Third Elkins History Talk to focus on ‘caring service’
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ELKINS – This Wednesday, the third installment of the Kump Education Center’s fall Elkins History Talks will focus on caring service and Kump family history.
Hosted by Kump Education Center Executive Director Dr. Heather Biola, this third talk will start at 7 p.m. at the Kump Education Center. All talks are free to the public.
The Kump House is located at 401 Randolph Ave., Elkins (across from Kroger) with parking access in the rear, accessible by Seneca Road.
Biola’s talk will be celebrating military and public service, and will also tie in with discussing Kump family history, as three members of the family have served the City of Elkins in a government capacity, including former West Virginia Governor Herman Guy Kump, who was the mayor of Elkins in the early 1920s.
Biola, who is a descendant of Kump, recalls how, during World War I, Kump served as one of President Woodrow Wilson’s Minute Men in Washington, D.C. Kump continued in public service as Randolph County Prosecuting Attorney in 1909, Mayor of Elkins in 1921, Judge of the 20th Circuit Court in 1928, and finally Governor of West Virginia in 1933.
“My theme of caring service is not only about military service; it is also about public servants who give all citizens a voice in public affairs,” Biola wrote. “American women and people of color are gaining their rights slowly and unequally. The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and 19th Ammendment to the Consitition for Women’s Sufferage (1920) were milestones of progress in becoming a more perfect union.”
On Dec. 9, Dr. Jim Van Gundy will once again be speaking on "Elkins Geology," a direct sequel to his Sept. 9 talk.
The Kump Education Center will continue holding open house events this year at the Center, which was the Neo-Federal Revival home of Kump. The last two open houses of the year will be on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13, and will include visits from Santa Claus.
To learn more or to contact the Kump Education Center, email kumpec@gmail.com or visit kumpeducationcenter.org.