The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation’s Founding President Doug Roach passed away peacefully on Friday, July 12, 2019, at the age of 88.

A Martinsburg native, Doug was born to the late Ralph Mark “Mickey” Roach and Virginia Baker Roach on July 7, 1931. Doug graduated from Martinsburg High School in 1949, attended University of Virginia and graduated from Shepherd College in 1953.

He served in the United States Army from 1953-1955 after which he began a successful career with R.M. Roach and Sons.

In 1956, Doug returned to Martinsburg to join his mother and father in the family business, selling home heating fuels in the eastern panhandle. The business grew and prospered under his leadership, with the help of his brother Don. Doug retired in 1996 after 40 years of active service in the petroleum industry. The family business continues today with the same principals and concern for the community at large.

In addition to his professional life, Doug was a dedicated public servant to his community. One of his proudest accomplishments was as the founding President of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. He also served as a member and President of the Berkeley County Board of Education from 1975-1986, member of the Martinsburg Rotary Club for over 50 years and a Paul Harris Fellow since 1991. Doug was a member of the Issac Walton League, participated in the development and support of many organizations that supported our community such as C-CAP, United Way, and Boy Scouts, as well as a founding Director of the West Virginia Petroleum Marketers Association and an honorary board member of many other organizations.

Doug was a faithful member of Otterbein United Methodist Church for over 60 years.

When Doug was not busy otherwise, he could be found in the outdoors. He enjoyed golfing, hunting and had a contagious love of fishing and outdoor adventure. He enjoyed taking friends on long, curvy road trips through his home state of which he was very proud.

He is survived by his sons, Stan and wife, Sarah, Steve and wife, Tina and Scott and wife, Linda; daughter, Terri Rotunda and husband Joe, of Greensboro, North Carolina; grandchildren Josiah Corwin-Roach, Jason Roach and wife, Marlana, Matt Roach and wife, Kelly, Anthony, Alec, Maggie, Maria and Molly Rotunda; three great-grandchildren Alivia and Weston Roach and Cora Roach; sister-in-law Polly Roach ; brother-in-law Jake Gruver and wife, Carol; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, close friends and all their families.

Doug was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Joan Roach; brother, Don Roach and foster daughter, Rene Dotson Prichard.

Memorial gifts may be made to Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation Doug and Joan Roach Visionary Fund, 229 E. Martin Street, Suite 4, Martinsburg, WV  25401

This time of year, the Eastern WV Community Foundation looks forward to reading final reports submitted by our Mini-Grants to Teachers recipients. The maximum award is $500 and we marvel at the impact these grants have on classrooms across the Eastern Panhandle. There are always one or two grants that really resonate with our team and this year’s award of $224.95 for an Alphabet Recognition Extravaganza project to Back Creek Valley Elementary Pre-K teacher Shauna Herber is one of our favorites.

In the final report, Ms. Herber included marvelous photographs of her students using the various tools purchased with the grant to help them learn their alphabet. “My students were so excited to receive the materials and they spent time searching in the alphabet collage beads for the letters in their names to make personalized necklaces. They were so proud to wear them,” she stated. “The giant magnetic letters work well on our classroom door. Students work together to spell words or to put them in alphabetical order. They even celebrated the wedding of Q & U and all the letters were invited.”

Ms. Herber also mentioned how these alphabet tools will be able to be shared with other classes this year and for years to come. EWVCF is pleased to be able to support education in such a hands-on, tangible way and we thank one of our mentors, the late Susan Landis of the Beckley Area Foundation, for encouraging us to start our own mini-grants program in 2013. Since its inception, we have awarded nearly $200,000 in Mini-Grants to Teachers from Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, and Hampshire counties.

The Eastern WV Community Foundation recently awarded $116,100 in scholarships, the majority of which were presented to 73 Eastern Panhandle students during the annual Scholars & Donors Reception, held at the Purple Iris in Martinsburg. EWVCF President Lisa Welch welcomed the students, parents, and fund donors to the outdoor reception held under the big tent on a beautiful spring day.

Rotary Club of Martinsburg President Amanda Vance Giangola, a 2006 Musselman High graduate and a recipient of the EWVCF Dr. N. Blaine Grover Rotary Scholarship, was the guest speaker. Amanda shared stories about her favorite teachers, degrees she earned from Shepherd University, and how grateful she is to be able to live, work, and raise a family in the area where she grew up. Several donors who established funds in memory of loved ones were on hand to award the scholarship certificates to the students and Amanda presented the 2019 Dr. N. Blaine Groves Rotary Scholarship to Spring Mills High School senior Kaitlyn Radar.

Scholarship coordinator Karin Hammann Dunn kept the program moving along nicely, and still took time to introduce all the students and share a little information gleaned from the “Top 10 Things About Me” they wrote as part of the application process. A record forty scholarship funds presented awards in 2019 and although most of the students will be attending a West Virginia based college or university, several are heading out of state, with one attending Columbia University and another heading off to Vassar College.

Scholarships from the Community Foundation generally range between $500 and $5,000 each and several students received awards from more than one scholarship fund. EWVCF Executive Director Michael Whalton explained how the Community Foundation invests donations they receive and the grants and scholarships that are awarded each year are derived from investment gains. Nearly $1 million in grants and scholarships are awarded annually by the Community Foundation and by focusing on long-term growth, the organization will be able to present scholarships in perpetuity.

Karin Hammann Dunn, program manager for the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation, was the announcer for the night.

A list of the scholarship descriptions, amounts and recipients are as follows:

The Overington Scholarship was given to homeschooled student Ashlynn Fisher for $500 and Faith Christian Academy student Jaclynn Guin for $1,500.

The $500 Martinsburg High School Class of 1964 Scholarship Fund was awarded to Manav Patel.

The Morgan and Robert Owens Scholarship, given to Meagan Schmuck, is a $500 scholarship.

The Destiny Baptist Church Patrick J. Walker Scholarship, which is for $500, was given to Bonita Boots and De’Ondre Brown.

The Chad Hammond Memorial Scholarship Fund $500 scholarship was given to Olivia Busey.

The David A. “Hawk” Hawkens Memorial Scholarship Fund was given to three students, Spirit Kolb, Austin Hughes, and Emily Butts, all three receiving $500.

“Our next scholarship was established in 2014 by Lauren Porterfield Oblak’s siblings, Rhonda, Andrew, and Jenni Porterfield, and funded with memorial gifts from family and friends,” Hammann Dunn announced. Taylor Bleigh received this scholarship.

The Rotary Club of Charles Town awarded $500 to two students, Malanie Cline, and Adelaide Amore.

The Mary Frances Secrist Scholarship Fund, a $500 scholarship, was rewarded to Sara Brown.

The Edgar McKee and Ethel Downs Sites Scholarship Fund is a $500 scholarship and was given to Abigail Joseph.

Madison Fultineer was the recipient of the Erin Sponaugle Scholarship.

Fultineer also received The Mary and Walter Duke Teachers Scholarship Fund, which is an $800 scholarship.

The Whalton Family Fund, a $500 scholarship, was given to David Mudge.

The Eastern Panhandle WVU Alumni Scholarship Fund was given to Jessica Hammersla for $500.

The Walter and Mary Jo Ziler Brown Scholarship Fund was awarded to Frank Burner for $500.

The Martinsburg 200th Anniversary Scholarship was given to Bryan Ho for $500.

The Mary ‘Polly’ Coe Dillon Scholarship Fund was given to Hailey Sebastian.

The Karos Family Fund Scholarship Award was given to Raven Powers.

The Clyde E. Smith, Jr. Scholarship Fund was given to Otice Carter, who received $750.

The Todd Mosby Memorial Scholarship Fund, a $1,500 scholarship, was awarded to Tanner Boeckmann.

The Anna Jo Crosby Scholarship Fund, a $1,000 scholarship, was rewarded to Dalas Carder.

The Deborah, Leslie, and Christopher Bright Achievement Award was given to Israel Ellis, Gracie Van Way, and Katie Bellingham.

The Derflinger Earth Sciences scholarship is an $800 reward and was given to Zachary Kelly.

The Emily C. Cooper BeeLine Chapter of N.S. Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship Jefferson, a $1000 scholarship, was awarded to Elisabeth Smiley.

The Emily C. Cooper County ROTC Scholarship, a $1,000 award, was given to Aaron Matlock.

“Every year, caring citizens come together to honor Martin Luther King and to raise scholarship gifts in his name. This year, 12 students have been selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Martin Luther King Scholarship Fund,” Hammann Dunn said.

Sean Albon, Sierra Barrett, Jordan Bohrer, Donavan King, Kayley Brinegar, Emily Butts, Dalas Carder, Joerdyn Cooper, Faith Figgins, Cheyniah Mckey, Maricela Trejo, and Harley Wilkins were the recipients of this scholarship.

The Paul Ropp Memorial Scholarship Fund rewarded a $1,000 scholarship to Hanna Jandrain.

The Terry Lee Walker, Jr. Scholarship went to six students, each receiving $1,000. Natalie Linton, Jordan Trunnell, Nicholas Wright, Zanele Nyabusha, Priyana Patel and Taylor Cenate received the scholarship.

Sean Albon and Sydney Woodring received $1,000 from The George Whitehair Scholarship Fund.

The Berkeley County Teachers Scholarship Fund awarded three $1,000 scholarships given to Julie Snyder, Nathan Schweinebraten and Megan Rogers.

The Woods Resort Scholarship was awarded to three students for $1,000 — Olivia Yates, Stephanie Golden, and Violet Hott.

The Dr. Gwen Steeley Memorial Scholarship was awarded to four students for $1,000, Chloe Campbell, Eden Canby, Brady Michael, and Alicyn Craig.

The Fulton L. Walker, Jr. Scholarship Fund, a $1,250 award, was given to Emily Dodds and Natalie Linton.

Kaitlyn Rader received a $1,200 scholarship from the N. Blaine Groves/Rotary Scholarship Fund.

The South Jefferson Ruritan Club Scholarship was given to Mahayna Garcia and Zachary Kelley, both receiving $1,500.

“Mr. George Hancock was the founding donor of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation when he established this scholarship fund in 1995.

Mr. Hancock died in 2004. But his fund is still awarding scholarships to African American students headed to college,” Hammann Dunn said. Three students received a $1,500 scholarship; Jordan Bohrer, Alisha Joseph, and Janet Jeffreys.

The Susan Wellford Smith Scholarship Fund was given to Bailey Miller, for $2,000.

The Wurzburg Family Scholarship, a $3,500 reward, was given to Donavan King, Priyana Patel, and Justus Pentony.

“Our next scholarship of the evening is named in honor of the founder of Martinsburg’s Berkeley Medical Center and it is the Dr. Theodore K. Oates Nursing Scholarship fund. This fund will award one $5,000 scholarship to Hailey McDaniel.

Established by Floyd Jacques when he drafted his will, The Floyd and Isabel Jacques Memorial Scholarship Fund supports students graduating from Musselman High School in the upper 10% of their graduating class.

“We are happy to award five $5000 Jacques scholarships at $1250 a year for 4 years,” Hammann Dunn said. Victoria Parello, Molly Hull, Tessla Muir, Carley LaPole and William LeMaster received this scholarship.

“Thanks to all of you for helping us celebrate the gathering, growing, and granting we do here at your Community Foundation,” Hammann Dunn said as she concluded the event.

The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation (EWVCF) was established in 1995 to help donors create permanent endowments to provide grants and scholarships throughout the region. Since its inception, EWVCF has awarded $9.8 million, including $1 million in 2018 alone. The Community Foundation now holds more than 230 endowed funds with assets of just over $25 million and it is the leading steward of philanthropic giving in the region. EWVCF works with a wide range of nonprofit organizations providing funding for projects from human welfare and scholarships to affordable housing and natural resources conservation; youth and education to animal welfare and historic preservation, and much more.