1928 - Alderson High School - 1968

Prominent People Of Alderson From The History Of Alderson

Alderson   has   had   several   prominent   people   who   were   either   born   in   Alderson   or   lived   here.   It   is   unusual that   more   women   residents   of   Alderson   have   attracted   fame   or   attention   than   men.   One   reason   is   that Alderson   is   the   location   of   a   famed   woman’s   prison.   Elsewhere   in   this   history   are   recounted   facts   about Miss   Emma   Alderson,   Dr.   Mary   B.   Harris,   Tokyo   Rose,   Axis   Sally,   Edith   Gurley   Flynn,   and   other   women. The   last   three   women   named   were   prisoners   and   certainly   did   not   engage   in   any   community   activity   but they lived here and had Alderson in the headlines across the nation. It   is   only   proper   to   start   with   our   own   international   known   native.   A woman   who   probably   has   known   more   of   the   world's   great   over   a longer   period   of   time   than   anyone   now   living   is Ada   Beatrice   Queen Victoria Louisa Smith, better known as "Bricktop" Smith. She    was    born    in    Alderson    August    14,    1894    and    spent    here childhood    here.    Her    step-father    operated    a    barber    shop    located between    the    present    Methodist    Church    and    the    old    Alderson National   Bank   building,   and   the   Smith   family   lived   there.   "Barber" Smith   whose   first   name   is   not   known   was   a   well-liked   hunch-backed gentleman.   His   wife,   Hattie,   was   an   expert   seamstress   and   will   be remembered   by   the   older   generation   as   she   constantly   went   about in   her   old   age   with   a   poodle   dog,   and   was   a   woman   of   unusual appearance. According   to   local   information,   when   Barber   Smith   died Mrs.   Smith   took   little   Ada   to   Chicago,   where   Mrs.   Smith   opened   a boarding   house   patronized   by   theatrical   clientèle.   There   Ada,   or "Bricktop" as she was nicknamed, learned some entertainment lore. Recently   Robert   C.   Ruark,   nationally   known   columnist   and   author,   wrote   a   lengthy   article   a   bout   "Bricktop". Ruark   says   red-headed   freckle-faced   "Bricktop"   was   the   Queen   of   Paris   in   the   roaring   20's,   where   in   1924 she   opened   a   world   famous   club   in   which   she   sang   many   songs   in   fractured   French,   smoked   big   black cigars,   and   could   drink   all   the   brandy   customers   would   buy   her.   To   her   place   came   the   world's   great,   the kings,    the    queens,    the    writers,    composers,    poets,    the    politicians,    the    rich,    the    big    business    men. "Bricktop's"   place   was   chic   and   the   place   to   go.   Ruark   said   "Bricktop"   told   him   she   judge   the   success   of   a night   by   the   number   of   kings   in   the   house.   One   night   she   had   five   kings   and   the   Prince   of   Wales.   In   1951 she left Paris for Rome and there she became equally successful. To   her   place   near   Hotel   Excelsior   came   the   resident   Romans,   the   tourists,   and   the   foreign   colony.   Ada Smith   has   become   a   Catholic   convert,   and   is   devout.   She   has   been   very   active   in   charities   for   Italian orphans.   The   last   three   Popes   knew   "Bricktop"   and   granted   here   semi-private   audiences.   Ruark   says   that now   "Bricktop's"   liver   is   going   back   on   here,   and   she   is   tired   of   staying   up   all   night.   She   must   be   more   that 75.   Besides,   kings   and   queens   are   getting   scarce,   so   "Bricktop"   has   closed   up   here   Roman   place.   She plans   to   return   to   the   United   States   and   open   a   small   cocktail   lounge   in   New   York   probably,   or   San Francisco,   and   go   to   bed   early.   (Here   is   a   YouTube   video    of   Bricktop   at   about   the   age   of   70)   Bricktop   died February 1, 1984 (aged 89) Today   each   August,   Alderson   has   a   celebration   to   honor   Ada   “Bricktop”   Smith.   If   she   were   here   I’m   sure she would sing and dance as she did then.

One   of   Alderson’s   famous   women   was   Mrs.   Alex   McVeigh   Miller.   She   had   fine literary   talent   yet   deliberately   set   out   to   write   the   most   "sensational"   fiction   of   her time,   solely   for   money.   She   succeeded.   Mittie   Frances   Clark   Point   was   born   in Virginia   before   the   Civil   War,   in   a   family   of   ten   children.   She   was   graduated   from Richmond   Female   Institute   at   nineteen,   where   she   was   considered   talented   in literary   work.   She   married   Thomas   Jefferson   Davis   and   lived   in   Washington   for   a time.   There   she   began   writing.   Her   first   novel   was   “Rosamond”   which   sold   for $100.00.   Her   husband   and   little   daughter   died   in   Washington.   For   a   time   Mrs. Davis    earned    $5.00    per    week    writing    a    syndicated    letter    on    the    actions    of Congress.   This   was   hard   work   for   the   money,   so   she   returned   to   her   father’s home.   In   1878   she   married   Alex   McVeigh   Miller.   They   lived   at   Hawk’s   Nest   briefly and   then   tried   farming   in   Nicholas   County.   Then   they   returned   to   Miller’s   parent’s home   in Alderson   where   their   first   daughter,   Irene,   was   born.   (Irene   Miller   Chainey died recently and is buried in Alderson.) (Click on photo for larger view)

After   two   years Alex   was   given   ten   acres   of   land   by   his   father   on   which   they   built   a   small   house   which   they lacked   money   to   complete. Then   Mrs.   Miller   decided   she   would   return   to   writing.   No   fine   prose   or   poetry   for her.   She   read   the   most   sensational   stuff   she   could   find   until   she   had   mastered   the   cheap   style.   Her   first "dime   novel",   actually   sold   for   15   cents,   was   Bride   of   the   Tomb.   The   first   editor   to   whom   she   sent   the   story paid   her   $20.00   for   each   installment.   This   put   her   in   the   serial   story   business   and   soon   she   was   under contract   to   three   weekly   papers:   New   York   Weekly,   New   York   Family   Story   Paper,   and   New   York   Fireside Companion.   She   had   a   long   contract   with   New   York   Fireside   Companion   for   $1,200.00   per   story   and   later $2,000.00.   She   wrote   three   novels   for   F.   M.   Lupton   Publications.   Some   of   her   poems   and   stories   appeared in The Greenbrier Independent. Mrs. Miller liked poetry but there was not enough money in it. She   had   two   sons,   McVeigh   and   Lawrence,   and   all   three   of   the   children   were   graduated   from   West   Virginia University   with   honors.   Money   was   coming   in.   The   small   house   was   enlarged   and   a   beautiful   home,   The Cedars,   was   built.   Mr.   Miller   took   charge   of   her   money   and   his   management   was   not   always   wise.   Mrs. Miller   achieved   her   goal   —   money.   She   and   her   husband   separated   and   never   lived   together   again.   She and her daughter Irene, lived in Boston, and later in Washington for years after the separation. In   all,   Mrs. Alex   McVeigh   Miller   wrote   80   novels,   more   than   100   poems   and   numerous   short   stories.   In   the West   Virginia   Department   of Archives   and   History   a   shelf   about   five   feet   long   holds   her   work.   It   is   not   even cataloged.   The   lurid,   sensational   stuff   is   not   literature   and   no   one   knew   it   better   than   its   author   who   said after   earning   almost   $100,000.00   with   her   pen,   "The   most   urgent   of   all   incentives   to   a   career   is   —   poverty." Considering   the   time   in   which   Mrs.   Miller   wrote,   with   no   income   tax   to   pay,   she   earned   a   large   fortune. The most popular novel she wrote was The Senator's Bride. Ref: West Virginia Review, V. Vll, No. 2, April, 1930, p. 202, "A Weaver of Romances" by Ethel Clark Lewis. West Virginia Archives, Charleston

Alderson   has   had   its   share   and   many   of   her   sons   and   daughters   have   distinguished   themselves.   These people   deserve   more   recognition   than   a   short   sketch.   However,   their   fame   and   achievements   can   not   be recounted   here.   The   following   people   have   appeared   in   Who’s   Who   in   America,   and   short   biographies   of them have been used. For   three   years,   1926-1929,   Dr.   Judson Allen Tolman,   Ph.D.,   was   President   of Alderson   Junior   College.   He was   a   well   known   educator   before   coming   to   Alderson   and   while   in   Alderson,   the   Junior   College   had   its greatest enrollment. Another   former   Alderson   resident   of   distinction   was   Ira   B.   Bush.   He   was   an   educator   and   had   been Superintendent   of   Schools   in   several   school   systems   before   coming   to Alderson   as   President   of Armstrong College   for   about   three   years   in   the   mid-thirties.   He   was   a   former   member   of   the   West   Virginia   Board   of Education, and had been President of West Virginia Teachers Association. Dr. Bush died in 1935. Another   famous   educator   and   minister   who   will   long   be   remembered   in Alderson   was   Dr.   Walter   S.   Dunlop. He   was   born   in   Ayreshire,   Scotland   in   1878,   came   to   the   United   States   in   1901   and   earned   his   D.   D. degree   in   1929.   Dr.   Dunlop   was   the   pastor   of   Old   Greenbrier   Baptist   Church.   Dr.   Dunlop   was   a   small, distinguished   gentleman   with   a   great   personality.   He   was   an   eloquent   speaker   with   the   rare   ability   of dominating   an   audience.   He   was   a   scholar   who   could   quote   poetry   in   a   forceful   way.   Before   coming   to Alderson   in   1929   he   had   been   pastor   of   churches   in   Pennsylvania   and   Washington.   Dr.   Dunlop   was   the last   President   of   Alderson   Junior   College,   and   the   first   of   Alderson-Broaddus,   from   1932-1936.   He   then reentered   the   ministry   and   later   became   Vice   President   of   American   Baptist   Publications   Society.   He   died in 1941.

Helen   Hironimus   came   to Alderson   as   one   of   the   first   members   of   the   staff   of the   Federal   Industrial   Institution   for   Women,   under   Dr.   Mary   B.   Harris.   She had   an   L.L.B.   degree   from   Washington   College   of   Law.   She   was   Assistant Warden   at   the   local   prison   from   1929-39.   She   became   Warden   in   May   1941. She retired in August 1949. (Click on photo for larger view)

Lewis   Edgar   Johnson,   for   years   one   of Alderson’s   most   prominent   leaders,   was born   in   Monroe   County   in   1860.   From   1909   to   1948   he   was   President   of   the First   National   Bank   which   he   helped   organize.   For   21   years   L.   E.   Johnson   was a Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Another   famous   woman   who   lived   in   Alderson   in   "The   Cedars",   was   Ruth   Bryan   Owen   Rohde.   She   was the   daughter   of   William   Jennings   Bryan,   Former   U.   S.   Secretary   of   State,   and   she   had   a   distinguished career.   During   her   life-time   she   was   a   writer,   lecturer,   Congresswoman,   war nurse,   University   teacher   and   diplomat.   Mrs.   Rohde   was   born   in   Illinois   in   1885 and her father moved the family to Nebraska where Ruth grew up. Her   second   husband,   Major   Reginald   Owen   of   the   British   Army,   became   an invalid.   To   support   the   family   Ruth   Bryan   Owen   became   a   lecturer   and   had great   success   after   World   War   I.   She   taught   public   speaking   at   the   University of   Miami   in   1926-28,   and   ran   successfully   for   Congress   from   Florida   in   1929. She   served   as   a   Congresswoman   until   1933.   President   Franklin   D.   Roosevelt then   appointed   her   as   the   Nation’s   first   woman   diplomat,   Minister   to   Denmark, until   1936   when   she   married   Captain   Borge   Rohde   of   Denmark.   She   resigned as   Minister,   returned   to   the   United   States,   and   again   became   a   lecturer   and writer. (Click on photo for larger view) In   1939,   the   Rohdes   bought   "The   Cedars",   remodeled   and   repaired   it,   and   made   it   an Alderson   landmark. In   June,   1939,   the   Rohdes   had   a   house   warming.   Mrs.   Rohdes   wrote   a   poem   for   the   occasion.   The   first verse   was:   "I   have   crossed   the   oceans   oe’r, And   traveled   with   a   will,   But   always   I   was   longing   for, A   white house   oh   a   hill."   The   Rohdes   lived   at   the   Cedars   for   several   years   and   knew   a   great   many   Alderson people. On July 27, 1954, Ruth Bryan Rohde died of a heart attack in Copenhagen, Denmark.

One   of   Alderson’s   most   illustrious   native   sons   was   Eldridge   Campbell.   He   was   born in   Alderson   December   1,   1901,   the   son   of   Dr.   Eldridge   H.   and   Bessie   Spessard Campbell.   Dr.   Campbell   was   a   well   known   physician   and   he   and   Mrs.   Campbell   were members   of   prominent   Monroe   families.   Eldridge   went   to   the   University   of   Virginia, and   while   there,   won   a   Rhodes   Scholarship.   He   went   to   Balliol   College,   Oxford,   on the scholarship in 1925. (Click on photo for larger view) After   he   returned   to   the   United   States,   he   received   his   M.D.   degree   from   Johns Hopkins   University   in   1927.   He   was   on   the   faculty   of Albany   Medical   College, Albany, New   York,   as   a   professor   of   surgery   from   1934-1956.   Eldridge   Campbell   was   a Colonel, Medical Corps, U. S. Army from 1942—46. He   was   Surgeon   General   in   Japan   and   Korea   in   1952.   Eldridge   Campbell,   scholar,   surgeon,   professor, soldier,   was   decorated   and   honored   more   times   than   can   be   listed.   Two   honors   are   indicative   of   his greatness.   He   was   decorated   with   the   Legion   of   Merit,   and   he   was   a   Diplomat   of   the   American   Board   of Surgery. Dr.   Campbell   married   Eleanor   Brown,   the   daughter   of   a   great   Johns   Hopkins   doctor, Thomas   R.   Brown.   He died December 15, 1956. His sister Elizabeth, Mrs. Carl Bivens, lives in Alderson.

Charles David Nash - Alderson’s Own “Thomas Edison” Someone   once   called   Charles   David   Nash   "a   laughing   genius."   That   about   describes   this mechanical   wizard   who   owns   and   operates   Nash   Special   Machine   Company   located   at   the top   of   Palestine   hill.   David   Nash   was   born   in   Alderson   in   1926,   the   son   of   J.   Frank   and Rachel   Tuckwiller   Nash,   the   grandson   of   Dr.   C.   P.   Nash.   He   grew   up   in   Alderson   and   was graduated   from   West   Point   Military   Academy   in   June,   1948,   with   a   B.S.   degree   in   military engineering. In   1953   he   started   to   invent   and   design   special   machines.   These   machines   are   high   speed   folders   of   paper and   tissue   paper   inserts   for   paint   color   cards,   which   are   used   by   paint   manufacturers   such   as   Sherwin- Williams,   Dupont   and   others.   He   has   also   invented,   designed   and   built   machines   to   put   the   glue   on   such color   displays   and   then   apply   "color   chips"   to   the   glue.   Other   machines   Nash   has   built   chicken   giblet wrappers, shirt paper boards, and hosiery inserts. He   has   three   patents   and   about   twelve   "registered"   or   copyrighted   inventions.   Nash   employed   from   four   to seven   men,   all   of   whom   live   nearby,   and   all   are   highly   skilled   craftsmen.   He   had   plans   to   expand   his present   small   plant   to   manufacture   some   of   the   products   his   machines   can   make.   David   Nash   could   design and   build   nearly   any   kind   of   machine   from   an   idea.   Then   he   and   his   craftsmen   could   produce   it   to   operate perfectly. More from the eulogy from the West Point website .