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By all accounts, Lee Alexander West was a young man who had a bright future ahead of him.
He was, friends and family remember, a young man who excelled as a student and a multi-sport athlete and shared an enthusiasm for life.
That changed on Jan. 31, 2012, when the 15-year-old died in a house fire.
Thanks to the efforts of his mother, Cookie West, and friends, family and volunteers, his memory has lived on through the Lee West Memorial and Awards Presentation.
"It's always a bittersweet day," Cookie West said during welcoming remarks to this year's event, which was held Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of the fatal fire. "The wonderful thing is that we loved Lee, his family and community. And he knew that -- he loved us. He loved us hard, and those who knew him know that to be true."
Those who gathered at the JeffCo Event Center watched as presentations were made in three categories: Teacher Impact Awards, Village Impact Awards and the Heart Award.
What makes the awards for the teachers special, West explained, is that the recipients are chosen based on essays written by their students.
"I'm so grateful to see all of your faces," she said. "I am so blessed and thankful for all of the students who have nominated their teachers. It's challenging to get people to stop sometimes and think about others, but I am really grateful for the students who nominate their teachers, because they have to take the time.
"They have to write an essay and submit it to our committee. It really does impress us that the students take their time to do that and follow through."
Teachers honored this year were Buddy Davis, Diane Dalesio and Jamie Freeman of the Jefferson County Joint Vocational School; Patty Peckins-Nixon of Indian Creek; and Katie Mills of Steubenville City Schools. Recipients of the Village Impact Awards were Tammy Cain, Beth Rupert-Warren and A Caring Place Child Advocacy Center. Receiving the Heart Award was Clark Crago, chief of the TEMS Joint Ambulance District.
"We appreciate all teachers and people who are working in our education system," West explained. "You are shaping our future, and we are very grateful for that. Lee was a bright student, and he was shaped by teachers and support staff.'
While the awards are given annually, other events have helped to keep Lee West's memory alive, including a summer birthday bash at Belleview Park and a basketball tournament at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center. Those are things that bring people together, and that, Rupert-Warren said while accepting her award, is important.
"This is such an honor, it's so humbling," she explained. "Something that God put on my heart many years ago is that the word 'unity' is in community. It takes a village, it takes people working together to be the body of Christ and to come together. That's what tonight represents. When I look around this room and I see so many people who have touched so many lives in so many ways … all of the answers are here. It just takes us working together.'
An emotional Crago called the evening "unbelievable."
"It's my pleasure to be able to receive this honor," he said. "First responders, in a moment's notice they never know what's going to happen or what they're going to see. Generally, you go, you do your job and you return, but you don't normally hear 'thanks.' This is really appreciated."
Each of the people who received awards work hard every day to make our area stronger, and it's important to recognize those accomplishments, West said.
"We have to honor and celebrate people," she said. "Life is not promised, and, sometimes, the things that we wish we could have done we don't do."
••••••••
The groundhogs have spoken, and, just like everything in most of our lives, the answer lies squarely in the middle. Led, of course, by Punxsutawney Phil, four of the groundhogs around North America who are involved in forecasting saw their shadows when they emerged from their burrows Thursday morning. That means six more weeks of winter are ahead of us.
That includes Buckeye Chuck, Stormy Marmot and Shubenacadie Sam.
Those not seeing shadows were Gen. Beauregard Lee, French Creek Freddie, Stanton Island Chuck and Wiarton Willie.
Missing from the list of prognosticators was Fred la marmotte. The Canadian groundhog who called Val-d'Espoir, Quebec, home, was found dead just a few hours before he was scheduled to take center stage Thursday morning, according to reports from the CBC and The Canadian Press.
Roberto Blondin, organizer of the annual ceremony, said Fred apparently died sometime in the late fall or early December while he was hibernating. A child wearing a groundhog hat was called to the stage and handed a stuffed groundhog, which predicted six more weeks of winter, the reports indicated.
Fred Junior will step up beginning in 2024, Blondin explained.
Fred la marmotte was 9.
(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)