On Thursday, May 24, 2018, Benjamin Woodard and Pat McClure will present “World War I: Honoring and Remembering Soldiers Who Gave All in the Great War” in the Archives and History Library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The program will begin at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Woodard and McClure will speak about the general history of World War I and sources for period research available at the West Virginia State Archives. Woodard will present his efforts to honor the 88 soldiers from Cabell County who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the war. He also will share the stories of individual soldiers, including African American service, the influenza/pneumonia epidemic, and a soldier’s letter home.
Benjamin Woodard, an Eagle Scout and Buckskin Council Eagle Scout of the Year, was named a West Virginia History Hero in 2018. He is a recipient of the Huntington, West Virginia, Exceptional Citizen Award, given by the mayor for exceptional service to the community. He also is the recipient of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution Founders Medal Award, the Mary Desha Medal for Youth, which is given for displaying exemplary service to his community. He is an avid amateur historian and genealogist and is currently a 9th-grade homeschool student.
Pat McClure is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and has a master’s degree from Ohio University. After teaching for two decades at West Virginia State University, she has spent retirement writing about historical subjects, primarily about the individuals included on the West Virginia Veterans Memorial on the Capitol Complex.
Participants may park behind the Culture Center after 5:00 p.m. on May 24 and enter the building at the back loading dock area. There also is limited handicapped parking available in the new bus turnaround.
For additional information, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
