Dr. Gloria M. Payne is honorary parade marshal; lineup announced

Educator has been MSFF volunteer for 67 years

Dr. Gloria M. Payne

ELKINS — She’s been known as an educator at Davis & Elkins College, mentor to scores of students and community volunteer. Now, Dr. Gloria M. Payne can add honorary Mountain State Forest Festival Grand Feature Parade Marshal to her biography.

Named to the honor by MSFF Director General Scott Goddard, Payne sees her parade marshal duty as making a connection with the public.

“I want to let them know I appreciate them coming to the Forest Festival, especially the Grand Feature Parade,” Payne said.

Her 67 years of volunteering for the Forest Festival speaks volumes of her own appreciation for the state’s oldest festival. Her involvement began in 1945 as a page driving princesses to and from activities, helping the Housing Committee find host families for the princesses and helping select ROTC escorts for the princesses. Throughout the years, Payne served on various committees including the Queen’s Ball, Coronation Stage, Country Music Show, Cabaret, Band Field Show, Art Show and College Aid reception.

She also worked with generations of Festival leaders on the queen’s department to select fabrics, trim, patterns, hats and accessories for the queen’s court. On parade day, she served as a float judge and radio commentator. For many years she also loaned her personal car — always a convertible — for use in the parade and transporting Maid Silvia to local visits. Perhaps the most involved and challenging effort, she says, was planning and hosting a pre-coronation luncheon for Vice President Hubert Humphrey and other special guests in Benedum Dining Room on the Davis & Elkins College campus. After hours of coordinating intricate displays, Secret Service agents wouldn’t approve the venue until all the decorations were fireproofed.

At opening ceremonies for the 77th Mountain State Forest Festival in 2013, Payne was recognized for her volunteerism. Still, Goddard says she deserves yet another honor for her dedication.

“Dr. Payne has done so much for this community, for the Forest Festival and for me when I was a student, so I felt she was the perfect choice as Honorary Parade Marshal for the 80th Mountain State Forest Festival,” said Goddard, who also serves as vice president for student affairs at Davis & Elkins College.

Payne learned of the selection when Goddard visited her home and she admits she was both surprised and humbled.

“He really touched my heart by showing how much he appreciates something I’ve done,” said Payne who served as Goddard’s academic adviser and professor when he was a student at Davis & Elkins. “For someone who’s reached such a prominence in life — he’s a college vice president and director general of the Forest Festival — to take time out and reach back to say thank you for something I did for him 20 years ago, that says a lot about his character. There are a lot of other people he could have picked.”

Another of Payne’s former students, K.J. Shaffer, a teacher at Elkins High School, will drive her through the parade. Always the fashionista, Payne has selected tangerine as the theme color for her parade attire.

“It’s one of the highlighted colors this season,” she says harkening back to days of studying and teaching marketing trends and fashion merchandising.

Her teaching career is traced back to 1943 when she took a job as business teacher at Spencer High School in Spencer. Two years later, she signed on at Davis & Elkins College where eventually the chair in business and economics was endowed in her honor. Throughout her career, Payne was presented with dozens of local and national awards.

Payne graduated from Davis & Elkins in 1943 with Bachelor of Arts in business and English. In 1970, she earned a Master of Arts in English from West Virginia University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration and PhD in business from the University of Pittsburgh. She completed additional studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, University of Pittsburgh, WVU, New York University, East Carolina University, Marshall University and the Washington School of Protocol in Washington, D.C. Payne also holds certifications as modeling instructor from World Modeling Association and the Wheeler Fashion School, design appearance consultant from the World Modeling Association, interior decorator from the New York School of Design and protocol certification from the Washington School of Protocol.

The Mountain State Forest Festival Grand Feature Parade, sponsored by Polino Contracting Inc., steps off at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

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80th Mountain State Forest Festival

Grand Feature Parade

Dr. Gloria M. Payne is honorary parade marshal; lineup announced

Educator has been MSFF volunteer for 67 years

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Dr. Gloria M. Payne is honorary parade marshal; lineup announced

Educator has been MSFF volunteer for 67 years

Newsletter

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