Four to join OHS Hall of Fame

Four new members will be inducted into the Oceana High School Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 15, 2010. The festivities will take place at the Oceana Middle School, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the OMS cafeteria. Dinner will be served at 6 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony at 7 p.m. in the school's auditorium. This year's inductees are Vondie L. Cook, Class of 1959; Bobby G. Stewart, Class of 1959; James Ray 'J.R.' Cook, Class of 1991 and Charles Lee 'Buddy' Stewart, deceased, Class of 1953.

James Ray "J. R." Cook, Class of 1991, is the son of J. B. and Deanna Lester Cook. His parents and sister, Darice Ann Cook Gordon, are also OHS graduates.

During his junior and senior years of high school, J. R. was a member of the West Virginia National Guard. After graduation in 1991, he joined the United States Army. He was stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA, Ft. Polk, LA and deployed to Haiti. In the fall of 1996 he attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course, and then moved to Ft. Bragg, NC, where he attended the Special Forces Qualification Course. Following that training and graduation, he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group.

In 2001, J. R. was selected for a classified unit within the U. S. Army. Since the September 11 attacks on our nation, he has been deployed numerous times and spearheaded multiple operations in the global war on terrorism, many of which are still classified.

J. R. has received many awards during his military service. These include Bronze Stars with Valor, Bronze Stars for service, Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Joint Service Commendation Medals, Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medals, Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medals, Iraqi Campaign Medals, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Military Freefall Jumpmaster Badge, Static Line Jumpmaster Badge, Army Combat Diver Badge, and Combat Infantrymen Badge.

Married to the former Cindy Lusk, they are the parents of Justin, 19, a U.S. Army Ranger; Katie, 11, and Jamie, 7. They are active members of Pleasant Grove Chapel Church.

J. R. and his family reside in Cameron, NC.

Vondie L. Cook, a 1959 graduate of Oceana High School and the Wyoming County Trade School, is the son of the late Ralph and Lenna Cook of Oceana. He is married to Jannett Kay Holbrook, also an Oceana alumnus, class of 1961. They have one son, the Reverend Vondie L. Cook II.

After high school Vondie attended Concord College graduating in 1963 with a BS degree in secondary education, and, in 1967, earned a master's degree from Marshall University. He spent thirty years in education as a science teacher, counselor, and administrator at Oceana Grade School, Oceana High School (1966-1967), Baileysville High School, Greenbrier East High School and served as an itinerant counselor for six Greenbrier County junior high schools. He retired from education in 1996. He also worked two years for the Mack Coal Company.

Vondie's many years in the ministry started in 1965 at the Oceana First Church of God under the leadership of the Rev. William C. Lusk. In 1980, his passion for the ministry continued at the Highland First Church of God, Rainelle, West Virginia; Ash Avenue Church of God, Moundsville, West Virginia; and Trinity Church of God, Huntington, WV. He served as the senior pastor at each of these churches. In 2005 he retired from the pastoral ministry. However, in 2008, feeling a call to return to full time ministry, he became the pastor of the Mullens First Church of God.

During his career he has been a civic leader in chamber of commerce projects in Marshall County and the Mullens area. Also, Vondie was involved in sight conservation in the Lions Club and has been involved in food bank distribution in all of the churches he has pastored.

In the West Virginia Church of God Association, he was elected to and served as chairman of the following organizations; Ministerial Association, General Assembly, State Board of Christian Education, Camp Ground Board of Directors and the Credentials Committee.

Vondie states, "I am deeply honored to be nominated as a candidate for the Oceana High School Hall of Fame. I have a great love for the people of Oceana and particularly for my classmates of the class of '59."

He and Jannett reside in Crab Orchard, West Virginia.

Bobby G. Stewart, Class of 1959, is the son of the late Leonard Mart Stewart and Zeta Marie Stewart Mullens. Mr. Stewart is married to Linda May Stewart. They are the parents of two children, Barbara Lynn (deceased) and Ramona Jean, and a granddaughter, Chelsea Marie.

Only days after graduation from Oceana High School, Stewart joined the US military, serving from 1959 to 1962. After completing his basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he was assigned to Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam, Houston, Texas, for specialized training as a medical technologist. He later was transferred to Irwin Army Hospital in Fort Riley, Kansas for his internship. Stewart was then assigned to the 75th Station Hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, a hospital that provided medical services to the entire 7th U.S. Army in Europe. After doing rotation in all departments in the laboratory, he was assigned to the Blood Banking Transfusion Service. Shortly thereafter, he requested and was granted permission to take advanced training in blood banking.

Stewart transferred to the 10th Medical Research Laboratory in Landstuhl, Germany for specialized advanced training in blood banking. He graduated third in his class of 20 students. Upon returning to the 75th Station Hospital, he was placed in charge of the transfusion services for the hospital.

Following completion of his tour of duty in the military, he returned to the place he called home-Matheny, West Virginia. He went to work for Oceana Medical Center as a medical/radiology technologist, where he was employed for six years. He was also involved in the move of the clinic from the UMW Hall in lower Oceana to the present location of OMC. He was offered a position as manager/medical technologist of a medical facility in Sigourney, Iowa, and moved there in 1968. After more than a year there, he decided he "felt a strong need to return to the challenges of the hospital." He accepted a position as chief medical and radiology technologist in 1969 at Scotland County Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Missouri.

Later, he was employed at the Albert M. Keller Hospital in Fayette, Missouri as the director of pathology services. During his tenure at Keller Memorial, he was placed in charge of all ancillary services at the hospital. He held that position until 1997, a total of twenty-six years. After leaving Keller, he held the position of lead technologist in hematology and clinical microscopy at the Boyce & Bynum Pathology Services in Columbia, Missouri. "This was a very challenging position," he commented, "as Boyce & Bynum Laboratories is a large reference laboratory providing services throughout the Midwest."

He accepted a position in 1999 as medical technologist/hematologist at Missouri Cancer Associates, a cancer treatment center in mid Missouri, which is part of U.S. Oncology, an international cancer treatment service.

Stewart served nine years on the National Board of Directors of the American Medical Technologists, three of those years as national president. He has held various other positions in professional organizations and has received numerous awards. He has also been actively involved in the Fayette City Council.

Stewart retired in 2004 and moved to Hawaii. He has continued his involvement in medical technology. He is also currently serving on the board of directors of the Hawaii State Society of AMT and serves as a proctor administering certification exams to graduates of allied health programs at community colleges, universities and technical schools. In addition, he serves on the AMT National Education, Qualifications and Standards Committee as well as the National Career Education Advisory Committee. He currently serves as the "National School Liaison" with the AMT.

Bobby and Linda live in Kapolei, Hawaii.

Charles Lee "Buddy" Stewart, Class of 1953, was one of ten children born to the late Charles Gillis and Minnie Walker Stewart of Matheny.

After his graduation from Oceana High School, Charles enrolled at Concord College and continued there through 1955. During those college years, he hitchhiked home every weekend to help his widowed mother with the household chores. In 1955 Charles took a teaching position at Barkers Ridge Grade School. He also taught for a short time at Matheny Grade and at Oceana Grade.

In 1956 Charles married Pauline McKinney, now deceased, and began working for Eastern Associated Coal Corporation at Kopperston, West Virginia, as an underground miner. He also worked for Hope Gas Company in Wyoming County. In 1967 Charles took a job as an economic service director at Mullens. Later on, because of his hearing impaired child, Charles and his family made the decision to move to Romney in Hampshire County, West Virginia, to be close to the state's only School for the Deaf. He became the first director of the new federal food stamp program in Hampshire County and became the financial officer overseeing the expenditure of millions of dollars for Hampshire and Mineral Counties. In the 1970's Charles became supervisor for field representatives for the state donated foods program with the Department of Health and Human Resources.

In 1977 Charles earned his B. S. degree from West Virginia Tech. At that time, he was also made Deputy Director of the Donated Foods Program for the State of West Virginia. He retired in 2001. Throughout his career, Charles earned a number of awards and citations including the Hardest Worker Award for cooperation and assistance between the Department of Education and the Donated Foods Program from the State of West Virginia Department of Education in 1987; the United Community Service Award for Outstanding and Dedicated Support in 1995; 30 year certificate for dedicated service to the State of West Virginia in 1997; Certificate of Appreciation and Recognition of Faithful Service to the Donated Foods Program for the American Commodity Distribution Association in 1998.

Charles and Pauline were the parents of two children, Keith Stewart and Lisa Stewart Goins. Charles' second wife, Carolyn Davidson Stewart passed away in 2007.

Throughout his life, Charles attended church and was a trusted friend. He served as Sunday School Superintendent for the Kanawha City Church of God. He was a member of the Pastor's Council at the last church he attended during his final years of life.

Charles never forgot his hometown, returned at every opportunity, and was always proud of the excellent education he received at Oceana High School. Charles' life is an excellent example of a life well-lived.

After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Charles Lee Stewart passed away June 23, 2003. His final resting place is at Palm Memorial Gardens at Matheny, West Virginia.