Three to be inducted into Harless Hall of Fame
MU Press Release

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University’s June Harless Center for Rural Educational Research and Development will honor three new Hall of Fame inductees at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, in the John Marshall Room of the Memorial Student Center.

The inductions of Jim Hale, Beverly Kingery and the Verizon West Virginia team of Gale Given, John Ruddick, John Golden and Greg Florence will bring the number of Hall of Fame inductees to six. The first class, inducted in 2002, included James “Buck” Harless, Dr. Jane McKee and Dr. Bernard Queen.

The inductees are chosen for their significant contributions to enhancing education in West Virginia, particularly in rural areas. Each inductee made an impact in one of three categories: administration, teaching or business partnerships.

Here is a look at the three new inductees:

Jim Hale

Hale, who was raised in remote coalfield areas of Logan and Wayne counties, is director of the Western West Virginia Tech Prep Consortium based at Marshall’s Community and Technical College. He has been instrumental in finding solutions to strengthen liaisons between K-12 and Higher Education Career and Technical curriculum offerings.

In 2000, Hale received the West Virginia Tech Prep Administrator of the Year award presented by the Higher Education Policy Commission. Prior to the Tech Prep appointment, his 35-year career in K-12 education was spent in Wayne County Schools, where he served as teacher, assistant principal, vocational director and administrative assistant to the superintendent.

Throughout the 1990s, Hale directed the High Schools That Work and School-to-Work initiatives for Wayne County. He earned business education and educational administration degrees from Marshall. 

Beverly Kingery

Kingery, a native of Boone County, W.Va., is the Reading/English and Language Arts Coordinator with the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Instructional Services.

Kingery coordinates several programs, including the Reading Academy, Reading Excellence and Reading First federal programs, Phonemic Awareness Pilot Program and Young Writers Program, as well as the Reading Cadre and several professional development programs.

A graduate of Van High School, Kingery received her Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Charleston. She later received a master of arts degree in reading and a second master of arts degree in educational administration, both from Marshall. She was co-founder of the June Harless Center for Reading Excellence, and serves as an adjunct graduate faculty member.

Kingery served as a teacher and a principal in Boone County schools for 24 years. Previous awards she has received are: 1999 Van High School Alumni of the Year, 1995 Boone County Education Award for Outstanding Service, 2001 WVDE Outstanding Service Recognition, and 2002 West Virginia Reading Association Supervisor of the Year.

Verizon West Virginia

Given, a native of Point Pleasant, W.Va., has been state president of Verizon West Virginia since July 1, 2000. She oversees Verizon West Virginia’s operations, external affairs, regulatory and financial matters.

Given earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in business administration from Marshall. She started her career in 1979 at C&P Telephone of West Virginia in the Charleston central office engineering organization.

Ruddick is Verizon West Virginia’s Executive Director Government Relations and External Affairs, Golden is Area Manager for southern West Virginia, and Florence is Corporate Account Manager.

Individuals who are selected as inductees to the Harless Hall of Fame are recognized for their outstanding contribution to the educational opportunities for the children and families of West Virginia. This year’s inductees have provided distance learning and reading education as “gateways” to the 21 st century for all West Virginia children.

For more information, call Stan Maynard, Director of the June Harless Center, at (304) 696-2890.