Benita F. Murphy, center, stands beside Rev. Mike Pollard and Pete Kelly after receiving the Distinguished West Virginian Award during a Black History program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
A surprised Cora Lee Hairston, center, becomes emotional after receiving a service award during a Black History program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon. Presenting the award to her is Rev. Michael Pollard, left. Standing to her right is Logan/Boone NAACP Chapter Vice President Pete Kelly.
The congregation performs the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the close of a Black History Month program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
Joseph "Gus" Saunders delivers a presentation on the history of the Underground Railroad during a Black History Month program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
Benita F. Murphy, center, stands beside Rev. Mike Pollard and Pete Kelly after receiving the Distinguished West Virginian Award during a Black History program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
A surprised Cora Lee Hairston, center, becomes emotional after receiving a service award during a Black History program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon. Presenting the award to her is Rev. Michael Pollard, left. Standing to her right is Logan/Boone NAACP Chapter Vice President Pete Kelly.
The congregation performs the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing" at the close of a Black History Month program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
Joseph "Gus" Saunders delivers a presentation on the history of the Underground Railroad during a Black History Month program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
CORA — Logan County native Benita F. Murphy was presented with the Distinguished West Virginian Award, the highest civilian honor that can be conferred by the state’s governor, during a Black History program at the St. Phillips Missionary Baptist Church at Cora Saturday afternoon.
The award was presented as a surprise to the Clothier native, who has worked in the legal field for over 43 years. Her job history includes working as a legal secretary for the U.S. Department of Justice and serving as a board member for the state’s parole board. She was appointed chair of the parole board in 2014 again in 2021, which is the job she has been working in since.
Murphy possesses a bachelor’s degree in technical management from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio and a master’s degree in criminal justice from the former Mountain State University in Beckley.
Murphy was also presented with the Logan/Boone Chapter of the NAACP’s Image Award during the Black History Program. Murphy is married to the chapter’s president, the Rev. Audie Murphy, who became visibly emotional as he introduced his wife during the presentation of the award.
Numerous other awards were also presented during the two-hour program. The first award was presented to the Logan Walmart for their “outstanding commitment to being an outstanding equal opportunity employer.” Accepting the award was Reginia Tolliver, who also received a service award as an individual.
“Walmart Store #2610 has been open since 1997 and has been instrumental in the hiring of minorities since the beginning,” said Rev. Michael Pollard. “They continue to do so and that is why the Logan/Boone Branch of the NAACP recognizes Walmart as an outstanding equal opportunity employer.”
The next individual to receive an award was Joseph “Gus” Saunders, who is investigator #2 for the housing unit of the West Virginia Human Rights Commission. He is a recently retired Chief of Police, serving 27 years at West Virginia State University, a historically black university (HBCU) at Institute.
Later during Saturday’s program, Saunders gave a presentation on the Underground Railroad and the history behind its quilt codes.
Receiving an award after Saunders was Selena Banks, a lifelong resident of Logan County who graduated from the Ralph R. Willis Career and Technical Center’s nursing program in 1989. She has employed at Logan Regional Medical Center for 34 years and is the mother of three children and grandmother of five. She was awarded nurse of the year at LRMC in 2022.
Later in the program, two more individuals received service awards — Cora Lee Hairston and Anitra Ellis. Accepting the award for Ellis was her sister, Melissa Williams, as Ellis was unable to attend the program that day.
Throughout the program, a group of vocalists known as the Zion Gospellers provided singing of different selections. Boone/Logan NAACP Vice President Pete Kelly served as the master of ceremony.
To see a gallery of photos from the program, visit LoganBanner.com.
