Retired WVU Potomac State College Dean of Curriculum Instruction, Dinah Courrier, has had many titles in her life. Teacher. Professor. Philanthropist. Historian. Wife. Mother. Grandmother. Archivist. Activist. Editor. She was even once an Apple Blossom princess. She never thought she would add “best-selling author” to her resume until a quarter of a century ago, when she published what is widely regarded today as the “Bible of PSC,” a recommended (if not required) reading for all employees of the College.
In 2001, Courrier published the reader-friendly history book, Potomac State College. The book was part of Tempus Publishing of Charleston, SC’s series of “College History” books. Both an enlightening read and a delightful photo album, the book chronicles the first 100 years of the PSC campus located on top of former Fort Fuller in Keyser.
Now, in 2026, as the book celebrates its silver anniversary and the college itself commemorates its 125th year, Courrier finds herself back in the spotlight and back “on tour” of sorts talking about this labor of love she produced because, as she put it, “no one else had and someone needed to.”
“I have always been fascinated by history,” Courrier said. “When the College stopped publishing the printed yearbooks, there was this huge box of photos left behind. And they were just going to be thrown in the dumpster. And John Stone – a business instructor at the College at the time- came to me and said, ‘You should have this box. You like this old stuff, and you like history.’ And so, I took them. And I had these boxes of old photos and at that time didn’t know what I was really going to do with them.
As the centennial celebration for Potomac State College approached, Courrier said she realized there had never been a comprehensive history of the campus. The campus had been written about over the years, of course, by members of the media and by on-campus publications like the former student newspaper, but there was no tangible printed volume of work that contained all the encapsulated stories in one convenient “at your fingertips” place. And then Courrier had an idea.
“When the anniversary was coming up, and people started talking the year before about how we could celebrate, I thought that was the perfect opportunity to take all those photos I had in those boxes and put them into a book.”
At first, Courrier said she planned to do a project that would have been much more comprehensive but changed her mind when she thought about the reader who was likely to want to purchase the material.
“I thought a book like the one I did would be a lot better for the anniversary,” she said. “It took about a year and a half to research it, write it, and complete the book. It really was a passion project.”
Passion being the operative word. Courrier has a love for PSC that runs deep and personal.
“People ask me if I bleed gold and blue,” she joked. “I don’t know. Maybe I do.”
In fact, Courrier said had it not been for Potomac State College, she might not even exist.
“My parents actually met at Potomac State College,” she said. “My dad had been a professional boxer. His name was Arthur ‘Swede’ Wells. He boxed under the name Jack Wells. In order to make money for college, he boxed. He was offered to play football at Duquesne, and he played there for a year, but he later ended up at Potomac State. He played football and basketball. One semester, PSC played Shepherd College. A group of co-eds attended the basketball game, and that’s when my parents met. If not for Potomac State, they might not have met.”
Courrier herself attended PSC.
“I owe a lot to Potomac State. I did not have a clue what I was supposed to do when I went to college,” she said. “I had a couple of professors who took me aside and said, ‘You are not just going to college for two years. You will be going for four.’ They saw a potential in me. In January of my freshman year, Professor Ken Haines wanted to meet me. I was president of the honor society, and the honor society was his baby.”
When Dinah Courrier references names of her professors at PSC, it’s a litany of “who’s who” – names of educational legends that are now ingrained in buildings and staff members who have buildings, gyms, and clock towers dedicated to them.
“I remember meeting Coach Horse Lough,” she said. “I was the sports editor of the college newspaper. The first female sports editor, actually. And I walked up to him and introduced myself, and he said, ‘You are not riding the bus with us to any games, and I want you to stay away from my football players.”
Courrier was also the 1964 Apple Blossom princess. This meant she represented PSC at the Apple Blossom Parade and Festival in Winchester, which at that time was an event that rivaled the Rose Parade in Pasadena or the Pro Football Hall of Fame Parade in Canton. She remembers that distinction fondly because during the festival, she met Lucy Baines Johnson, the daughter of President Lyndon Johnson, and she was able to share a table at a luncheon with an up-and-coming Grand Ole Opry singer named Dottie West and a red-haired television icon named Lucille Ball.
“I remember Lucille Ball was very elegant,” she said. “She wore a pink dress and hot pink shoes, and she had that reddish orange hair that stood out. It was a memorable moment.”
A trailblazer in her own right, Courrier has made it a personal mission to preserve and honor history while realizing the future needs to remain optimistic.
The recipient of numerous awards for her life’s work, Courrier was named the 2021 Humanitarian of the Year by the Community Trust Foundation (CTF). An educator, historian, author, and community organizer, the esteemed Mrs. Courrier’s exemplary accomplishments define her as a philanthropic leader who is intent on growing a stronger and more vibrant community.
“Dinah’s personal and professional accomplishments are consistent with the goals of CTF,” stated Marion Leonard, CTF board chair at the time. “Her community activism is compassionate toward society’s ongoing reach for social justice and equality. Few people demonstrate such a fervent love for history and for community as she does.”
For more than five decades, Courrier has spearheaded numerous projects to elevate and preserve the history of her beloved Mineral County for future generations. Not just for the purpose of putting artifacts on display. But to highlight for posterity how forward-thinking and equitable the ancestors of West Virginia’s eastern panhandle leaned.
Founded in 1866, Mineral County splintered from a larger district in the aftermath of the Civil War, due to its alignment with the North’s pro-Union stance. Proud that her roots entwine with those who wished to abolish slavery, Courrier pursued many opportunities throughout her career to promote racial equality in education.
Teaching at Potomac State College for 22 years, she served another decade as an administrator. While in that position, Courrier established a council to examine issues of social justice and to provide programs focusing on diversity, which were open to the community. One project, in particular, examined the experience of the first black students integrated into the institution in 1954.
In addition, she coordinated a presentation by a Holocaust survivor and created an annual week-long diversity celebration featuring various cultures. Her endeavors helped to establish a dialogue between inner-city students and rural students.
Named a West Virginia Hero by the state’s Division of Arts and Culture in 2017, Courrier also co-produced a video about Mineral County which aired on West Virginia public television. In addition, she wrote three grants for the preservation of the Carskadon Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For the county’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2016, she prepared the event’s program and also edited and researched the historical society’s publication on Mineral County schools.
“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to three wonderful teachers of West Virginia history who instilled in me a love for local and state history and the importance of preserving our heritage for future generations,” Courrier said.
In addition, as a lifetime member of the Mineral County historical society, Dinah Courrier donated space to house the Mineral County Museum, as well as coordinated exhibits, wrote grants, researched and indexed donated items, necessary to open the facility in 2019. And Courrier created Mineral County’s “Food for Thought” program in 2009 to provide nutrition for children on days there is no school. Nearly two decades later, that program continues to serve approximately 400 students each week.
One of the first women in her region to become active in Rotary International, Courrier has served all its major offices of the Keyser club. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church, she and her husband, Dr. James Courrier, have four children and 12 grandchildren. Of that number, four of her children and eight of her grandchildren are PSC alums.
And of course, for the last 25 years, she has been able to add “published author” to her extensive list of impressive accomplishments.
“Potomac State College is very meaningful to me, and my time there is very meaningful to me,” Courrier said. “I think the biggest change for the better is the association with West Virginia University. It has always been connected to the university, but making that connection stronger in 2005 has been the biggest and best change.”
How does she define Potomac State College today?
“To me, Potomac State is about the students on campus. We have to retain those students. We have to get our students back on campus. Athletics is one way to do that. Student life is another way to do that. It’s a wonderful and small campus and has a sense of community to it that you don’t find at larger university campuses.’
As for her book? Now that it has turned 25, does she have plans for a sequel or revisions to the original work from 2001?
“With all the great changes that have happened since then, it would be a lot of revisions, so I don’t know about that,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye. “But you never know. I just hope I can keep contributing and keep giving back. And I will. For as long as I can. Potomac State will always have a close and special place in my heart.”