The Lighthouse on the Hill

“On February 19, 1872, the state legislature put their approval on the placement of a Glenville Branch of the West Virginia Normal School. The only problem was that there would be no funding available for this. That year, the State Constitutional Convention declared that no appropriations were to be made for the establishment of any more normal schools or branches in West Virginia.

“The next April, fifty-six citizens of Gilmer County came together with funds to establish the Glenville Branch Normal School. Each of these individuals invested anywhere from five dollars to one-hundred dollars for the cause. The majority of these investments were twenty-five dollars or less. These founders were farmers, merchants, lawyers, carpenters, public officials, democrats, and republicans, but they all had one thing in common. They shared the desire to see an education system setup in their hometown. They wanted to see a Normal School at Glenville.”

(source: https://www.glenville.edu/library/archives/history)

Although Glenville State College wouldn’t be properly called that until 1943, the school has been growing for 150 years. Founders Day will be celebrated on Saturday, February 19, 2022 at the Mollohan Campus Community Center Ballroom with an Anniversary Toast held at 7:00pm. If you haven’t RSVP’d yet, rest assured you’re not invited, but I encourage you to raise a glass… wherever you are.

Why am I telling you this? Because I intend to ensure it goes on for another 150 years.

I think Sis Linn would have liked that.

Happy sesquicentennial, GSC.