled for the past 26 years.
Anderson is a member of the Huntington Rotary Club and is a Paul Harris Fellow. As a Rotarian he has chaired the Stephen A. Kopp Rotary Scholarship Committee for many years with a local Huntington senior citizen receiving up to $5,000 to attend Marshall University.
With the exception of the 12 years in Pennsylvania, Anderson has been a member of First Presbyterian Church where he has served as both a deacon and elder. In addition, he served as chairman of the stewardship committee, personnel committee, ushering team captain and greeter.
David E. Becker
1926 - 2014
David E. Becker was born in Huntington on Sept. 2, 1926. He graduated from Huntington East High School in 1944 and then joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Paris, France.
Becker returned to pursue studies in music receiving bachelors and master degrees in violin performances from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He returned to Huntington and worked for 15 years in the family business at Becker Music Store from the early 1960s through 1966.
While working at Becker Music Store, Becker played in the Charleston Symphony (now the West Virginia Symphony) and in a professional piano quintet with area musicians (piano, two violins, viola and cello).
In 1976, he accepted a position as String Specialist for the Cabell County Schools. Through his leadership teaching strings in the schools he co-founded the Cabell County Youth Orchestra traveling from school to school encouraging students to participate. He was a member of Music Educators National Conference and served as president of American String Teachers Association along with being the chair of the West Virginia All-State Orchestra.
In 1985, he was named Supervisor of Music in Cabell County Public Schools where he grew the entire music program for the county.
Becker was a member of the Steering Committee for the Birke Fine Arts Symposium at Marshall University (1988 - 1992), he established the Tri-State "High School Night of the Arts, in 1989 and was a member of the CORE Committee for Ashland's River Cities Cultural Council from 1987 to 1991.
He was the founding principal violist of the Huntington Chamber Orchestra (now the Huntington Symphony Orchestra). He was a lifetime member of the American Federation of Musicians, Retired Teachers Association, American Legion, Huntington Museum of Arts and YMCA.
Becker was a lifelong member at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Huntington. He was married to Carolyn H. Becker for 55 years and they have five daughters.
Charlene Linsenmeyer Farrell
Charlene Linsenmeyer Farrell is the daughter of the late Virginia and James Linsenmeyer. She has dedicated her life to serving others throughout her nursing career.
Farrell was a practicing nurse at St. Mary's Medical Center and Cabell Huntington Hospital and taught nursing at Eastern Kentucky University and Marshall University. For over 30 years she led Hospice of Huntington as its CEO expanding service to five counties serving thousands of patients and families.
Farrell was instrumental in the creation of the Emogene Dolin Jones Hospice House, a homelike facility for the care of terminally ill patients and their families situated on the confluence of the Ohio and Guyandotte rivers.
Farrell was an advocate for the rights for the terminally ill. She led Hospice of Huntington to become the first Medicaid certified hospice in the state and successfully lobbied for the passage of the West Virginia Hospice Licensure Law, the inclusion of hospice care for West Virginia Medicaid recipients and for the inclusion of hospice benefits for veterans.
Farrell served as president for both the Hospice Council of West Virginia and the West Network of Ethics Committees. Upon retirement from Hospice of Huntington, she was appointed to the West Virginia Certificate of Need Board.
Farrell volunteered to serve the longest with the American Red Cross culminating with service in New York after 9/11 and for both Hurricanes Katrinia and Irene. For her tireless efforts advocating for hospice services she was awarded The Herald-Dispatch 2011 Citizens Special Impact Award, Distinguished West Virginia Award, Outstanding Career Achievement Award from the College of Mount St. Joseph, Health Care Hero State Journal Award and Lifetime Achievement Award Hospice Council of West Virginia.
She is married to Judge Paul T. Farrell and has three sons and seven grandchildren. She enjoys knitting with the Our Lady of Fatima Serving Hands group making hats and scarves for the needy in the area.
James W. St. Clair
James W. St. Clair was born April 1, 1935 in Charleston. His family saw more opportunities in Huntington where they relocated in 1937.
St. Clair graduated from Huntington High School where he was elected Governor of West Virginia Mountaineers' Boy State. He was also selected as captain of the West Virginia All-State football team, lettered in football and was an academic All-American, and in wrestling and is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He earned his BA from University of Virginia in history and his Juris Doctor Degree from UVA Law School.
St. Clair has served on the boards of First Huntington National Bank, ABA International Senior Lawyers Project, and Senior Lawyers Division of the West Virginia, West Virginia Bar Association, the WVBA's Executive Council and President of the WV Board of Bar Examiners. He was past President of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra and Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District. He has pursued many Huntington historical preservation projects, notably the Heritage Village and the Coin Harvey House.
His interest has been more than commercial projects, having converted the old Miller School property to a neighborhood multi-use park; rehabilitated the C.H. Freeman Estate and gave new life to the Masonic Temple Building.
He and his wife of 60 years, Doris "Mickey" St. Clair, have four talented children who have all graduated from the University of Virginia. He has assisted in the renovation of numerous residences in Huntington and served on several church committees.
St. Clair has traveled the world spreading law practice management techniques to Ukraine, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Arica, Botswana, Zambia and Costa Rica.
Judy K. Rule
Judy K. Rule grew up in Fayette County, West Virginia. She is the daughter of Soley Woodson and Ruth Kirkwood Rule. She attended elementary and high school at Gauley Bridge and graduated from Concord College, now Concord University. She obtained her library degree from Indiana University in Bloomington.
She graduated with her degree from Indiana in late August 1967 and started to work as Coordinator of Adult Services at the Cabell County Public Library. This was a new position that had been created because the local law that established the Cabell County Public Library had been passed by the West Virginia Legislature in March of that year. This law gave the library stable funding and allowed library director James B. Nelson the ability to hire additional professional staff.
During her more than 50 years at the library, she has seen it grow from three to seven branches and all of them with the exception of Barboursville, built during her time at the library.
She is currently working to replace the building at Barboursville with a building twice the size of the current library. The library automated its catalog and circulation system in the early 1980s and was the first library in West Virginia to do so.
Rule was appointed director of the library in 1984 and is still in that position.
She served the West Virginia Library Association as secretary, vice-president and president. She has been the elected representative to the American Library Association and served as councilor and has served as representative to the Southeastern Library Association. She served as one of West Virginia's delegates to the second White House Conference on Libraries. She received the Dora Ruth Parks Award from WVLA in 1985.
Rule still belongs to several local organizations, including Rotary Club, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Quota Club. She is an alumni of Leadership West Virginia. She has served on the board of directors of Leadership Tri-State, the Tri-State Literacy Council and Publisher's Place.
