Chapter and Alumni Service Awards
Awards & Scholarships
Each year, alumni spend countless hours supporting West Virginia University through recruiting, fund-raising and networking efforts across the country. The WVU Alumni Association recognizes outstanding alumni for their commitment to WVU during Homecoming.
The David W. Jacobs Lifetime Service Award
This award recognizes support and lifelong service to the WVU Alumni Association. The award was named for David Wood Jacobs who served as director of the Alumni Association for more than 37 years.
This year’s recipient is Gen. Earl E. Anderson. Anderson graduated from WVU with honors in 1940 with a bachelor’s degree and in 1949 with a master’s degree, both in education. He was awarded an honorary degree of doctor of laws from the WVU. He received his law degree from George Washington University where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as editor-in-chief of the Law Review. He is the former assistant commandant of the United States Marine Corps, and is one of only 21 four-star generals in the entire history of the Marine Corps. At the time of his appointment, he was also the youngest four-star general in the Corps. He is the only WVU graduate ever promoted to this rank in the U.S. Marines. After serving in multiple combat tours, he was awarded 20 personal decorations and seven foreign personal decorations, among others.
Anderson continued to serve his alma mater as a member of the WVU Alumni Association Executive Council from 1971-78 and as president of the Alumni Association in 1976-77. He currently serves as chair of the board of trustees of the WVU Alumni Association’s Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund, the University’s oldest scholarship fund. In 1973, he was named West Virginia Son of the Year. He is a member of the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni and the Order of Vandalia.
He and his wife Jane reside in Vienna, Va., and they have three children: Susan, Mark and Colonel David Anderson, USMC, ret.
Recipients of the David W. Jacobs Lifetime Service Award
The Margaret Buchanan Cole Young Alumni Award
Named for Margaret Buchanan, founder of WVU's Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and first woman to serve as president of the Alumni Association, this award honors a WVU alumnus/alumna who graduated within the last 10 years and has provided outstanding service to the Alumni Association or a local chapter.
The 2006 recipient is Shannon E. Pill. As president of the New York/New Jersey Metro Chapter, Pill has been instrumental in the growth and success of the chapter. The NY/NJ Metro Chapter is an important region of the country for WVU in student recruitment, career opportunities and stewardship. Through her involvement in the chapter, she assists in the planning of alumni activities during the Big East Tournament held annually in New York, oversees the Patrick Matz Memorial Scholarship, and plans regular networking events in the New York City area.
Pill, a native of Morgantown, is an employer relations manager/career counselor with Pace University in New York.
Recipients of the Margaret Buchanan Cole Young Alumni Award
The James R. McCartney Community Service Award
The James R. McCartney Community Service Award recognizes a member of the WVU Alumni Association who has given outstanding citizenship and service to his/her community.
In recognition of his outstanding service to his community, John Fleming is the recipient of the James R. McCartney Community Service Award. Fleming, who attended WVU from 1962-1966 before leaving to serve in the military, comes from a family that bleeds gold and blue. The younger brother of the late Jack Fleming – the voice of the Mountaineers – Fleming is president of The Book Exchange, Inc., which has been in operation for more than 70 years.
A loyal supporter of alumni activities and events, Fleming extends that commitment to the community by supporting a number of community organizations, as well as WVU student organizations during the school year. He is as a booster for the Mountaineer Maniacs. Proceeds from his most recent project, a wide angle collectors’ print of the WVU Sugar Bowl win over Georgia, will help support alumni programming for alumni and friends.
He, his wife Anita, and their son Jonathan live in Morgantown.
Recipients of the James R. McCartney Community Service Award
The Paul B. "Buck" Martin Award
This award recognizes a member of the WVU Alumni Association who has worked to preserve, maintain and promote the traditions of WVU. The award was named for Buck Martin who served as president of the Alumni Association and was the former editor of The Martinsburg Journal and noted WVU historian.
Kacy Wiedebusch, a native of Clarksburg, is this year’s recipient. As professor emeritus, dance coordinator and artistic director of the Orchesis Dance Ensemble at WVU, Wiedebusch has been a loyal supporter of alumni activities and events.
Often referred to as WVU’s “first lady of dance,” she built the nationally recognized dance program at WVU. In the 1960s she played a pivotal role in creating the Elizabeth Moore Dance Studio on the downtown campus and in 1976 she founded the artist-in-residence program. She received two national awards for her commitment to dance on the national/college level and has been honored as a founding member of the American College Dance Festival Association. Under her direction, the WVU dance program and the Orchesis Dance Ensemble were instrumental in the development of the West Virginia Dance Festival.
Her daughter, Carole Wiedebusch, is carrying on the tradition as an assistant professor of dance.
Recipients of the Paul B. "Buck" Martin Award
The John F. Nicholas Jr. Award
This award recognizes a member of the WVU Alumni Association who has given outstanding service and contributions to a local alumni chapter. The award is named in memory of Col. Nicholas who was a distinguished WVU alumnus and former chapter leader in the Washington, D.C., metro area.
This year’s recipient, Mike “Chappy” Chapman, has been actively involved in the Blue Ridge Chapter of the alumni association for more than 20 years, serving as the president for the past 10 years.
Chapman’s loyalty to WVU and the alumni association remains a key focus of his daily life. He has guided the group from a fledgling chapter into a dynamic organization that daily promotes the educational benefits of the University to residents of southwestern Virginia.
He has been instrumental in creating the annual WVU Blue Ridge Mountaineers Club Pig Roast which supports programming and scholarships for future students. Chapman graduated from WVU in 1969 with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. As a student, he was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Chapman works in the refuse and recycling equipment business in southwestern Virginia.
He and his wife, Linda, live in Roanoke, Va.