John M. Manchester ’74

John M. Manchester ’74, of Lewisburg, W.Va.; Jan. 17, of pancreatic cancer. After college he hitchhiked 23,000 miles across the U.S. and Canada, and later described his experience at a TEDxLewisburg event titled “Everything I Know About Public Service I Learned Hitchhiking.” He joined the solar energy division of the Tennessee Valley Authority, where he taught energy conservation and led solar energy projects. Following his return to West Virginia, he ran a sawmill, built his own house, edited the Mountain Messenger newspaper, served 16 years as the communications director of West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, and was elected to the Lewisburg City Council in 2001. He successfully ran for mayor of Lewisburg in 2003 and subsequently served until 2019, obtaining the title of the longest serving mayor in Lewisburg history to date. During his tenure he completed many long needed public improvements and Lewisburg achieved a 2011 designation as “America’s Coolest Small Town.” He received numerous awards, including the 2018 Distinguished Mountaineer Award from the State of West Virginia. He enjoyed writing, storytelling, hiking, and traveling, and visited all 50 states. He is survived by a daughter and son-in-law, two granddaughters, two sisters, a sister-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.