A professor, a retired administrator, an accountant, a retired CEO and a dedicated volunteer will be honored as”Most Loyals”during the 55th annual Mountaineer Week, a celebration of Appalachian heritage, to be held Nov.1-9 on West VirginiaUniversity’s campus.

The 2002 honorees are: Royce Heiskell Keller of Morgantown, Most Loyal Alumni Mountaineer; James R. and Clara C. Thomas of Charleston, Most Loyal West Virginians; Carolyn Peluso Atkins and Neil E. Bolyard, both of Morgantown, Most Loyal Faculty and Staff Mountaineers, respectively. The group will be honored during halftime ceremonies of the WVU vs. BostonCollege football game Saturday, Nov. 9.

The awards are given by the WVU Student Foundation Board of Managers, which organizes the Mountaineer Week celebration. The Most Loyal West Virginian and Alumni Mountaineer awards have been presented since 1974, while the Most Loyal Faculty and Staff Mountaineer awards were created in 1994.

Most Loyal Alumni Mountaineer exemplifies faithfulness to the ideals and goals of the University and exhibits support for WVU activities and operations through leadership and service.

Portrait of Royce Heiskell KellerClick image for larger version.Royce Heiskell Keller, who is a 1967 graduate of the WVU College of Business and Economics, exemplifies all that is WVU with the extensive service and support she has provided for the University.

After attaining her degree, Keller first joined Price Waterhouse in Chicago, and later joined Arthur Anderson and Co., where she worked extensively with investment partnerships. She returned to Morgantown in 1975 and established a public accounting practice. 

Keller has served as national chair of the WVU Alumni Association, assists with the Academy of Distinguished Alumni and was a keynote speaker for the College of Business and EconomicsDecember 2000 convocation. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the WVU Alumni Association and served on the Chamber of Commerce Vision 2000 Board. Most recently, Keller headed the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame nomination committee. 

As the chief financial officer of the Continuous Learning Group of Morgantown, Keller has been instrumental in providing career guidance to students. She has worked as a mentor and has participated in B&E’s Professional Development Forums. In addition, Keller actively recruits interns to experience the workforce first-hand in her company.

Married to Mike Keller, she has three sons from a previous marriage, Matthew, Joshua and Travis.

Most Loyal West Virginian exemplifies faithfulness to the ideals and goals of the state of West Virginia through business, professional and civic achievement as well as support of WVU .

Portrait of Clara and James ThomasClick for Larger VersionCharleston residents Clara and James Thomas have been supporters of West VirginiaUniversity and the state of West Virginia for many decades. They are especially supportive of the arts in the state, and are continual supporters of WVU ’s College of Creative Arts. The couple has established the James R. Thomas II Endowed Travel fund specifically for Creative Arts students to share their work with other areas of the state and to expose the students to art and educational programs outside of Morgantown.

The Thomases were both awarded Honorary Doctorates of Law from the West VirginiaGraduateCollege and have been the recipients of several other awards and honors from West Virginia institutions. James R. Thomas II graduated from CulverMilitaryAcademy and served in the U.S. Army from 1944-46 in the 13th and 82nd Airborne Divisions. He earned an AB degree from CornellUniversity and is the retired president and CEO of Carbon Industries. He currently serves on many civic and social boards, including the ClayCenter for Arts and Sciences and Camcare, Inc. Founder of Junior Achievement of the Kanawha Valley, Inc., Thomas is chairman of the LifeBridge Community Council and a director for the Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Southern West Virginia. He has served on the Board of Directors for One Valley Bank, Columbia Energy, Inc. and Shoney’s Inc.

Clara Currence Thomas is a graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School and received an AS in business at MarshallUniversity, a BS in business and an AB in economics at the University of Charleston, and an MBA from the West VirginiaGraduateCollege. She then worked in Union Carbide’s Engineering Department for three years.

A member of the WVU Foundation Board of Directors since 1978, she is a founding member of the WVU College of Creative Arts Advisory Board. She also serves on the Board of Friends of West Virginia Culture and History, the Advisory Board of the Lewis College of Business at MarshallUniversity and is the West Virginia Regional Co-Director of the Garden Conservancy in New York. Clara Thomas is vice-chair of the Marshall University Graduate College Foundation, on the Snowshoe Institute Board of Advisors and is former head of the Charleston Beautification Commission. An avid gardener, she is a member of the Kanawha and Briar Hill Garden Clubs, has earned the distinction of master judge and joined the judging program of the Garden Club of America. 

Most Loyal Faculty and Staff Mountaineer Awards exemplify faithfulness to the ideals and goals of WVU and exhibit support for WVU activities and operations through leadership and service.

Photo of Carolyn Peluso AtkinsClick for Larger VersionCarolyn Peluso Atkins, the 2002 Most Loyal Faculty Mountaineer, who has been employed by WVU since 1969 and is a professor of speech pathology and audiology in WVU s College of Human Resources and Education (HR&E), has always considered her work for the University much more than a job. 

Dr. Atkins has demonstrated outstanding leadership in several positions outside the realm of her teaching and research duties, including serving as Class of 2001 Class Advocate, helping students make the transition to college life and, ultimately, post-graduate life. She is also a member of the HR&E Visiting Committee and has been active in the Faculty Senate. She serves on the National Campaign Committee of Building Greatness Campaign: West VirginiaUniversity and co-chaired the Faculty&Staff: Building Greatness from Within Campaign.

She has been an outspoken advocate for the University, its mission and its potential, both among her colleagues and in the community.

Portrait of Neil E. BolyardClick for larger version.Neil E. Bolyard, the 2002 Most Loyal Staff Mountaineer, has contributed more than 35 years of full-time service to WVU and currently works part-time in the Universitys Office of Admissions&Records.

A WVU alumnus, Bolyard began working at the University in the early 1960s as a scholarship coordinator. He moved to the position of Director of Financial Aid in 1969 and continued until this retirement in 1997.

During that time, he was a leader both on-campus and professionally at the state, regional and national levels. In 1977, he was selected as president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, which brought honor and recognition not only to himself, but also to the University. He served as president of the West Virginia’s Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, as well as many committees in higher education, including the College Board and SALLIE MAE .