Bob Weir was a well-known craftsman in the Wheeling community. His fingerprints are on many of the restored Victorian homes around Wheeling. In addition to his preservation of buildings, Weir trained a generation of carpenters that carried on his craftsman tradition.
One of those carpenters is Jon Smith, a 40-year master of carpentry. Smith approached the Wheeling National Heritage Area in late 2014 to create a scholarship for the Belmont College Building Preservation and Restoration Program (BPR) in memory of Weir. Smith is an adjunct professor at the program and carries on Weir’s pedigree for teaching the preservation of Wheeling’s remarkable architecture.
“Bob was instrumental in setting my career path; he knew the things I wanted to know about buildings, and I want to pass that knowledge on to others,” says Smith.
The Bob Weir Memorial scholarship has been created through the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley and will benefit qualifying BPR student(s) each year with funds to support their education.
“The Community Foundation has a long track record of managing educational scholarships, and we are ever so pleased to work with them on this effort” said Jeremy Morris, executive director for Wheeling Heritage.
The first recipient of the award will be Joseph Tokarsky of Kent, Ohio. The presentation of the award will take place on Saturday Aug. 6, 2015, at 10 a.m. at 722 Main St. in North Wheeling. The award will be made as part of the historic preservation workshop on how to best repair sandstone foundations to take place at the above address. The workshop which will be held from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturday. Several of Weir’s family live in the North Wheeling neighborhood, and some will be present on Saturday during the award presentation.
Anyone interesting in donating to the fund can make tax deductible gifts by check payable to: The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley . 1310 Market St., Ste. 1 Wheeling, W.Va. 26003
