Pictured is Ronald Grimes, Class of ‘69, who will serve as the banquet speaker.

The Tyler County High School Alumni Association has selected October 12, 2019, as the date for their 70th Annual Tyler County High School Homecoming. This year’s theme is “Welcome Home TCHS Red Raiders.” Ronald Grimes, Class of ’69, will serve as our banquet speaker.

Ron Grimes is a Tyler County native, growing up at Kidwell and Wick. He was a 1969 graduate of Tyler County High School, Middlebourne, WV. He and his wife Francis Ann Teubert have been married 45 years and live at Lavalette, Wayne County and at their farm near Wick. They have two adult children. Their oldest child is Courtney Grimes who lives with her husband Jeff Sebulsky, daughter Eleanor Harper, and son Saul Louis in Winchester Kentucky. Their son Justin Morgan Grimes and his wife Ann Galloway work and live in Washington, DC.

He received a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV in August of 1973; a Master of Science in Vocational Education, Marshall University, Huntington, WV in May 1984, and additional graduate hours from West Virginia and Marshall Universities.

Ron started his career teaching agriculture at Tyler County HS, and at Pennsboro HS, Pennsboro WV. In 1979, he was hired at the West Virginia Department of Education, Charleston WV and spent 35 years serving in the following positions: Program Specialist, Vocational Agriculture and Executive Secretary WV FFA Association; Coordinator High Schools That Work and Tech Prep; Executive Director Office of School-To-Work; Executive Director Office of Partnership Development; Coordinator Office of Secondary and Technical Improvement; Executive Director/General Manager Cedar Lakes Conference Center at Ripley WV; State Monitor for South Branch Career and Technical Center at Petersburg WV; Executive Assistant to Assistant State Superintendent; and Executive Director Office of Career and Technical Accountability and Support.

He was granted a year’s leave of absence and worked as Vice President of Programs for Classroom Inc. New York, NY

Ron serves as a member of the Board of Directors for West Virginia FFA Foundation. He is a member of the West Virginia and Wayne County Farm Bureau; Life Member National Agriculture Teachers Association; West Virginia Career and Technical Administrators Association; West Virginia Career and Technical Association; and the American Career and Technical Association. He also belongs to the KYOWVA and Wayne Genealogical & Historical Societies and the West Virginia and Wayne County Retired School Employees Association.

He and Ann are active members of the Lavalette United Methodist Church.

The day will start with a Breakfast Buffet at the Middlebourne Fire Hall from 7 to 10 a.m. This is open to the public. Menu includes pancakes, sausage gravy, biscuits, sausage patties, scrambled eggs, mixed fruit salad, coffee, and orange juice. The cost is $7 each.

The parade entries will meet at the Senior Center at 10:15 a.m. with the parade starting at 11 a.m. For more information, contact Bill Henderson at 304-758-2342. While the parade is being lined up, traffic in and around the Senior Center – formerly Ellsworth Grade School – will be limited to parade entries only. Starting at 11 a.m. all traffic will be stopped on Main Street (Rt. 18) through Middlebourne during the parade.

The Social Hour starts off our evening at 4:30 p.m. in the gymnasium to be followed by the banquet at 5:30 p.m. Menu for the evening is baked steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cole slaw, hot rolls, Texas sheet cake, coffee, and iced tea. All tickets for the dinner will be sold in advance. We need the dinner reservations by Friday, October 4, 2019.

To receive tickets by mail, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope when returning your Alumni dues/reservations to: TCHS Alumni Association, P. O. Box 183, Paden City, WV 26159. Contact person is Dianna Ash Stevens, ’67, 304-337-8579. If no envelope is enclosed, tickets will be held at the door.

The following people have agreed to serve as a contact for their class. This is not necessarily the person organizing events, but if you have questions, you may contact the listed person for information.

Class of ’44: Gladys Fletcher Gregg – 304-758-2345

Class of ’46: Joe Rigggs – 724-636-0744; Reunion on Saturday – lunch following the parade at the Methodist Church Friendship Center.

Class of ’49: James Justice – 740-989-0121

Class of ’53: Betty Ruth Ice Rush – 304-652-2142; Reunion on Friday, October 11 at Noon at the Court Restaurant.

Class of ’54: Keith Yoho – 304-758-2837; Reunion on October 11 at Noon at the Court Restaurant.

Class of ’59: Sharon Myers Bland – 304-758-0186; Reunion on October 11 after parade at the Middlebourne Clinic.

Class of ’69: Larry Fletcher – 304-758-2039; Reunion on Friday, October 11 at 6 p.m. at the Middlebourne Clinic.

Class of ’74: Sue Kirkbride Henderson – 304-758-0107; Reunion on Saturday after parade at the Middlebourne Fire Hall.

Class of ’79: Tim Jackson – 304-758-2222 or Julia Riggs Murray – 304-758-4256

Class of ’43: Kristy Fletcher Wade – 304-758-2771

The class chairperson will be responsible to come to the gym before the function and reserve seating for classmates who have requested prepaid tickets.

The 2019 Tyler Consolidated scholarship recipients were JoLee Walton and Megan Vandruff.

We hope you will come home and enjoy the planned festivities!