The Progressive Women's Association  of Harrison County will be presenting their annual Celebrate America  Women of Distinction Luncheon on Friday June 7 at noon at the Uptown Event Center on Washington Avenue. The program recognizes individuals in Harrison County who contribute to the community through their volunteer action.  A special keynote speaker will deliver remarks to the group emphasizing the importance their volunteer efforts make.  The program is open to the public and due to limited space it is suggested that reservations be made by calling 304-624-6881.

 

Trina Byard

Trina Byard is a native of Clarksburg who now lives in Bridgeport with her husband David and two children. A graduate of Robert C. Byrd High school, she studied theater arts and speech communication at Marshall and Fairmont State University. She is active in the community, supporting many professional, high school and community theater programs.  She is the artistic director of Bridgeport High School theater where she works with high school students and students from feeder schools directing main stage musicals.

 

At BHS, she volunteers as director of Thespian Troupe 7549 annual competition one act play. Under her direction the troupe received the honor of WV State Outstanding One Act Play four years in a row, with two of those plays advancing to the international level. Trina is also working with Vintage Theatre Company LLC where she is a member of the Rustic Mechanicals Shakespeare troupe as an actor and a costume/production designer. There she is also the director of the Vintage Theater academy youth troupe, where she teaches theater to students ages 6-18 and directs up to three shows per year. Most recently she has become the teacher of the middle school PAC (Performing Arts Conservatory) at Notre Dame High school.

 

This school year’s PAC students were selected to move on after the regional competition, making her students the first middle school group to perform at the WV State Thespian Festival. When she is not working in the theater Trina is a substitute teacher’s aide for Harrison County schools, working with students with special needs. 

 

Beth Fitzgerald 

Beth serves as the executive director of the Harrison County Senior Citizen’s Center, Inc. Her work has helped to re-establish the center’s café, activities programming and financial stability. She enjoys maintaining a welcoming place for seniors to “socialize, exercise and energize.”

 

Beth holds a master’s degree in education, having taught in elementary and middle schools, as well as serving in higher education. Prior to her degree, Beth worked in the business world, enhancing her project management and problem-solving skills.  With her musical background, Beth volunteers at Immaculate Conception Parish in the choir, bell choir, and as a cantor. She assists monthly with Eucharistic Ministry to the Sick (nursing homes), and yearly with set building for Vacation Bible School. 

She has been an active member of Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court 334 for six years. Beth’s mother was born and raised in the Summit Park/Despard area.

 

She enjoys participating in the yearly Walk to End Alzheimer’s in honor of her mother. Currently, Beth’s three sons and their families live in Colorado.

 

Pamela Hotsinpiller

Pam graduated from Flemington High School, Fairmont State and WVU with degrees in education. She works with Special Needs students and chairs the Special Education department at Bridgeport High School. 

 

She’s been on staff with the Harrison County Parent/Educator Resource Center since 1984, providing information and resources to parents and educators alike. The center’s recent work includes the Healthy Grandfamilies Project, providing information, training and support to those grandparents who are raising their grandchildren 24/7. 

 

Pam is a member of the Simpson Creek Baptist Church where she taught third-grade Sunday school and now is facilitating a variety of women’s Bible studies and events.

 

Pam serves on the Board of Directors for the Lt. James W. Hotsinpiller, Jr. and Deputy U.S. Marshal Derek W. Hotsinpiller Memorial Scholarship Fund. This group has funded more than 30 scholarships since May of 2011.  She also serves on the committee for the Derek Hotsinpiller Fallen Stars 5K Race, which raises scholarship monies.

 

She was married to the deceased Lt. James W. Hotsinpiller, Jr. of the Bridgeport P.D.  She had two sons, Dustin and Derek, both of which followed their father's footsteps into law enforcement.  Derek became a Deputy U.S. Marshal and served until he was fatally wounded serving an arrest warrant in Elkins in 2011. 

 

Dustin is also a Deputy U.S. Marshal serving the Northern District of WV.  Pam feels extremely blessed to live near to her son Dustin and wife Ashley and three sons, Landon, Liam and Logan. 

 

She enjoys watching them play, grow and learn.

 

Connie Leuliette

Connie, a native of Webster County, received a bachelor’s in Education and a master’s plus from WVU in biological science, earth science, general and physical science. She taught in Webster and Harrison counties, having formerly been employed at the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library as reference librarian. She is a life member of the NEA and WVEA, the Clarksburg League for Service, and the West Virginia and Harrison County Association of Retired School Employees.

 

She is also a former member of the League of Women Voters, the National Association of Parliamentarians, and the National Association of Science Teachers.

 

She held various offices and chairmanships in most of these. An elder and former deacon of the First Presbyterian Church, she was awarded an honorary life membership in Presbyterian Women. She has been included in editions of Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in American Education, and Who’s Who in America.

 

Connie and her husband Chuck have one son, Eric (an oceanographer at NOAA), a daughter-in-law, Xochitl, and a granddaughter, Yalena; her hobbies are reading, gardening, working crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and collecting miniature owls.

 

Emily Rebeccah Moore 

Emily now serves as Sales & Marketing Manager of the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center. She is a former theatre and English teacher at Robert C. Byrd High School where she successfully ran the theatre program for the last six years, though she has been an educator for the past ten years.

 

Her theater duties included producer, troupe director, program designer, rental coordinator, and overall program director. Now, she helps manage the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center, which provides numerous community events and opportunities.

 

She will also be the program director for the Robinson Grand Community Theatre program beginning in fall of 2019. A native of Clarksburg, Emily graduated from Liberty High School and West Virginia University where she received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s in secondary education, with a minor in theatre and dance.

 

Emily spends her time raising her two sons, Dawson and Caspian, when she is not at the theatre.

 

She has dedicated her life to using theatre and the arts to positively engage community children, youth, and adults by providing a safe and inspiring atmosphere for creative outlet. 

 

Heather Starkey Mudrick

Heather is native to this area and graduated as valedictorian from Bridgeport High School in 1998. She attended WVU, receiving a master’s degree in physical therapy and was named one of WVU Foundation’s Outstanding students her senior year.  She has been employed as a physical therapist with UHC since 2003.

 

Heather was blessed with three daughters, Madison, Emma, and Grace Hansberry, with whom she shares her passion of dance.  She took over Annabel Timms School of Ballet in 2017 which is now Studio 9 Dance Academy.  She has continued the traditions of the school as well as brought acting and film classes to the studio through JC FILMs. This has been a big part of her life this last year - bringing faith- based movies to the area.  

 

In 2017, Heather lost her husband Mark Mudrick when he passed away from a sudden accident. 

 

Heather and Mark have one precious son, Maddox.  Mark was an organ donor and saved several lives with his unselfish giving of life.  Heather is in the process of becoming an organ donor advocate for the area. 

 

Today, Heather values God and family as the essential to life.

 

Sarah K. Smith

Sarah was born in Russia and adopted by West Virginia natives Mike and Karla Smith.

 

She was raised in Clarksburg and is 23 years old.

 

She recently graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a bachelor’s in English writing and musical theater.

 

She is a member of the Rustic Mechanicals Shakespeare Troupe, starring in their production of Measure for Measure and Hamlet.

 

She is an active member of the First United Methodist Church here in Clarksburg and has plans to pursue her master’s degree in the near future.

 

Sarah feels very blessed to share her love of the arts with her home state and local community.

 

Mara Vogel

Mara is a Morgantown native. She attended The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. where she received her degree in theology and religious studies and a certificate in pastoral ministry. Mara feels blessed to be able to serve her faith community of All Saints Catholic Church, where she has been the Director of Faith Formation and Youth since 2015.

 

Mara grew up in a youth program at St. John University Parish and Mountaineer Catholic and focused on youth ministry in college. 

 

She instills faith and community in the youth by giving back.

 

They make stockings for Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center and raise money and supplies for the Humane Society of Harrison Co. through donations from different activities that the youth have throughout the year.

 

Mara feels it’s a privilege to be able to walk with all kinds of different people as they journey along the path of their faith. 

 

Mara met her husband, Evan, while in college and moved back to West Virginia.

 

She has two boys, Elias, 6 years, and Nicolas, almost 1 year, and two dogs, Abby and Hunter. She enjoys spending time with her large family, including her parents, five siblings, and seven nieces and nephews.  

 

Dr. Fran Toppings Young

Dr. Young is a registered nurse and an adult health clinical nurse specialist. She has been a Professor of Nursing at Fairmont State University for 25 years.  

 

Before teaching at Fairmont State, she taught in the LPN program at United Technical Center and was employed as a registered nurse at Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg. 

 

Her research and teaching interests are in education and career mobility for nurses, which motivated her to develop the LPN to RN Program at FSU in 2009.  

 

Currently, she is the director of the LPN to RN Program, along with teaching courses in the RN-BSN program. 

 

She is involved in several professional organizations and has taught many of the nurses employed by local health-care organizations. 

 

On a personal note, Fran resides in Bridgeport with her husband, James, and their dog, Maggie. Her greatest accomplishment is being the mother of two amazing sons, Jason and Stephen. Jason is the owner of the Vintage Theatre Company and Stephen is a professor at Marshall University

 

Sarah Zakariasen

Sarah grew up on a small rural farm in New Prague, Minnesota, where being a part of a large family and 11 years in 4-H nurtured her love for cooking and nutrition, sewing, gardening, raising beef cattle, hogs, sheep, poultry, etc.

 

Sarah always dreamed of being a nurse and attended Pillsbury Baptist Bible College where she met her husband, Kevin.

 

They have been married for 33 years. After many years of missionary work, helping village churches, orphan children, mission groups, refugee care, and many others, in 2011, the Zakariasens moved to Clarksburg, WV to attend Saltwell Road Church in Bridgeport, WV.

 

Sarah homeschooled their seven children while they were abroad.   God has blessed them with an a wonderful large family including four grandsons. Some of Sarah’s hobbies include upholstery, baking, and serving others in any way that God leads. 

 

Kevin and Sarah opened Stonewall Coffee in Clarksburg in October of 2016 which is located in the breezeway next to the courthouse, 218 Court Street.