WVMR Dedicates New American Flagpole In Memory Of Two Beloved DJ’s & In Honor Of All Veterans

Dunmore, WV –
With family, friends and the Pocahontas County Honor Corps gathered round, Allegheny Mountain Radio dedicated a new American flagpole at the WVMR studios in Dunmore on November 14th. The new flag is dedicated to the memory of WVMR deejays Annabelle Shaffner and Loren Buzzard and in honor of all Veterans. As fiddle player Buddy Griffin finished the last few notes of the National Anthem, the Honor Corps fired a salute.

Annabelle Shaffner was the very first voice heard on WVMR went it went on the air almost 30 years ago. She was the longtime host of the Sunday morning gospel show and a dedicated volunteer. Shaffners’ son Pat says he thinks his mother would have approved of the ceremony.

“I really enjoyed it” says Shaffner. “I think my mother would have really enjoyed it and she’d have been proud of what the radio station and everybody did for her and Loren both.”

He says the significance of his mother being the first voice to be heard on WVMR didn’t really sink in until later in life.

“Well, I guess you know as kids it didn’t mean as much then as it does now” he says. “It was something she always thought a lot of; she remembered that all through her life, and a lot of other people did too, and I think it was just kind of nice that she was.”

Shaffner says both of his parents were good role models for community service.

“Her and my dad both did, both of them were involved in different things” he says “Mom [was] an EMT for a while and of course involved with the radio station. My dad was in Boy Scouts and then he helped a lot of people just out on his own, it meant a lot to him too.

Loren Buzzard literally grew up at WVMR, coming to the station with mother Diane when she first started working at the station as Vista volunteer. Over the years he cut the grass, stuffed envelops, and deejayed both Sunday Morning Gospel and the Haggis Bowl, a show dedicated to his love of Celtic music. Tragically, he lost his life in a car accident just before he was to graduate from Pocahontas County HS. As with Annabelle Shaffner, he is still greatly missed by the AMR family.

But his love of the radio and music still lives on in the form of a scholarship established at the high school by his uncle David Buzzard. It’s awarded to a graduating senior interested in pursuing music or radio broadcasting.

Nine members of the Pocahontas County Honor Guard participated in the dedication service – Harlan Whiting, Williard Tingley, Jerry Taylor, Solomon Workman, Don Waybright, Jeff Kelley, Delmar Dove, Harry Price and Steve Fierbaugh. And the American Flag flies proudly over the WVMR studios in Dunmore.

Story By

Heather Niday

Heather is our Program Director and Traffic Manager. She started with Allegheny Mountain Radio as a volunteer deejay. She then joined the AMR staff in February of 2007. Heather grew up in the Richmond, Virginia, area and now lives in Arbovale, West Virginia with her husband Chuck. Heather is a wonderful flute player, and choir director for Arbovale UMC. You can hear Heather along with Chuck on Tuesday nights from 6 to 8pm as they host two hours of jazz on Something Different.

Current Weather

MARLINTON WEATHER
WARM SPRINGS WEATHER
MONTEREY WEATHER