WHEELING, W.Va., Jan. 21, 2020 — Two alumni of West Liberty University were honored recently by the Upper Ohio Valley Ministerial Alliance. Ron Scott, Jr. received the MLK Award and Marlene Midget received the Rosa Parks Award for 2020.
The Rev. Paul Schaffer, pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, presented Scott with his award.
Scott is a lifelong resident of Wheeling and is the program director of Cultural Diversity and Community Outreach for the YWCA, Wheeling.
He previously spent 13 years working in the field of addictions at a variety of places including Northwood Health Systems, Lee Day Report Center, Quest Recovery Services, Juvenile Mediation, Wheeling Park High School and Youth Services Systems of Wheeling.
His love of community, justice and creativity led him to other volunteer positions including (past and present), president and vice president of the Upper Ohio Valley NAACP, vice chairman of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission, founder of the Ohio Valley African American Students Association, member of Undependent Films, chairman of the Performing Arts Committee of the Wheeling Arts and Culture commission and board member of the Independent Theater Collective.
The Rev. Kenneth Hardaway, minister of the First Christian Church, presented Midget with her award.
Midget retired in 2015 from Northern Panhandle Head Start, Inc. as the executive director, where she successfully managed and operated a $6 million federal budget for the comprehensive early childhood program in Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties for children and their families. She served 33 years total in early childhood education.
Born and raised in Wheeling, she has two grown children and three grandchildren and is a member of the NAACP. A lifetime member of Wayman AME church, she has held various positions of leadership there and is currently on its Steward’s Board. She was appointed to the West Virginia Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council and served from 2005 – 2015.
She is a member of the Ohio County Democratic Women’s Club and the Ohio County School Diversity committee. She is a past president of the West Virginia Head Start Association and a past board member of the Wheeling YWCA. In 2015, she received both the YWCA Tribute to Women Achievement Award and the Deborah Zoleski Allen Champion of Children Award.
Both Scott and Midget earned the Regents Bachelor of Arts degree at WLU. Scott also attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga. and Midget is a graduate of the John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management, having completed the UCLA Head Start Fellows Program.
The award presentation took place at an annual MLK service held at the Fourth Street United Methodist Church in Wheeling last Wednesday.
Dr. Gerard NeCastro serves on the MLK Community Celebration Committee and attended the presentation which was a lead-up to the Jan. 19-20 community celebration in Wheeling.