Community Service Award

Don E. Nuckols '58
This year’s Community Service honoree is Don Nuckols. This award honors alumni “who have made exceptional contributions to society through volunteer, civic or other pub-lic service to their community.”

Don grew up in Wyoming County and played basketball at Glen Rogers High School until he gradu-ated in 1956. He came to Beckley College to play basketball, and averaged 19.5 points per game and shot 93 percent from the foul line. After graduating from Beckley College, he attended Glenville State College.

Following his graduation from Glenville State, Don returned to Wyoming County, where he taught and coached basketball from 1961 to 1965 at Itmann and Mullens Grade Schools. His teams won 105 games and lost only 3. They won four county tournaments and four invitational tournaments. Don coached at Mullens Junior High School from 1966 to 1968 and then went to Mullens High School, where he taught and was head basketball coach for 16 years. Don’s teams went to five state champion-ships. In 1981 his team was state runner-up, losing by only one point as the buzzer sounded.

Don was assistant principal at Mullens High School for four years and was principal for ten. He was chosen as West Virginia High School principal of the year for 1997-1998.

Don says, “Beckley College gave me the opportunity to continue my education and play college basketball after I graduated from Glen Rogers High School. I made friends at Beckley College and those friendships have lasted 50 years. I was very proud and happy for MSU and Coach Bob Bolen when they won the National Championship in 2004. Bob is a very good friend of mine and he’s an excel-lent coach.”

Don has also been honored by sev-eral local and statewide organizations:

• Mullens Male Citizen of the Year for Outstanding Individual Service in 1998
• Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the West Virginia Association of Basketball Coaches.
• Glen Rogers and Mullens High School Halls of Fame
• Charter Hoops Classic Honoree
• Coalfield Conference Retired Coach of the Year

Even with all these honors Don says of his induction, “This is such an honor and I know that there are many more people more deserving than I, but there are none more appreciative than myself.”

On top of all this success, Don has been blessed with a wonderful family. He has two daughters, Rene and Michelle. Rene, her husband, Dr. Thomas vonDehlen, and their son, Tommy, live in Lewisburg. Michelle and her husband, Tim Sellards, live in Culloden. Tim is a retired West Vir-ginia State Trooper and Michelle owns and operates Michelle’s Beauty and Boutique in Teays Valley. Don has two brothers: Aubrey, who lives in Beckley, and Bobby, who lives in Huntington.

Don says, “Beckley College gave me the start that enabled me to be the success I am today. Mountain State University has grown and prospered since the days of Beckley College. The entire city and community of Beckley have prospered as a result of the many students who have and are attending Mountain State University.”