The West Virginia University Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2007 Outstanding Philanthropy awards.

The awards honor those donors who display exceptional generosity, commitment, leadership and proven records of outstanding civic and charitable devotion to the University.

This years recipients are James H.BuckHarless, Outstanding Philanthropist; Eddie and Betty Barrett, Outstanding Volunteer Philanthropists; and The Eberly Foundation, Outstanding Philanthropic Organization.

The awards were first given in 2005 to mark the Foundations 50th anniversary.

James H.BuckHarless

Harless, of Gilbert, is being honored for his tremendous devotion to and long-term support of WVU .

A self-made millionaire who earned his wealth primarily from the timber and coal industries, he has returned a substantial share of his resources to his community, region and state.

Harless has generously contributed both his time and financial support to the continuing improvement of WVU . He served as a member of the University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees and WVU Board of Advisors and as a trustee of the WVU Alumni Associations Loyalty Permanent Endowment Fund. He was also on the WVU Foundation Board for 19 years, serving as its chairman from 1982-85.

His philanthropic endeavors span the University. Harless has created professorships and scholarships. His support ranges from academic programs to athletics to the health sciences. In addition, he has provided financial gifts to initiate Project: Strong Mountaineer, a program aimed at improving the aspirations and lives of young southern West Virginians.

Among his many honors are his induction into WVU s Order of Vandalia and Mountain Honorary and being selected Most Loyal Mountaineer. Harless has been awarded honorary doctorates from several institutions of higher learning including WVU .

Eddie and Betty Barrett

The Barretts, of Huntington, are being honored for their time and dedication to the University.

Eddie Barrett grew up with a love of the gold and blue and graduated from WVU in 1952 with a degree in English. He worked long hours in the WVU athletic department while attending classes and then spent 14 years as the athletic publicity director. He currently serves as president of Tax Sheltered Benefits Inc.

Barrett is a member of Mountain Honorary, Beta Theta Pi fraternity and Jerry West Society, and he served as president of the 2005 WVU Alumni Association Emeritus Club.

He identifies with what he callsthe work-your-way-through college studentsand has made it a point to give back to the school that gave him so much. He and his wife, Betty, have contributed to WVU for 24 consecutive years and supportedfinancially and/or with gifts of timeseveral WVU programs, including the Alumni Association, athletics, community development, English, journalism, physical education, political science and the Presidents Office. He has also taken an active role in the campaign to build a new alumni center.

Betty Barrett has won numerous prestigious awards for her work with homelessness, affordable housing, mental health and poverty issues.

Both are Old Gold members of the WVU Alumni Association and members of the Irvin Stewart Society.

The Eberly Foundation and Eberly Family Charitable Trust

The Eberly Foundation and The Eberly Family Charitable Trust, of Uniontown, Pa., have been faithful contributors to WVU for nearly two decades.

They established nine prestigious professorships in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. The entities also created major endowments to support the College of Creative Arts, WVU libraries, faculty development, scholarships and academic programming. On July 1, 1993, the University named the College of Arts and Sciences in their honor.

In addition, The Eberly Family Charitable Trust gave $2 million to help furnish WVU s Life Sciences Building.

Established in 1963, The Eberly Foundation and The Eberly Family Charitable Trust have provided more than $100 million in support of nonprofits, particularly those which serve the residents of Fayette County, Pa.

They have always been family-led organizations. The philosophy of giving back started with Orville and Ruth Eberly, who taught their children a time-honored philosophy: Whatever you give will come back to you 10-fold.

First Orville Eberly, and then his wife, Ruth Moore, led The Eberly Foundation. In 1988, his son, Robert, took over, and in 2003, his daughter, Carolyn Eberly Blaney, became the president. During her time at the helm, she has honored the legacy passed on to her from her parents and brother as she has guided the familys philanthropic mission.

The WVU Foundation is a private nonprofit corporation that generates, receives and administers private gifts for the benefit of WVU .