From Left:
Ken Haines,
A. Jay Root, and
Logan DelSignore
Honorees this year include Kenneth Haines, Class of 1950, PSC professor emeritus of modern languages, to be awarded the Alumni Achievement award posthumously; A. Jay Root, Mineral County Health Department Administrator, will receive the Distinguished Service award; and Logan DelSignore, Class of 2012, a local realtor and entrepreneur will receive the Young Alumni Achievement award.
Ken Haines to receive Alumni Achievement award posthumously
Ken Haines
Former professor Kenneth Haines taught at the college for 44 years and is remembered with fondness and gratitude for the impact he had on thousands of students, especially his guidance and encouragement in and out of the classroom.
Haines began his teaching career at the College in 1952 as an instructor of foreign languages. He taught French, Spanish, German and English until his retirement in 1996, at which time he was granted the designation of Professor Emeritus of Modern Languages.
In addition to being chosen as an Outstanding West Virginian by WV Gov. Caperton in 1996 and as a Distinguished West Virginian by WV Gov. Bob Wise in 2001, Haines was also recognized with the following honors: WVU Honorary Degree; Doctor of Humane Letters; Outstanding Professor Award; Distinguished Service Award; and the W.E. Michael Community Citizen Award. His name was inscribed on the Duke Anthony Whitmore/Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Academic Achievement Wall at Potomac State College as well.
A Keyser native, Haines earned an associate degree from Potomac State in 1950. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1952 and a master's degree in 1953, both from WVU. He also studied at La Sorbonne in Paris, France via a Fulbright Fellowship; at Indiana University; Laval University in Quebec City, Canada; and at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
In 1988, a group of his friends established the Kenneth Franklin Haines Scholarship to assure that he will always be remembered for his outstanding service to the College, as well as his commitment to former and future students. Haines has also given back to the College with the establishment of the Dr. Nancy M. Miller Scholarship Fund.
Haines was an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Association of Teachers of French, German and Spanish; Phi Delta Kappa; the Modern Language Association; the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages; and the West Virginia Foreign Language Teachers Association. He was also a faithful member of the Keyser Presbyterian Church and the Keyser Rotary Club, holding many leadership positions within those organizations.
Additionally, Haines served more than 20 years in the roles of secretary, treasurer and president of the College’s Alumni Association as well as secretary of the PSC Foundation, Inc. Furthermore, he served as president of the Faculty Club, was a faculty sponsor of the Student Government Association and served as a faculty advisor for 28 years to the Sigma Phi Omega Honor Society.
Throughout his career and life, Haines enjoyed participating in activities and events at the College as well as volunteering his time to various projects.
A. Jay Root to receive the Distinguished Service Award
A. Jay Root
Root has been extremely helpful to the College since the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. He has been instrumental in providing return to campus COVID testing for faculty, staff and students in the fall 2020 as well as surveillance testing throughout the fall of 2021. He has served as a knowledgeable county resource for COVID-related data and important public health issues. Additionally, he has supported several COVID and flu vaccine clinics on campus.
Root is a native of Keyser, having graduated from Keyser High School. He attended Potomac State College and went on to graduate from WVU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology.
He started his public health career in 1999 with the MCHD focusing on environmental health as a sanitarian identifying risks and enforcing environmental regulations, health and safety.
Then, in 2005 he took on the role of administrator for the MCHD, a position he has held for the past 16 years. He also serves as the Regional Threat Preparedness Coordinator for the Eastern Public Health Response Team.
Throughout his career, Root has served on more than 30 local and state committees including the WV Association of Local Health Departments, WV Public Health Partnership, and the Public Health Threat Preparedness Oversight Committee. He served as vice president of the WV Extension Service Committee, Family Resource Network and Building Safety Enforcement Agency. He served as president of the WV Association of Local Health Departments, WV Association of Sanitarians, Mineral County Pre-K Policy Council and the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Root resides in Keyser with his wife of 21 years, Betsy and their three children, Peyton, Brayden and Jayden.
Logan DelSignore to receive the Young Alumni Award
Logan DelSignore
Logan DelSignore, Class of 2012, currently works with Coldwell Banker Home Town Realty and has been with them since 2014.
During his time at Coldwell Banker, DelSignore has been recognized among his peers by being named the #1 Coldwell Banker Agent in West Virginia for 2017, 2019 and 2020. He was named to the Coldwell Banker International 30 Under 30 in 2019 and was also named the Mineral County Young Professional of the Year for 2019. DelSignore was also the previous owner of Going Greener Lawn Care and Landscaping.
A lifelong resident of Keyser, DelSignore earned an associate degree in business administration from Potomac State in 2012 and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from WVU in 2014, graduating magna cum laude.
In addition to serving as an assistant coach on the Keyser High School football team, Delsignore is an active participant in the Keyser community, volunteering his time and serving on several local boards, including the Mineral County Development Authority, the Rotary Club of Keyser (past-president, 2020-2021) and the J. Edward Kelley Society (past-president, 2013-2014 and 2019-2020).