(Publisher’s Note: To make for vacations this week, LEDE News is sharing some our most popular articles. Enjoy.)
It’s likely most know Michael P. Hamilton from online interactions rather than one-to-one, and that’s not because he doesn’t like people. One would be surprised to what extent, in fact, he goes to help others.
Michael is involved with a plethora of social media platforms, including the Ohio Valley Road Report on Facebook, and also offers his wealth of knowledge to threads that draw his interest. His favorite topics include the history of his hometown and his native neighborhood of Elm Grove, local and state politics, and also the history of the churches in the Wheeling area.
He’s also quite the accomplished musician and music teacher, a loving son, and a dedicated valley citizen, and that is why he often corrects erroneous online information. And yes, Michael can be aggressive and persistent when doing so, and certainly that frequently leads the corrected to unfriend him and maybe even to blocking him on Facebook.
It’s not because he has to be right but instead because Michael is right when he chooses to share what he shares. There are no photos of him in this piece or much online because he offered only aerial photos of his beloved Elm Grove. His timeline profile photo is, in fact, from high school, and that’s because he’ll be the name but not the face.
You know and share a lot of history about the city of Wheeling and specifically the Elm Grove area. Why did you wish to learn so much about your city and the area where you grew up?
When I was a student at Elm Grove Elementary School in the late 1980s, I had an art teacher name Ellen Culler. She was very involved in Friends of Wheeling, and at a young age, she used to impress upon me stories about Elm Grove which always fascinated me. She taught me about the importance my neighborhood had on Wheeling, and she showed me that my neighborhood and my ancestors were crucial to Elm Grove and Wheeling’s development.
You are also very educated on politics in the state of West Virginia and in the city of Wheeling. What is it you would like to see take place in both the state and in the city over the next 10 years?
It is a selfish thing to seek, but I am very concerned about the fact that a 1BR house in South Wheeling pays the same $95/year Fire Service Fee as a 6BR house in Arbordale. The Wheeling Fire Department tackles residential fires regardless of square footage. It is patently unfair and unequal for a struggling family in South Wheeling to pay the same amount for fire protection as does a wealthy family in Aaron Woods.
You love the local churches in the Wheeling area. Which one do you find most beautiful and why?
I find beauty and appreciation in all of Wheeling’s churches. Each have significance in their histories, from labor unions who found support from the former Zion Lutheran in Centre Wheeling to the artistic beauty across the street at St. Alphonsus where monks and priests hand-carved reliquaries.
As a church organist, I have been blessed to play for and worship in Wheeling churches. Having done so, I want Wheelingites to cherish our unique religious heritage.
You do a lot of work to make sure local folks in need have the foods they need, and you also assist on the Ohio Valley Road Report on Facebook. Are you confident people appreciate your efforts?
My work, especially on OVRR, has nothing to do about personal recognition.
I simply want to ensure that Wheeling residents are informed about the facts they need to get to and from work.
What do you like the most about the city of Wheeling, and what do you like the least?
I like that the City of Wheeling has a unique role to play: we are unlike any other region of WV. We vote for and elect qualified candidates of both parties. That cannot be said of the Eastern Panhandle or of Charleston.
We in Wheeling have come to a point where we appreciate elected officials who actually respond to our concerns. 20-25 years ago, that was not the case.
If I had to identify something which I like the least about Wheelingites, it would have to be about their lack of interest in facts. We are still stuck in neutral as we were 35+ years ago … a citizenry which relies upon rumor and hearsay.
I believe Wheelingites can do and should do better. I believe optimism will accomplish more than pessimism and rehashing forty years of mistakes and misinformation. I believe that Wheelingites are fully capable of examining facts rather than believing rumors.
