Dr. Michael Hess to be Inducted into BHS Alumni and Friends Foundation Hall of Fame Class of 2015
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on October 07, 2015 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
Editor’s Note: The Bridgeport High School Alumni and Friends Foundation have announced the 2015 Hall of Fame Class. The banquet honoring individuals will be Oct. 31 with the social hour starting at 6 p.m. and the program starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be obtained by contacting Fay Jamison at 304-842-6510 or Cookie Compton at 304-677-2005. The event is at the Bridgeport Conference Center. Below is the second of four biographies of the honorees for this year.
Dr. Michael Hess is a member of the Bridgeport High School graduating class of 1981. After obtaining a bachelor of science degree from West Virginia University, he served as admissions and recruiting counselor for WVU, worked with the WVU Lab and as a phlebotomist at United Hospital Center. Hess received a doctorate of medicine and remained in the area as a family physician for Bridgeport Family Care, a director of lab services and as a technical consultant for BioLife Services. He has provided years of free physicals for the Boy Scouts and local swim teams.
Hess has served in various capacities and on various committees for UHC. He is currently a trustee and vice president of the Family Medicine Foundation of West Virginia and is a member of the national and state chapters of the American Academy of Family Physicians and Harrison County Medical Society.
A talented musician, Hess has written several commercial songs for WVU professional videos, as well as raised funds for charities through bands and organizations. He was co-founder of “Albuterol and the Inhalers” physicians charity band which raised over $250,000 for 25 different charities. He is also founder and director of C.H.I.R.P., a young musicians program that provides musical instruments for needy children in Harrison, Barbour and Taylor counties.
Hess has served on the BHS School Improvement Council and is president of the BHS Band Patrons. Through that position, he has been vital in raising funds to support BHS music programs. He is an organizer and original member of the BHS Alumni Band. He is an active member of Bridgeport United Methodist Church and is a member/volunteer for the West Virginia Scottish Heritage Society. In 2013, he was chosen as a Michael L. Benedum Fellow for outstanding contributions to society.
Hess and his wife Dr. Elizabeth Hess reside in Bridgeport with the children Harrison, Madison and Allison.
“We’re so very pleased with this year’s honorees,” said Alumni and Friends President Darletta Stout. “What’s impressive is that the group as whole is certainly highly educated, but they’re more noted for what they’ve given back to their communities either here or where they’ve been. The impact they’ve made in Bridgeport and beyond is a testament to the high school and the individuals that are being recognized.”
