THE LIFE OF WILLIAM "BILL" PETTY"

The morning mist always hung heavy over Buckeye Hollow , a narrw cut of land near Freeman, West Virginia. It was here that William "Bill" Petty came into the world, born within earshot of the rhythmic, metallic roar of the Buckeye Coal & Coke Company No. 2 Coal Tipple . The black dust of the coalfields was a constant backdrop, but Bill's family possessed an enduring grit. In 1937, his parents bought an old company house for $15.00 , carefully dismantled it board by board, and carried the lumber up Pinnacle Mountain near Bramwell to build a new home.

If you visit the Buckeye Tipple page on the Historic Bramwell web site you will see the birth place of this site's author/editor. He was born in a Buckeye Coal & Coke Company house, located about 100 yards from this tipple. His father and many of his relatives were among approximately 200 miners responsible for digging, loading and hauling the coal from a mine located in Buckeye Hollow just off Simmons Creek. This primative coal mining camp in southern West Virginia was typical of a miner's family living environment in the late 1800s and through the 1930s. The author's very early childhood days were spent in this harsh coal camp environment. His father died of typhoid fever when he was just 4 years old, leaving the mother wth four orphan chidren to care for with no income.

Growing up on that mountain, Bill learned the value of hard work early. As a youth of eight years old Bill threw local newspapers onto front porches and spent one summer working at local WR Gazee's car dealership, scrubbing and sanding cars to prepare them for fresh paint. He sold the Grit weekly newspaper and "Zanol Company" products to add to the family income. By his senior year of high school, he landed a job at the Bluefield Daily Telegraph . Every Saturday night, starting at 11:30 PM, Bill stood by the presses inserting the funny pages into the Sunday paper. When his shift ended at 3:00 AM, the real challenge began. With no rides available, Bill would walk eight miles home to Freeman, WV along a pitch-black, deserted mountain road. The lonely trek took four hours, ending just as the Sunday sun began to peak over the ridges.

Despite the grueling hours, Bill excelled at Bramwell High School . He was inducted into the National Honor Society , elected Student Council President , and chosen as President of his senior class . His passion was music. A talented trombonist in the school band, he earned the prestigious first chair in the West Virginia All-State Band .

He graduated from Bramwell High Sch. in 1953. He was inducted in to the Nntional Honors Society. He was the BHS Senior Class President and the School Student Councel. He served as Treasurer of the National Honor Society.

 

After graduation, Bill traded the mountains for the sea, enlisting in the U.S. Navy for four years. He rose to the rank of 2nd Class Petty Officer , specializing in a cutting-edge field: maintaining and instructing pilots on the 1CA1 pilot flight trainers . This early brush with sophisticated technology sparked a lifelong interest. Once his enlistment ended, Bill enrolled at West Virginia University , earning a degree in Electrical Engineering .

His sharp mind and engineering expertise eventually took him to the highest levels of national defense. During the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, Bill served as the Director of the Army's EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) Survivability Laboratory , ensuring the nation's military technology could withstand catastrophic nuclear interference.

Bill was acknowledged by the Dept. of Defense and received Presidential recognition for his technical and managerial leadership rolls in EMP hardening of critical weapons and communications systems. He received the Army's distinguished Meritorious Civil Service award. The second-highest award granted to civilians, The Army Meritorious Civilian Service Award is approved at the MAJCOM level..

ARMY CIVIL SERVICE AWARD

  He received separate awards for both management and techinical leadership from Harry Diamond Laboratories ( HDL ) and was sponsored for the Army's R & D Achievement Award for the technical management concerning the development of the first threat level EMP,   TEMPS SIMULATOR.

 

In 1995, after decades of high-tech service, Bill decided it was time to return to a simpler pace. He retired to "Autumn Haze Farm" in Amissville, Virginia, embracing the life of a gentleman farmer. Yet, his mind never truly left the coalfields of his youth. In 1999, driven by a deep love for the region that shaped him, Bill founded and authored the Historic Bramwell Website . Through it, the boy from Buckeye Hollow ensured that the rich history, the towering tipples, and the resilient spirit of Bramwell, West Virginia, would never be forgotten.