PRINCETON, W.Va. — Hugs and smiles were plentiful at the Chuck Mathena Center at noon on Friday, as Tammie Toler entered with her legal pad in hand and started visiting with her fellow Rotarians.
Toler, editor of the Princeton Times, had been away from her regular news beat for almost a year after suffering a brain hemorrhage on March 28, 2014. She was unconscious for nine days, and went through a slow period of recovery that included several setbacks. Although it wasn’t easy, she stayed the course and was released to return to work on March 25.
Robert Farley’s eyes lit up as he saw Toler enter the great hall of the CMC. “There she is,” he said to Charles Pace. “There’s Tammie.” He gave her a big hug.
“I went out and visited her a couple of times,” Pace said as he waited his turn to give Toler a hug. “She has really come a long way.”
All of her fellow Rotarians hugged her and seemed to have a permanent smile on each of their faces.
“Seeing the response from all of these people is proof of the love so many have for Tammie,” Keith Circle said. “We’re all very happy to see her back.”
Although she was working on Friday, Toler took some time on Thursday afternoon to share her thoughts about returning to the work she loves to do…