From the Editor: Winter 2025

Early in 2025 I was pleasantly surprised to receive two submissions on the same day, which at first glance appeared to be only loosely related in that they both were from Gilmer County. In one submission (which will appear in the coming months) the contributor included a Commencement pamphlet for Glenville State Normal School from 1908 that included the name of her grandfather. 

One name on the pamphlet, unrelated to the story at hand, caught my eye—Bessie Boyd Bell provided a recitation during the ceremony. My maiden name is Boyd, and so naturally the name stood out to me as I skimmed over the other names. I noted the name and moved on with my day.  

In one of those, “it’s a small world” moments, I had received a submission that very same day from Matthew Cross of Normantown, regarding the 1945 State Basketball Champions—The Normantown Vikings which mentioned the same instructor from Gilmer County—Mrs. Bessie Bell, who was encouraging her former student, the team’s coach, via telegram. 

For me, this highlighted the lasting influence a good teacher can have on the whole community, which would have been otherwise overlooked. Sometimes, the influence of a dedicated teacher is taken for granted, but that is not always the case in a small town. 

 Mrs. Bessie Boyd Belle Scott retired from teaching in 1957, and passed away in 1988 at the age of 97. She founded the Gilmer County Historical Society. In 1981 she was the 118th person chosen as the West Virginia Ambassador of Goodwill by A. James Manchin. This is what Goldenseal is all about. The magazine has always excelled at showing the honest heart of West Virginia, and this serendipitous occurrence just further highlights that for me.  They say it takes a village, and sometimes that village extends past childhood rearing, and into adulthood through the continued support of your community. I hope we are all so lucky.  

I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have continued to seek and support Goldenseal in its new format, from folks visiting the website, to the contributors that continue to submit their stories and photos to be shared. We are so grateful for your support, and hope you will continue to stick with us for all we have planned in the future. If you haven’t had the chance to do so yet, sign up for our email newsletter (you should be prompted to sign-up when you first open the site) for updates on new content and ongoing projects.

Laiken Blankenship

Editor