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The first hope-to-be Annual Reunion of the Dehue-Chambers Grade School Employees was held at Gatti’s, Fountain Place Mall on Monday, May 5.

Dehue-Chambers Elementary School was located at Rum Creek. It was a Pre-K through sixth grade facility and first opened its doors in February of 1972, an extension of the former Dehue Grade School located in the community of Dehue. Over the years, the facility changed its grade levels to Pre-K through fourth grade.

The name change came about to honor the Chambers family that donated the land for the new facility.

The school as an elementary school closed its doors at the close of the 1998-99 school year. Today it is used as a PRIDE Center, serving Logan County students for early childhood education.

The school existed for the sole purpose of providing quality educational experiences for the students of Rum Creek, McConnell, Lyburn and Neibert, which joined the facility in later years as their home school and their addition to the student body was welcomed.

The school motto at the time of its closing was, “Happiness is Learning,” and its athletes were known for years as the Dehue Dolphins.

Its alumni include doctors, lawers, teachers, various professional business people, homemakers, etc.

Today the Rum Creek and Dehue Community Reunions are held each year in August and participants of this event come from all 50 states and foreign countries.

The Logan County School System is to be commended for providing an excellent learning environment for the students that passed through its doors.

The school only had two principals during its existence, Opal McDade and Ray Albright. Earl Hager was principal at the old Dehue school.

Mr. Albright was principal of Dehue-Chambers for 28 years and went on to be principal at Buffalo Elementary on Buffalo Creek for another 12 years. He retired in July of 2012.

It is hoped that the employees’ recent reunion will become an annual event for many years to come. They consider themselves as family and think they were truly blessed to be a part fo the lives of the student body for 27 years and appreciate their opportunity and privilege to serve the students, families and community.

Attendees at the reunion included: Charlotte Chapman, Leigh Mareske, Scott Justice (principal of Logan Grade School), Kay Perovich (cafeteria manager of Logan High), Linda Williamson, Dale Whitt, Margaret Chambers, Delores Spears; Norma Bales (school secretary); Patty Gilliam; Brenda Chapman Keaton; Ray Albright and Phyllis Terry.

Special guests in attendance included “Chappy” Chapman, Merlin Spears, Diana Chambers (with her daughter and granddaughter).

Several employees unable to attend included Barbara Fleshman, Melvin and Mary Helen Morris, Phyllis Henderson, Kathy Billups, Sue Gollihue, Pamela Humble, Sherry Trumble and Sherry Sutherland.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The federal government is providing more than $2 million to Mingo County to extend water service and fire protection to about 250 households.

The Mingo County Public Service District has been awarded a one-and-a-half million-dollar loan and a $991,000 grant for the Ben Creek Phase I project. About 11 miles of waterline will be built, along with a water storage tank and a booster station.

U.S. Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin and Rep. Nick Rahall announced the funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development on Tuesday.

The lawmakers say wells, springs and cisterns are the only sources of water for a majority of residents in the project area. Septic systems that have malfunctioned or were poorly built have contaminated many of these water sources.