WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. July 29, 2022 — Several West Liberty University alumni leaders were honored for service to the city this past Tuesday by Mayor Glenn Elliott at his annual State of the City Address.
The public address was held at Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack at noon, July 26.
Alumni honorees include:
John B. Nanny ’70 (deceased), David McKinley ’95 and Dr. Bill Mercer ’75.
“We congratulate our alumni for being named as 2022 honorees by Mayor Elliott and thank them for their service to our community. We are proud of our Hilltopper leaders,” said Amanda Bennett, WLU’s alumni director and a 2013 and 2018 alumna.
Nanny passed away on Jan. 9, 2022 at the age of 79. He was born in Bluefield, W.Va. and enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1961 to 1965, attaining the rank of corporal. He belonged to the Marine Corps League, served as chairman of Hershel “Woody” Williams Scholarship Foundation, was member and past commander of Wheeling Post 1, American Legion and member of VFW Post 4442.
Nanny served as director of Attendance and Social Services for Ohio County Schools from 1973-2003; co-founded Youth Services, Inc. in Wheeling, was a founding member of the National Youth Advocate Program and Youth Advocate Program International Board of Trustees; past president of St. John’s Children’s Home and Big Brother/Big Sister of Wheeling.
McKinley is the president and chief investment officer for McKinley Carter Wealth Services, a company he founded in 2003 that is headquartered in Wheeling.
Under his leadership, McKinley Carter has grown to be among the largest and fastest-growing wealth management firms, recognized for excellence in its care for clients and colleagues. CNBC named McKinley Carter to its “Top 100 of U.S. Fee-Only Wealth Managers” list.
McKinley earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from West Liberty University. He has completed non-degree programs at a variety of academic institutions, including Harvard Business School, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the College for Financial Planning.
He was appointed by Gov. Jim Justice to the WLU Board of Governors in 2021 and is a resident of Wheeling.
Dr. Mercer served as medical director of the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department for many years. A family physician formerly in private practice, he also is a member of the Community IMPACT Coalition and spearheaded an effort to provide naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. He serves as a physician for Project Hope which cares for the homeless. He is well-known for the Joe Too Cool to Smoke campaign in local schools that encourages children to avoid tobacco use.
Currently, he is the Attending Physician at Peterson Rehabilitation Hospital and the Good Shepherd Nursing Home, both in Wheeling.
In 2016, he was honored by the board of directors of Youth Services System Inc. as its Good Samaritan honoree. Mercer is a Wheeling a native and a member of WLU’s class of 1975. Mercer also is a 1979 graduate of West Virginia University School of Medicine and was recognized as the West Virginia Family Physician of the Year in 2008.
Mayor Glenn F. Elliott, Jr. presented all honorees or their representatives with commemorative plaques. (Elliott is an alumnus of WLU, having received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from WLU in 2017.)
West Liberty University alumni founded its first alumni group in June 1877 with 103 members. From its beginning, the growth and development of the Alumni Affairs office has been dedicated to promoting the interests of WLU and strengthening the loyalty of and fostering support among its graduates, former students and friends. Alumni Affairs serves as a liaison between alumni and current WLU administration, staff, faculty, students and friends.
To reach Bennett or the Alumni Affairs office, please call 304.336.8844 or visit westliberty.edu/alumni.
To read news coverage of the State of the City event, please click here and read theintelligencer.net coverage by Eric Ayres.