Charleston WV – The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history.
To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at www.wvencyclopedia.org.
Oct. 24, 1929: Composer George Crumb was born in Charleston. In 1968, Crumb was
awarded the Pulitzer Prize for “Echoes of Time and the River: Four Processionals for Orchestra.”
Oct. 25, 1918: Athlete Marshall “Biggie” Goldberg was born in Elkins. He led the
Chicago Cardinals to the NFL championship in 1947 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of
Fame in 1958 and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.
Oct. 25, 1951: Writer Denise Giardina was born in Bluefield and raised in neighboring
McDowell County. She is best known as a novelist and also has a long history of community
activism, including a run for governor.
Oct. 26, 1801: Jefferson County was established from a portion of Berkeley County by
the Virginia General Assembly and named for Thomas Jefferson.
Oct. 26, 1934: Athlete Rodney Clark “Hot Rod” Hundley was born in Charleston.
Hundley earned first team All-American recognition his senior year at West Virginia University.
He averaged 24.5 points per game and scored 2,180 points over his college career, ranking
second in WVU history.
Oct. 27, 1879: Howard B. Lee was born in Wirt County. He was elected state attorney
general in 1924, and served for eight challenging years. His term saw the impeachment of a state
auditor, the lawlessness of Prohibition and labor troubles in the coalfields.
Oct. 28, 1929: Painter Charles Lewis “Chuck” Ripper was born in Pittsburgh and later
moved to Huntington. He was one of the country's best-known wildlife artists, with paintings
appearing on nearly 100 magazine covers and 80 U.S. postage stamps.
Oct. 28, 1972: Brad Paisley was born in Glen Dale. Paisley has received the Entertainer
of the Year award from the Country Music Association, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards,
and three Grammies.
Oct. 29, 1861: Confederate commander Robert E. Lee ended his ill-fated western
Virginia campaign. His three months in the region were marked by rain, mud, inexperienced
officers, diseases among the troops and rampant criticism of his leadership.
Oct. 29-30, 2012: Following Hurricane Sandy, heavy wet snow fell across West Virginia.
With accumulations approaching 40 inches, it surpassed all previously known October
snowstorms.
Oct. 30, 1825: Randolph McCoy was born in Logan County. In 1878, McCoy’s
accusation against a cousin of Anderson “Devil Anse” Hatfield for stealing a hog set off a deadly
series of events in the Hatfield-McCoy Feud.