A. James Manchin was a special figure on the 20th Century political stage in West Virginia,said WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr.From his days as a student leader at WVU in the late 1940s and early50s, he was flamboyant, outgoing, and full of enthusiasm. His talent for political rhetoric was a throwback to the days of the great orators of his youth. His concern for the environment as head of the REAP program looked forward to the next century. His talent of making the disenfranchised feel special and needed lifted the hopes of his constituents. While certainly not without controversy, his career certainly made its mark on West Virginia for over 50 years. My deepest sympathies go out to his family and to his beloved Marion County community today.”