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Last month, the OLOL staff asked you how you first heard about Wesleyan. Here are your responses.

A scholarship of $100 was offered to me in 1943. That was my introduction to Wesleyan. Since that was during WWII, we were housed in the residence across from the women's dorm. The dorm at that time was the home of Air Cadets. Needless to say, it was an interesting trade off. My stay at Wesleyan was short-lived. My financial situation forced me to transfer to WVU where I graduated with a BS in Education. I am very thankful for the time spent at Wesleyan, because it was that environment which instilled in me the "high values" I carried throughout my life. Now after 30 years full time teaching, and 12 years substituting, retirement at age 81 feels great.
PS Sixteen years of my life were spent as a stay- at -home mom raising six children.
Virginia Casey--if you are reading this--let me hear from you.
-- Eleanor (Fragale) McLaughlin

Harvey Rice and I met at NYU (near Greenwich Village) and became good friends. We were both living at home and traveling to school each day. Harvey decided to look for an out-of-town school that might allow a different approach to his educational goals with the opportunity to live more independently in a campus setting. He then located Wesleyan, visited and evaluated it, and decided to transfer there. While at Wesleyan, he wrote me many descriptive letters about the school and its educational programs, the people he met, various clubs he joined, the campus life, etc. During school breaks we got together and talked more about his out-of-town college experience.

As a chemistry major, I had decided to take organic chemistry at NYU in the summer of 1954, following my junior year. Harvey persuaded me to investigate taking this course at Wesleyan instead. NYU and Wesleyan both agreed with my plan and off I went. As a home boy, the out-of-town experience was very enlightening, maturing, and I also met Prof. Nicholas Hyma, who was teaching the course. He showed me how organic chemistry related to life itself and I became "hooked" on the subject.

After that summer, the attraction of Wesleyan and Prof. Hyma, along with my roommate Harvey, were compelling reasons for me to transfer to Wesleyan. Harvey and I then spent our senior years there and graduated in May 1955. I went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and pursued an interesting industrial career in the field. In many ways, my experience at Wesleyan changed my life.
-- Daniel Kruh ‘55

I was introduced to Wesleyan by my father. He wanted me to attend a small Christian college. So, the summer of 1955, I came down to Buckhannon with my parents to look the college over, and decided on that visit, that this was the school I wanted to attend. I entered as a freshman in the fall of 1955.
-- Susan T. Farmer '59

My senior year in high school I was dating a prospective ministerial student who was about to start his freshman year at Wesleyan. We both attended a Methodist church in a small Western Pennsylvania town and had heard of Wesleyan from our pastor. I had the opportunity to visit the college with my boyfriend and his mom before he went. The only thing I remember from that visit was a waitress at a restaurant we stopped at for lunch saying, "Now, you'all come back now, ya hear?" I decided I would also go to Wesleyan after high school graduation for two reasons; my boyfriend was there and the Library Science major I wanted to study was being offered. My plans didn't turn out exactly like I thought they would. The summer before I was coming to Wesleyan my boyfriend and I broke up. He transferred to a different school and I started my freshman year at Wesleyan. I've never regretted coming to Wesleyan. I graduated with my major in Library Science and learned a lot more about life then what was in the lectures and books. Wesleyan holds many memories for me that I cherish.
-- Laurie Christian Perkins '64

Growing up in Buckhannon made Wesleyan a part of my life from the day was I was born on October 8, 1942. My parents Bob (1934) and Gwen (1937) met in college and were married by former Wesleyan President Roy McCuskey on September 19, 1937. My Dad had a picture of me sitting on the sundial with him, in front of the Administration Building, in May 1943 (not yet one year old). They also had a picture of the three of us on my graduation day May 31, 1964 at the same sundial location. Like Mom and Dad I met my wife, the former Betsy Brown (1966) at Wesleyan and we were married August 28, 1965. Our son Mike graduated from Wesleyan in May 1989 as did my brothers Bill (1967) and Jack (1969). I have enjoyed compiling a Wesleyan memory scrapbook of our Wesleyan tradition, as it keeps the memories alive. As a young boy I enjoyed playing on the Wesleyan campus. Other memories are watching the WV College Conference basketball tournaments in the old Wesleyan Gym and playing Babe Ruth League Baseball on the college baseball field behind the Music Hall.
-- Bob Reger ' 64

I first learned of Wesleyan from my high school football coach, Rex Jarvis, an alumus who after serving in the Korean War came to Wesleyan on the GI bill. He encouraged me and Terry Shira, also a Mt. Vernon, Ohio football player to take a look at Wesleyan. I had visited several schools in Ohio but on my first visit to Wesleyan decided that's where I wanted to go. I can still remember that it was the friendliest campus I had visited and the natural beauty of the campus made it my top pick.
-- Ron Lockhart '66

Dr. Roy McCusky, former president of West Virginia Wesleyan College, was from Parkersburg. That was my home town and Dr. McCusky was a very close friend of my mother and father. One day, as a teenager, I was walking from my home on my way to visit a friend when I passed Dr. McCusky, who was retired at the time. He was taking a walk himself. Very quickly he engaged me in a conversation and began asking me about my plans for college. Without hesitation he told me that I needed to go to West Virginia Wesleyan College. It was the only college application that I submitted and thankfully, I was accepted. Little did I know at the time what a wonderful decision that it was. It was not easy, yet it was most rewarding in so many ways. One could not have a better college experience than what I had while attending Wesleyan. Thank you, Dr. McCusky.
-- Jim Montoya ‘66

I first heard about Wesleyan when I saw the Choir, with Larry Parsons directing at the biggest Methodist church in Huntington. I told myself then that I wanted to be in that choir, so I applied, got admitted, and as soon as school started, I tried out for the choir! My dream came true, and I have had a lifelong wonderful relationship with music, Wesleyan, and Larry Parsons. Wesleyan also gave me a great background to go on to medical school. Thanks!!
-- Mary S. Boyd '74

My older sister, Rhonda Holyfield Mangieri '74 attended Wesleyan. During her freshman year, the college sponsored a "Little Sister's/Brother's Weekend.” That weekend sold me on Wesleyan
-- Paula H. Collins ‘75

I didn't exactly make a big name for myself in my four years at Wesleyan, but my experience in Buckhannon made a lifelong impression on me. I had never heard of Wesleyan until Kent Carpenter, the head football coach at that time, came to my high school in the spring of 1974 to talk to my football coach. At that time I was a young 18 year-old kid, and had received but two letters from small colleges that were interested in me coming to their school to play football. I had never had a visit from any college coaches until that day. My high school coach showed Coach Carpenter some game films and I was later called into the coach's office to meet Mr. Carpenter. Long story short, I decided to attend Wesleyan and came to Buckhannon in August 1974.

Football in the mid to late-70s at Wesleyan wasn't exactly big news, but we put everything we had into the effort. We finally made an impact in 1977 when we won the Northern Division title and played for state bragging rights against Concord College in the Coal Bowl that year in Summersville, WV. We lost the game, but we had the first Northern Division championship in a very long time. I will never forget the bond that we shared as teammates that year, and in the years previous to that. That was only a small part of my Wesleyan experience, but overall it was one I will never forget.

I wish Coach Carpenter, Coach Braine, and all the other members of the 1977 football team, as well as the team members from 1974 through 1976, the very best that life can offer. God bless you all,
-- Gary Hawkins '78

My first introduction was through two alumni, the man who was my church pastor at the time and his wife, both of whom were also good friends. Rev. Jack R. George and Elise Mattox George knew I'd started to think about colleges, even though I was just a sophomore in high school, and they had my name put on the Wesleyan mailing list.

It just so happened that during that particular summer (1974), Wesleyan was having a unique summer program for high school students. The Career Acceleration Program (CAP) was designed to introduce high school juniors and seniors to the college, to college and dorm life, and allowed us to earn six college credits (Freshman English Composition and Introduction to Psychology). It turned out that I was accepted into the program, along with about 20 other teens. All but one other girl and I had already completed their junior or senior years, so she and I (the only ones who had only just turned 16) were matched as roommates. We all lived in Jenkins - the girls on the 2nd floor and the boys on the 3rd.

We were promised acceptance upon successful completion of CAP, and I think about four or five of us did return to Wesleyan for our undergraduate degrees. It was a wonderful summer of learning, fun, visits to the state mental hospital and penitentiary, trips to Audra, experiments with rats, and other exciting opportunities. Consequently, I began my freshman year at Wesleyan in the fall of 1976 with 6 college credits, a 4.0 GPA, and having never even applied to another college. I will be forever grateful for Jack and Li for introducing me to "my home among the hills."
-- Beth James ‘80

I first heard of West Virginia Wesleyan College at church camp. It seemed that almost every counselor at Camp Aldersgate in New Jersey was attending the college. They even had a "West Virginia Wesleyan Shirt Day" on Thursdays. I talked with some of them and heard many good things about the college. It was also the first time I heard about the ghost in the attic of Agnes Howard Hall. It struck me just how much the counselors liked the place and I decided then and there that I would check the college out. A few years later, I stayed at the campus while working on the Appalachian Service Project. I made up my mind right then and there.
-- Brad Fitzsimmons ‘81

I am always asked how a girl from Long Island, NY, ended up 12 hours from home attending a college in a very little town in West Virginia. All my friends were headed to upstate NY, I didn't want the snow or cold weather, and wanted a smaller school with a good nursing program. I ended up with one of the two…saw more snow at Wesleyan than I ever did on Long Island. One summer when headed to my grandparents for vacation, we made several pit stops at colleges. I grew up Methodist, and my dad being a hospital administrator this seemed like a good idea. I truly fell in love with the campus, and don't regret for a minute the decision that I made. If I remember right my first contact with someone from Wesleyan was at a college fair, no such thing as internet then.
-- Denise Head Smith ‘85

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