ELKINS — The American flag at Elkins City Hall was flown at half-mast on Friday in honor of Donald R. “Donnie” Pritt, who passed away at the age of 73 last week.

Pritt was a familiar face at City Hall, where he served for many years on the Elkins Police Civil Service Commission. He was an integral part of the hiring of numerous Elkins Police Department officers, including nearly every one that is currently employed with the EPD.

Pritt was a graduate of Elkins High School with the class of 1966 and Magna Cum Laude graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Military Management, from the University of Charleston. He worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service before joining the West Virginia Army National Guard, where he was a recruiter for many years received numerous awards for his excellent recruiting. He served 42 years in the West Virginia Army National Guard and received numerous ribbons upon his retirement.

Pritt, who served in Operation Desert Storm, was awarded the bronze star, Southwest Asia and Kuwait Liberation Awards. He devoted much of his life to public service, assisting at the scene of aircraft crashes, floods, and civil disturbances. He once helped with a life-flight crash search in the area next to the Izaak Walton League Clubhouse on Files Creek. He was there to assist when another plane crashed near Blackwater Falls and during the flood of 1985.

Many current and past National Guard members considered him a mentor and expressed great sadness to hear of his passing.