William Gaston Caperton III

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor graduated from American University

David Selby earned a masters from WVU

Glade Creek gristmill completed

The spring pavilion was renovated at Barger Springs

Girls' state high school basketball tournament revived after dying off in the 1920s

Beckley Newspapers Corporation was sold to Clay Communications

J. Wade Gilley became president of Bluefield State College (now University)

Jennings Boyd named West Virginia Coach of the Year

Cabell Huntington Hospital expanded for the second time

Shelley Moore Capito earned M.A. from University of Virginia

Lou Austin died

French Carpenter record Elzic's Farewell is released

Shenandoah Downs closed

Buildings of McMillan Hospital were demolished in Charleston

Picnic shelters, restrooms, restaurant and amphitheater were added at Chief Logan State Park

Bernard Coffindaffer married June Woodrum

Cogar Arden set the world record for standing chopping a 10-inch yellow poplar in 16.2 seconds

Merger of Bluefield State College and Concord College ended

The Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) was created

Phyllis Curtin was invited to White House to sing for West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt

Julius DeGruyter wrote a second volume of the Kanawha Spectator

George Snyder received a MFA from University of North Carolina

Charlotte Pritt campaigned for state Senate and won

Margaret Workman became the first woman justice and the first woman elected to statewide office in West Virginia

Joe Manchin was reelected to the West Virginia Senate

Margaret Workman was elected first woman on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals and first woman elected to statewide office in West Virginia

Thomas Miller led the ticket in both the primary and general elections in State Supreme Court race

Ken Hechler was reelected as West Virginia's secretary of state

Darrell McGraw failed to gain reelection to the State Supreme Court

Walt Helmick elected to the House of Delegates

William Brotherton was the chief justice of the State Supreme Court

Jennifer Garner graduated Charleston's George Washington High School

Buffington Island preservation became a part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Curly Ray Cline retired from fiddling

Stephen Coonts wrote The Red Horseman

Flora of West Virginia was reissued by Seneca Books

New records set of estimated lumber production exceeded 1.5 billion board feet

Owens-Illinois Glass Company's Huntington plant closed

Nathan Goff Jr.'s house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places at time of demolition

The carriage house of the High Gate mansion underwent rehabilitation

T. D. Jakes moved his church to a larger building in Cross Lanes

The Kimball War Memorial was placed on the National Register of Historic Places

Melvin Lentz cut through a 34-inch ponderosa pine log in 4.85 seconds using a modified chain saw

The name of the Martinsburg paper was changed from Morning Journal to the Journal

Irene McKinney was appointed poet laureate by Governor Gaston Caperton

The film Four Days premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival

The Bluestone Dam celebrated its 50th anniversary

Lodge at Cacapon State Park was expanded

Camden-Clark Hospital in Parkersburg opened an Outpatient Physical Therapy Building

Wilson Douglas died

Rhone-Poulenc plant at Institute was sold to Aventis

Construction began on Clay Center

Contemporary American Theater Festival received Governor's Award for Outstanding Cultural Organization

Stephen Coonts wrote Cuba

State acquired rights to use "Country Roads" to promote tourism

West Virginia rated 4th lowest crime rate

CSX and Norfolk Southern absorbed Conrail

Jacob Beard's conviction for the Rainbow Family murders was overturned

Camden Park celebrated its centennial

Shelley Moore Capito selected to be co-chairwoman of the Congressional Women's Caucus

Kim Pauley took job as director of the Charleston Ballet

Charleston Town Center shopping mall underwent a $3 million renovation

City National Bank no longer under direct federal supervision

NiSource sold Columbia Natural Resources to group of former executives

Stephen Coonts wrote Liberty