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NAACP dinner to raise funds, honor achievements

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Civil rights, social justice and racial equality will be celebrated Saturday as the Belmont County NAACP hosts its annual Freedom Fund Dinner.

The event aims to raise money for the organization’s scholarship program, which provides four scholarships of $500 each to Belmont County students of various ethnicities and backgrounds. The money can be used for tuition, books or tools the students need.

Doors open at 5 p.m. for a social hour that will precede the 6 p.m. dinner at Undo’s West in St. Clairsville. After the meal, the presentation of four lifetime achievement awards will begin. The honorees include:

Belmont County Common Pleas

Judge John Vavra

Vavra is a lifelong resident of Belmont County and a graduate of the former S. John Central High School. He obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics at then-West Liberty State College and West Virginia University, respectively, before obtaining his juris doctorate from the University of Akron Law School in 1982. He has practiced law in several local counties for more than 40 years.

He was first elected to the bench of the county’s Eastern Division Court in 2010. He was later elected to his current post and most recently re-elected in 2020. He is the senior and administrative judge of the common pleas court, where he presides over cases involving felony level criminal offenses. He lives in St. Clairsville with his wife, Joan, and they have four children and six grandchildren.

John W. Moore Jr.

A Bridgeport native, Moore suffered a serious injury when he ran in front of a car and was struck as a child, limiting his ability to walk and play with other children. With his parents’ guidance, he turned to reading as his “salvation.” His third grade teacher, Robin Goss, also faced physical challenges as a result of battling polio, and she also encouraged him to use his mind to overcome limitations. Several years later, he began to participate in school sports without his parents’ knowledge. When that activity was revealed, he eventually was permitted to play football and basketball throughout his high school years. After graduating Bridgeport High and then West Liberty State College, he became a teacher at BHS. That led to additional studies and eventually positions teaching and counseling at West Liberty. He later began a career in banking, holding positions including vice president, senior vice president and executive vice president of human resources before retiring from WesBanco in 2013. He and wife Brenda had four children together.

Shirley Johnson

Mallory

The late Mallory began her career with the Community Action Commission of Belmont County in 1967 as an outreach worker in the Bellaire area. In that position, she aided low- and moderate-income residents with resources made available through President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty.” Mallory then became director of the dental program for the CAC, assisting children and families who needed dental work. After serving as interim executive director during a transitional period for the CAC, she became Head Start director for 35 years. In that post, she grew the number of children served from 110 to more than 300. She retired in 2015, prompting the CAC to partner with Alternative Residences to establish the Shirley Johnson-Mallory Legacy Fund — a nonprofit that aims to serve children and families who have fallen through “gaps.” It provides services such as meeting household needs and providing clothing, school supplies, personal care items and the ability to further one’s education.

Mallory died in 2022.

Dwayne “Bubba”

M. Coleman

The late Coleman lived much of his life in Martins Ferry, where he worked as a high school teacher’s assistant. While raising four children with wife Dawn, he also served the school district as “Coach Bub,” guiding students in their endeavors in football, track and wrestling. Among his accolades, he was twice recognized as OVAC Junior High Coach of the Year. He was posthumously inducted into the Martins Ferry Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2024 and the Martins Ferry High School Hall of Fame this year. He died in 2010.

In addition to the awards, the crowd will also hear from keynote speaker LaDonna Moore-Liggins. Liggins is a Bridgeport native and a lifelong educator who taught in Worthington, Ohio, Wheeling and Bridgeport. She is a recipient of the Gary Smith Compassion Teacher Award ad the Innovative and Quality Education Award, both via Worthington City Schools, and of the Ashland Oil Golden Apple Achievement Award.

She has numerous church and community affiliations. She was married to the late Rev. Dr. Thomas E. Liggins and currently lives in Westerville, Ohio.

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