WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., September 12, 2023 – West Liberty University is proud to announce the induction of five outstanding alumni into its prestigious Wall of Honor during the upcoming 2023 Homecoming festivities. The ceremony, which is set to be a highlight of the event, will take place on September 23, 2023, at the Wall of Honor Room in Elbin Library.
The day will commence with a networking hour, fostering connections among alumni and friends, starting at 8 a.m. The highly anticipated induction ceremony will begin promptly at 9 a.m., where the 2023 Alumni Wall of Honor Inductees will be celebrated for their remarkable contributions to their respective fields.
The 2023 Alumni Wall of Honor Inductees include: Patricia Gracey ’63; John Dolan ’78; Bettie Steele ’84; John Blangor ’87 and Stephanie Shaw ’97.
Class of 1963
GRACEY – A coal miner’s daughter, nurtured in a home where education and the arts were valued and promoted, Patricia initially sought a profession in music education. West Liberty provided that entrée. A bout of cancer thwarted that pursuit. Hearing the cries for racial and social justice opened doors to a new professional pursuit in early childhood development and education.
For the next 35 years, opportunities for local community program management in the federally funded Head Start Program in Pennsylvania and West Virginia led to enriching the lives of low-income children and their families. Tens of millions of dollars of federal aid and in-kind contributions of goods and services contributed to the ever-increasing numbers of families served, thousands of them. Hundreds of teachers, aides, health and social service workers, and bus drivers found meaningful employment and professional development opportunities. Volunteers became employees. And children grew in maturity and school readiness.
Beyond the local programs, the opportunity to share my vision of a better future for young children came through leadership roles in federal Region Three and state-wide, elected office in Pennsylvania and West Virginia Head Start Associations.
Later employed as a Management Consultant, Patricia worked with Head Start Programs in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to improve their service delivery to the children and families within their bounds. To ensure future educational assistance to Music Education majors at WLU, my husband and I have funded the Patricia Zapka Grace Music Scholarship for students chosen by the University for their professional promise and economic need.
DOLAN – John Dolan is a 1978 graduate of West Liberty with a BS in Business Administration and a specialization in accounting. John grew up on Wheeling Island, the fifth oldest in a family of 12 children. While at WLU he was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.
Class of 1978
John met his wife Kimberly at WLU and they will be married for 45 years in September of this year. They reside in Indiana, PA and have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. His career started while attending WLU when he worked as a night auditor at Oglebay Park to help pay for his education, but that stopped his wrestling career. He entered the public accounting profession after graduation at Barnes Saly & Company, in Johnstown, PA, and then found his way to a small bank with big aspirations in Indiana, PA. National Bank of the Commonwealth had $215 million in assets when he started as a staff accountant. He eventually became the Company’s first CFO and helped the company rebrand itself as First Commonwealth Bank and grow to $6.5 billion in assets when he retired as the company’s CEO after weathering the Great Recession.
John helped the company to do a direct listing on NYSE 25 years before the textbooks knew what that was. As CEO he maintained a strong capital position and was one of the few banks that did not take government money during the financial crisis. Dolan also was board chair for a publicly traded bank in Jacksonville, FL that turned around from a “certain failure” to a successful exit saving the FDIC any losses and making shareholders more than 3X their investment. He is currently the Audit Committee Chair for BM Technologies, a publicly traded financial technology company.
In addition to his interests in helping West Liberty, Dolan enjoys magic and volunteers time to help entrepreneurs, local economic development, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the finance council for his local parish, and the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg, and has served on the PA State Board of Accountancy, local hospital board, and Chamber of Commerce.
Class of 1984
STEELE – While non-traditional students are commonplace today, Bettie Steele was one of the first local women to seek higher education after marriage and children. Bettie worked as the Director of Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) for nearly twenty years. This was a non-profit career counseling and referral service housed at West Virginia Northern Community College.
Bettie was tireless in helping Ohio Valley women realize their potential for both personal and professional fulfillment. After graduating from West Liberty State College in 1984, Bettie received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988. Bettie was one of the founders of Wheeling’s great community theater, Towngate, and is credited with creating its name. She acted and directed in countless plays there and inspired many young performers, several of whom went on to appear on Broadway.
Beyond her positive word of mouth about her alma mater, Bettie helped women with their educational goals through her membership in PEO. Bettie received the WV Governor’s commendation for her work on the Civil War Battle Flag Project at West Virginia Independence Hall. She also led the fundraising campaign that garnered over $1.2 million in support for WVIH.
BLANGOR – John Blangor Jr., a 1983 graduate of Steubenville High School (Big Red) in Steubenville, Ohio, was an accomplished wrestler during his tenure, securing the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Championship at the 138-weight class and earning the Crosier Memorial Award as the most valuable wrestler in 1983.
Class of 1987
After high school, he attended West Liberty University in West Liberty, West Virginia, graduating in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. His time at West Liberty also saw success on the wrestling team, including a 6th place finish in the 1985 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Tournament. He was recognized with the Christian Athlete of the Year award in 1987 for his positive influence on Ohio’s youth.
Blangor’s professional career began as a Loss Prevention Manager at Hills Department Store in
Brentwood, West Virginia. In June 1988, he joined the Department of Justice within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he advanced from Senior Officer Specialist, Lieutenant, Intelligence Officer, Deputy Captain, and then Emergency Preparedness Officer before retiring in 2018.
Throughout his 30 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Blangor held various roles and engaged in significant initiatives, including serving on the Special Operations Response Team from 1989-1992 and collaborating with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (F.B.I) during the World Trade Center crisis. He also contributed to the F.B.I’s Cold Case Crimes Unit and the Gang Task Force.
Today, John resides in Madison, Mississippi, with his wife, Verna Blangor. Following in his footsteps, his son, Myles Thomas-Blangor also works for the Federal Government in the US Postal Service in Loganville, Georgia. John continues to support the Blangor, Bunch, Hudson, and Spinner Scholarship Fund, aimed at providing financial assistance to Steubenville Big Red students pursuing higher education at West Liberty University.
Class of 1997
STEPHANIE – A native of Weirton, West Virginia, Stephanie is a 1994 graduate of Brooke High School. Stephanie holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from West Liberty University (1997) and a M.S. in Labor Relations from West Virginia University (1998). Stephanie’s career in technology has been driven by her curiosity and her parents’ exposure to a Commodore VIC-20 home computer as a young girl. Early in her career, she worked in Oracle Technology consulting providing leadership to various clients in the areas of process reengineering, systems implementation, organizational design, and change management.
Currently, Stephanie is Vice President, Enterprise Technology for The Wendy’s Company. In 2021 and 2022, Stephanie was recognized as one of the National Diversity Council’s Top 100 Women in Technology. Stephanie is passionate about people, diversity, and community. The foundation of her leadership legacy is her joy in helping people discover their best selves and pay it forward – the foundation of which started at West Liberty University where she is proud to serve on the Board of Governors. Stephanie is on the Board of Trustees of Alvis, a non-profit human services agency providing comprehensive re-entry and family support services.
Stephanie also serves on the Board of Directors of the Columbus (Ohio) Urban League. Stephanie is the daughter of WLU alumni Gene and Carole Harris. Her mother, Carole Harris, holds professor emeritus status at WLU and taught in the College of Business. Stephanie is married to Joel Shaw, and they have two sons: Koel and Gabriel.
These exceptional individuals have demonstrated excellence in their careers and have made a lasting impact on their communities and the West Liberty University community.
“As we gather to celebrate Homecoming and induct these remarkable alumni into our Wall of Honor, we are not only honoring their individual accomplishments but also the enduring legacy of excellence that West Liberty University instills in its graduates. Their stories serve as an inspiration to current and future students, showcasing what can be achieved with determination, passion, and a foundation built at West Liberty.”, says WLU Director of Alumni Affairs, Amanda Bennett.
For more information about the 2023 Homecoming and the Wall of Honor induction ceremony, please visit www.westliberty.edu/homecoming or contact alumni@westliberty.edu.