George Hajash of Beckley and his six brothers made headlines during World War II, all serving in the military during the war effort and, miraculously, all returning to Raleigh County following their discharge. The story of this courageous family is told in an article titled “Coming Home: The George Hajash Story,” by author Belinda Anderson. It appears in the Spring 2003 issue of GOLDENSEAL magazine, on sale now.
In the article, Anderson traces this close-knit family and their Hungarian immigrant parents from the coalfields of Elbert, McDowell County, in the early 1900s, to Raleigh County, where the Hajash family relocated during the late 1930s. Members of the family worked in local mines until the nation become embroiled in the war effort and all seven brothers enlisted in various branches of service. Along with George, the brothers were Andy, Nick, Steve, Martin, John, and Joachim Hajash.
Following the war, Anderson writes, all of the brothers returned safely to West Virginia and led productive lives here in the Mountain State. George drove trucks for a number of years before going to work for the U.S. Postal Service in 1957. While delivering the mail in Beckley in 1960, George Hajash discovered a house on fire and earned an award of merit by saving the life of a man who was asleep inside the house at the time. George and his wife Nancy raised two children in Beckley prior to her death in 1988. “I’ve always loved West Virginia,” George Hajash says in the article. “It’s got its faults, like any place has. But I’ve never had any feelings to go anywhere else.”
Also in this issue of GOLDENSEAL are the story of West Virginia’s Pallottine order of nuns, a look at the restoration of the 100-year-old stained glass dome in the Randolph County courthouse, and a visit to the family-owned Hedrick’s Store in Hendricks. This issue of GOLDENSEAL also includes the popular “Folklife, Fairs, Festivals 2003" calendar listing, as well as the winning tall tales from last year’s West Virginia State Liars Contest held at the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston.
GOLDENSEAL is West Virginia’s magazine of traditional life and is published quarterly by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History in Charleston. The magazine sells for $4.95 and is available at Tamarack, Bookland at the Crossroads Mall, Kroger and Drug Emporium at Beckley Crossing, or by calling (304)558-0220 ext. 153.
Randolph County courthouse featured in GOLDENSEAL
More than 100 years after its construction, the beautiful and intricate stained glass dome inside the Randolph County courthouse in Elkins has been restored. The colorful 18-foot-diameter dome, made of 1,446 individual pieces of glass, was for many years hidden from view, obscured by a modern acoustical drop-ceiling that had been installed during an earlier courthouse renovation. As a result, many area residents were unaware that the unusual interior glass structure existed. The story of the dome, its rediscovery, and its recent restoration, is featured in the current issue of GOLDENSEAL magazine.
The article, titled “Bringing Back the Beauty: Stained Glass Restoration in Randolph County,” was written by Philippi resident and author Barbara Smith. In the article, Smith tells how Belington glass artists Grace Obana and Joe Brown were selected to undertake the difficult and often dangerous job of restoring the dome, following concerns raised during the 2002 courthouse centennial celebration. The restoration process is described in great detail through photographs, interviews, and narration; a full-color photograph of the finished dome is featured on the cover of GOLDENSEAL’s Spring 2003 issue, on sale now.
Also in this issue are the story of West Virginia’s Pallottine order of nuns, an account of the seven fighting Hajash brothers from Raleigh County, and a visit to the family-owned Hedrick’s Store in Hendricks. This issue of GOLDENSEAL also includes the popular “Folklife, Fairs, Festivals 2003" calendar listing, as well as the winning tall tales from last year’s West Virginia State Liars Contest held at the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston.
GOLDENSEAL is West Virginia’s magazine of traditional life and is published quarterly by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History in Charleston. The magazine sells for $4.95 and is available at Kroger and IGA stores in Elkins, or by calling (304)558-0220 ext. 153.
Pallottine Sisters featured in GOLDENSEAL
West Virginia’s Pallottine Sisters, a teaching and nursing religious order based in Huntington since the 1920s, is featured in the Spring 2003 issue of GOLDENSEAL magazine, on sale now. Written by Huntington author Joseph Platania and titled “Mission in the Mountains: West Virginia’s Pallottine Missionary Sisters,” the article traces the history of the nuns from their arrival in Richwood in 1912, to their eventual move to Huntington and their founding of Saint Mary’s Hospital and Medical Center on First Avenue.
Illustrated by a range of historical and recent photographs depicting various phases of the nuns’ mission in the Mountain State, the article outlines the early efforts of the first four sisters – all German-speaking immigrants – to establish a school and hospital in remote Nicholas County in the years prior to World War I. In 1924, the sisters were invited by the bishop of the Wheeling Diocese to take over a former boys’ school in Huntington, and they soon established Saint Mary’s Hospital at that location. Since that time, the Pallottine Sisters have also worked in Marshall County, Logan, Clarksburg, Buckhannon, and Morgantown. Overcoming language barriers, cultural and religious differences, and financial challenges, Platania writes, the Pallottine Sisters have touched many lives in the state during the past 90 years.
Also in this issue of GOLDENSEAL are an account of the seven fighting Hajash brothers from Raleigh County, a look at the restoration of the 100-year-old stained glass dome in the Randolph County courthouse, and a visit to the family-owned Hedrick’s Store in Hendricks. This issue of GOLDENSEAL also includes the popular “Folklife, Fairs, Festivals 2003" calendar listing, as well as the winning tall tales from last year’s West Virginia State Liars Contest held at the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston.
GOLDENSEAL is West Virginia’s magazine of traditional life and is published quarterly by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History in Charleston. The magazine sells for $4.95 and is available at Border’s Books and Music at the Huntington Mall, at People’s News in Huntington, or by calling (304)558-0220 ext. 153.
For more information, contact John Lilly, editor, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 135.
- 30 -