06/05/2026
The latest class of West Virginia History Heroes was honored at a ceremony at the WV Culture Center in Charleston on June 3. Among them was the Friends of Wheeling nominee, Debbie Griffin. Debbie serves as president of Ritchietown Renaissance, the historic preservation group that focuses on South Wheeling. In that role, she is helping to renovate the former Kepner Funeral Home on Jacob Street and coordinated volunteer efforts in last year’s “9/11 Care & Repair Project” that assisted about a dozen property owners with minor home repairs. Debbie was also the author of several National Register nominations and property surveys in Wheeling. Pictured with Debbie are Laura Carroll, Chair of the State’s Archives and History Commission, and Aaron Parsons, Director of WV Archives & History.
Other local awardees were Wayne Farley, nominated by the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable, and Betsy Sweeny, nominated by Preservation Alliance of WV.
