WVU AD Wren Baker Basks in Mountaineer Pride at Marshall County Chamber Dinner
Nick Henthorn Trending
MOUNDSVILLE -- In all his time thus far in the state, Wren Baker has not yet found a nook or cranny in West Virginia where there is not enthusiasm for the Mountaineers, and his first visit to Marshall County on Thursday did not buck that trend.
Baker, the vice president and director of athletics at West Virginia University, was the guest speaker for Thursday's Marshall County Chamber of Commerce annual dinner. The final speaker of a night of community awards and camaraderie, Baker found the same sense of community in Marshall County that he has across the Mountain State.
"It's been great. When we were pulling into town, I saw a lot of WVU flags flying, car decals driving by," Baker said. "That's one of the things that is so special. It's one thing to have support in your town or your county where the university sits, but all across the state people love the Mountaineers and that's something special, that binds us all together."
"More than anything I just wanted to get to Moundsville and meet some of the people here. I've been all over the state in the past few months, but I had not been to Moundsville. It was an opportunity for me to get out here -- I eventually want to get to every county. I'm excited to be here."
On a night at the Moundsville Center where several people and businesses within Marshall County were honored for their hard work and commitment to their neighbors, Baker relayed what he had experienced as a common among West Virginians.
"Nine months on the job, here's something that I've learned: West Virginians are hard-working," Baker said, speaking to a room of around 150 people. "They appreciate people who work hard, who have grit, determination, and resilience. Those are some of the same characteristics that we try to teach our athletes. I am really pleased at the way we're winning football games. We're not just winning, but we're winning with toughness."
"There's something unique and special about this state's connection with the Mountaineers. I worked at Oklahoma State, I worked at Missouri. But even at Missouri, the only Power-5 institution in that state, the only FBS institution in that state, you had multiple pro teams between Kansas City and St. Louis to draw that attention. We know that we're West Virginia's pro team, we take great pride in representing West Virginia, and we hope that you enjoy watching the Mountaineers play."
In the past year, much of which has been under Baker's watch, the WVU baseball team and women's soccer teams have won conference championships, both the men's and women's basketball teams earned NCAA Tournament berths, their men's soccer team is currently undefeated, and ranked third in the nation, while WVU football is 4-1, coming off an exciting win over TCU, a team that went to the College Football National Championship last season.
Making WVU a success comes with the territory of what the school represents, Baker says.
"When you get a chance to represent that university, you get the chance to represent 1.8 million West Virginians," Baker said. "I tell people when I interview them for a job, when I speak to potential recruits, if you don't want the responsibility of representing 1.8 million West Virginians, don't come here."
"I come from the University of North Texas, 45,000 students, big university in Dallas-Fort Worth. But there was not that responsibility. I could be fairly anonymous. I have yet to go into a convenience store anywhere in the state and be anonymous. There's a responsibility that comes with that, but it's also a privilege."
While Baker took center stage to end the night Thursday, individuals and local small businesses were recognized for how they represented perhaps not all 1.8 million West Virginians, but certainly those in Marshall County.
The 2023 Dr. David Ealy Community Service Award was granted to Susie Baker, who works for Marshall County Schools, and who has contributed to multiple county organizations and coordinated several community events, not least of which the Marshall County Back To School Fun Fair, the most recent of which was attended by over 1,300 students.
"Over the years, Susie has helped thousands of Marshall County families obtain school supplies, haircuts, health screenings, toiletries and more all for free," David Robbins, Chamber Board President, said of Baker.
The 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Chamber Executive Director Scott Reager, went to Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration, who's founder, Robert Contraguerro Sr., started the business in 1977.
Panhandle Cleaning and Restoration describes itself as the leading provider of disaster recovery services in the Ohio Valley. They perform water damage restoration, fire damage restoration and mold removal.