HINTON – The Summers County Historical Society welcomed five new members to their Inspiration Gallery, which is located near the lunchroom at Summers County Comprehensive High School.
The Inspiration Gallery currently includes individuals from Summers County who went on to achieve great things on a national and international scale.
Robert “Cotty” Farley serves as the gallery’s committee chairman.
This year’s inductees are:
- Christopher Payne who was a politician, minister, and journalist – founding two black newspapers in West Virginia
- Storied musician Blind Alfred Reed
- Jazz drummer Butch Miles
- Philanthropist Ken Allman
- Dr. Ella Atkins, who worked her way from Hinton High School to MIT, and is now serving as an aerospace professor at Virginia Tech
Robert “Cotty” Farley serves as the gallery’s committee chairman.
“If we do not have these things, we will lose our local history. I am afraid of what is happening on social media. That was one of the reasons we wanted to instill a sense of local history in the students and children who live here,” Farley explained.
The Historical Society plans to add even more names next year, with a new gallery for state and local figures in the works.
Farley told 59News that this is their way of honoring Summers County’s rich history while also welcoming residents back.
Farley stated that Professor Dr. Atkins was able to attend this year’s ceremony and is excited to work on projects that will inspire future generations in Summers County.
