By Stephen Smoot, The Pendleton Times
ARTIE, W.Va. — Counting necessary stops, slowing down to avoid hitting deer, and getting behind the occasional hard-working farmer driving his tractor, the drive from Seneca Rocks to the crossroads village of Artie takes about four hours.
For Sam Yokum, however, being honored in the tiny Raleigh County town took a playing career, then decades of teaching the game of baseball, mentoring generations of young men to learn both America’s pastime and also the kind of good character it takes to succeed in any endeavor.
Two structures grab a visitor’s eye as they complete the drive up Clear Fork Road to where it intersects with White Oak Creek Road deep in the coal bearing hills west of Beckley. One is the darkened wood and bright mortar log White Oak Church, the only nod to modernity on its outside being handicapped ramps to aid entrance.
The other significant structure in town is the old post office, in operation from 1908 until 1997. For more than 40 years, starting during Eisenhower’s presidency, the same postmistress held sway every single day, never even missing a single day of work. The building itself, her husband helped to construct.
Although everyone in a small village knows who gets them their mail, Bradie Branch Williams’ son and current owner of the building earned himself legendary status as a player and coach in the Ohio and Kanawha Valleys.
And now former junior high school, high school, college, and professional coach Tex Williams has dedicated his life to honoring the best in West Virginia sport in the building where his mother served the public for so many years.
Read more: https://pendletontimes.com/a-decade-of-dedication-honors-legends-of-mountain-state-sports-in-artie/
