WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Oct. 3, 2019 — West Liberty University Alumni have selected two distinguished alumni, Richard A. “Rich” Lucas and Fred T. Kinder, for induction into its Wall of Honor during 2019 Homecoming festivities.
The ceremony takes place at the President’s Recognition Dinner on Friday, Oct. 11 at the Highlands Event Center. The dinner is invitation-only, and also honors donors who are members of the John P. McCullough Society, the President’s Circle and the Nathan Shotwell Society.
Lucas, a native of Wellsburg, W.Va., graduated from West Liberty State College in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree specializing in accounting, and passed the Certified Public Accounting Exam in 1990.
He began his accounting career with SR Snodgrass, CPAs, in 1986 and worked there until 1994. In 1994, Rich accepted the position of Senior Vice President with One Valley Bank and remained there until October 2000.
Lucas is a founder of Main Street Bank, which opened its first office in Wheeling in 2001 and is the first new bank started in Ohio County since 1964. Lucas is President and Chief Executive Officer, and a member of the Board of Directors of Main Street Bank.
Since graduating from West Liberty, he has served on the Hilltopper Athletic Club, is a former chairman of the West Liberty University Foundation, and is currently a member of the West Liberty University Board of Governors.
Lucas also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from West Liberty University when he served as the commencement speaker in 2014.
He is married to Barb (Millard) and they have one son, Brice, who is currently a senior at West Liberty University, planning to graduate in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree specializing in accounting. They are residents of Wheeling.
Kinder, a native of Glen Dale, W.Va., is a 1968 graduate of West Liberty State College with bachelor’s degrees in both chemistry and math.
He began his career as an engineer for an electronics company in Erie, Pa. Eventually, he made his way to Northern California’s Silicon Valley, taking advantage of the growing semiconductor industry.
He started his own electronics company, Encore Technology Inc., that specialized in semiconductor contract assembly and testing. During this time, he also provided consulting services for similar companies.
He then purchased U.S. Export Authority Inc., a semiconductor service company providing engineering and manufacturing services.
Kinder also owns Piezo Source Inc., a manufacturer of piezoelectric speakers used in sodar (wind measurement), Long Range Acoustic Devices (LRAD) military, police alarms and everyday acoustic applications.
He started Best Bio-Tech Inc., which developed the physical chemistry for biosensors used to diagnosis asthma and prevent asthma attacks.
Improving healthcare by using his West Liberty education and technology experience is his passion. He started eHealthcare Inc. with a mission to implement a paradigm shift to a “patient-centric” approach to medical care through the use of communication technology, biometric monitors and Electronic Health Records with artificial intelligence for early detection and prevention of diseases, increasing life expectancy and improving quality of life at a lower cost.
Fred and his wife, Kelly, live in Saratoga, California and have one son, Christian.
Homecoming takes place on Saturday, Oct. 12, as the Hilltoppers take on Concord University with a 1 p.m. kick-off at the West Family Stadium. Alumni Wall of Honor recognition also will takes place during half-time, along with the Homecoming King & Queen announcement
A new event, Glaze and Grinds begins the day from 9 – 11 a.m. in the alumni tailgating tent and features donuts, fruit, coffee and socializing, sponsored by the WLU Foundation. Guided tours of campus follow. Tailgating, with family-friendly activities for all ages, begins at 10 a.m. and a parade follows at 10:30 a.m.
For more information, please visit westliberty.edu/alumni or call 304-336-8888. For all the scores and information on Hilltopper Athletics visit hilltoppersports.com.