Four to be Inducted in OHS Hall of Fame

Four new members will be inducted into the Oceana High School Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 9, at 7 p.m. in the Oceana Middle School Auditorium. A dinner reception in the OMS cafeteria will precede the ceremonies, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Those to be inducted include: Wilda B. Powell, Class of 1968; Rebecca Stewart Cooke, Class of 1970; Joseph W. Bullington, Class of 1975; and Jerry R. Stafford, Class of 1982. Members of the selection committee are: Paul Ray Blankenship, Suzanne Clark, Ira Cook, Jr., June Farren, Jim Hopkins, Sandy Lusk, Angie Cline Mollette, and Jean Lusk.

Wilda B. Powell, Class of 1968, is the daughter of the late Theodore "Red" and Opal Brown Powell. Her siblings, Charles, Thurman, James, Richard, Wavel, Betty, Randy, Amy and Timmy are all graduates of Oceana High School.

Wilda began working as secretary at Oceana Grade School No. 2, now Berlin McKinney, after graduation. She transferred to the Wyoming County Board of Education Central Office as secretary for the Food Service Department in 1983 and in 1998 was appointed Wyoming County Food Service Director. Wilda retired in 2008 after forty years with the WCBOE. She is currently working as a substitute teacher for WCBOE and also as a child nutrition consultant. Wilda worked as an EMT Instructor, a Basic Life Support Instructor Trainer and CPR Instructor. She has taught EMT classes for ambulance services, fire departments and coal mines throughout Southern West Virginia. Wilda received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bluefield State College in 1992.

Wilda has served as president and treasurer of the Wyoming County Nutrition Association. She is a member of the American School Nutrition Association and has served as president of the West Virginia School Nutrition Association. She has represented the mid-eastern United States as a member of the education committee for the ASNA. She was president of the Wyoming County School Service Personnel Association and treasurer for the West Virginia School Service Personnel Association. She was a member of the Mountain State Emergency Medical Service Association.

Wilda has received the ASNA Thelma Flanigan Gold Award for outstanding work in child nutrition as president of the WVSNA, the WV Department of Education Award for School Meal Participation, a member of the WV Superintendent Search Advisory Committee and the WVU Search Committee for McDowell/Wyoming Extension Agent. She also was selected for membership in the Pinnacle Honor Society at Bluefield State College and Outstanding Young Women of America.

Wilda is an active member of the Toneda Baptist Church, where she has served as church clerk, children's church director and teacher, VBS director and teacher, member of the advisory board, church choir and the baptism, audit, pulpit, nominating and homecoming committees. She has served as a volunteer EMT and member of Board of Directors for both the OCL and Upper Laurel Valley Ambulance Services. She is a member of the OHSAA.

Wilda states, "...I am truly honored to be considered for the OHS Hall of Fame...I feel blessed to have been able to remain in Oceana and work for the school system where I received my education."

Rebecca Stewart Cooke, Class of 1970, is the daughter of Troy Marcum Stewart Sr, deceased, and Magdalene McAlpine Stewart of Matheny. Her siblings, Dr. Troy M. Stewart Jr. of Huntington, Kelly, deceased, and Cynthia Kidd of Matheny, all graduated from Oceana High School. While at OHS, Rebecca was very active in school affairs, having been a member of Jr. Tri-Hi-Y, FHA, GAA, FNA, FBLA, and the National Honor Society. She was also an honor graduate.

After graduation from Oceana and in preparation for her career in education, she graduated from Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College in 1982. She graduated from Bluefield State College as a valedictorian in 1984 with a BS in Elementary Education, and furthered her education at West Virginia University, earning a MA in Communication in 1986. She also earned a MA in Education Administration in 1988 through the WV College of Graduate Studies.

Rebecca began her teaching career with the Wyoming County Board of Education, first as a teacher at Glen Fork Elementary School, 1985-1996 and then at Glen Rogers Elementary School, 1996-2000. She was then hired as principal at Baileysville Elementary and Middle School and, in 2002, was placed at Road Branch Elementary and Middle School where she currently serves as principal.

Ms. Cooke has two sons, Nathan Stewart Cooke, 34, of Pearisburg, Virginia, and Adam Thomas Cooke, 29, of Pineville. Both sons are Oceana High graduates. She also has two grandchildren, Hannah Jade Cooke, 8, and Dawson Thomas Cooke, 22 months.

Joseph W. Bullington, Class of 1975, is the son of Mrs. Shirley (Ruth) Bullington, of Wyco, West Virginia. Mrs. Bullington is also an Oceana alumnus, Class of 1954.

Joe enrolled at Concord University on a football scholarship after graduation from OHS and majored in social work. He completed two years of school before deciding to go to work as a social worker. Joe has been employed by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources for the past twenty years, first as a child protective services worker, and later as a CPS supervisor. Last year, he was promoted to the position of Regional Director within WVDHHR, serving 13 West Virginia counties, including Wyoming County.

Joe has authored a number of professional articles, including "Family Center Practice" (Part 2), "A Challenge of Change," "Education for Men Who Batter." He co-authored "Abuse of Elderly Male Clients..." with Dr. Bob Blundo, in 2007.

Joe has served as president of the Wyoming County Family Resource Network and currently serves as vice president of the Wyoming County Toy Fund. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Wyoming County EDA, the Mountain Heart Services and the Wyoming East Foundation. Joe was chosen to attend the National Child Welfare Leadership Institute in 2008. Joe's passion is golf and he admits that he "can be found on a golf course somewhere," when not working.

Joe says he is most proud of two things--"raising my son Tyler and getting to see the man he has become" and "my mother who maintained us as a family through good and bad times."

Jerry R. Stafford, Class of 1982, is the son of Jacob N. and Jo Ann Blankenship Stafford of Oceana. His mother is also an OHS graduate. After graduation, Jerry attended West Virginia Institute of Technology, Bluefield State College and Marshall University Medical School. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in 2001.

Early work experience included working as a mechanic and welder for Staff Machinery Service Company, Contour Coal Company and Universal Leasing. During his apprenticeship, Jerry worked as a funeral attendant, funeral director, embalmer and business manager for funeral homes in the Ceredo-Kenova, West Virginia area. He became a licensed funeral director in charge of Ferrell Funeral Home and funeral director at Ceredo-Kenova Funeral Home after completion of his apprenticeship. He then became a funeral director and embalmer at Morris Funeral Home, a position he held until he returned to Oceana and opened the Stafford Family Funeral Home at Lynco, West Virginia in March 2005.

Jerry was chosen as a Bluefield State College Pinnacle Scholar. He also received the Dr. A. J. Nunnamaker Award for highest scholastic standing and exemplary student citizenship, the Ohio Funeral Directors Association Leadership Award, and the Charles O. Dhonau Memorial Award for highest excellence in embalming. He was inducted into the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science Honor Society and received the Foundation Scholarship.

Married to the former Lisa A. Pack, Jerry is the father of Amber Stafford and Jacob Howard Stafford. They are active members of the Oceana Freewill Baptist Church and are strong supporters of the Oceana Little League of which he has served as president. He is a member of the Oceana High School Alumni Association and the Westside Foundation.

Jerry states, "I am very honored to be nominated for membership in the Oceana High School Hall of Fame. Although our school has since been closed, it will never die in our memories. Oceana High School sent me into the world with the knowledge to survive and the desire to continue my quest for even more knowledge and the betterment of our community, state and country."