West Virginia University Potomac State College (PSC) Alumnus Carl Dennison “Denny” Avers has a long and inspiring history with Potomac State College. The Keyser, W.Va. native attended Potomac State from 1959 to 1961 before earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at the WVU Morgantown campus.
This past spring, Potomac State College recognized Avers with the inscription of his name on the Duke Anthony Whitmore/Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Scholars Wall.
The recipient of the Whitmore/Gates Award must be an alum of the College who has previously produced a scholarly work of outstanding quality. Scholarly works may include the publication of books, articles, presentations at academic conferences, public performances, works of art, or other academic achievements.
In addition to his 30-year career with IBM Federal Systems, Avers has been widely recognized for his contributions to the quality of engineering education and accreditation. His great interest in history dates back to his high school days when he was a recipient of the cherished Golden Horseshoe award. His extensive research and many contributions to the local knowledge of regional history led the Mineral County (WV) Historical Society to award him the Order of Crozet in 2019, the same year his book, This is our Home – A History of Trinity Lutheran Church, Keyser, West Virginia, was published. Former Governor of West Virginia Gaston Caperton recognized Avers as a Distinguished West Virginian in 1996 and he was chosen as the 2021 West Virginia History Hero by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture & History.
He provided financial gifts that enhanced Potomac State College’s commitment to preserving and disseminating local history records and information. The initial result was the digitization and distribution of all archived issues of the Keyser newspapers. With his continued support, the success of that effort has led to the digitization of other newspapers, establishing PSC’s Mary F. Shipper Library as West Virginia’s premier resource for online research of historical newspapers.
The public is invited to join us in celebrating Denny Avers on Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 2 to 2:40 p.m. in the Mary F. Shipper Library. Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP by Sept. 8, at https://give.wvu.edu/CelebrateDennyAvers.