James “Jim” Piercy '57

James “Jim” Piercy was born in Clintonville, Greenbrier County. He won the Golden Horseshoe in eighth grade and graduated from Lewisburg High School where he played football. In 1955, he met his wife, Leona, at WVU Tech where they were both students. Piercy served as Student Body President in 1956. Piercy graduated from Tech in 1957 with his bachelor’s degree in engineering. Shortly after graduation, he married Leona and they moved to Charleston, where he worked for Union Carbide as an electrical engineer for 29 years. In 1975, he received his master’s degree in engineering from the College of Graduate Studies in Institute, West Virginia. Piercy was a member of the West Virginia Air National Guard from 1958 to 1987. He received the Commander’s Trophy for being the top graduate in his 1960 Pilot Training Class and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with over 5,200 flying hours in the C-130 aircraft.

In 1986, Piercy returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in electrical engineering and technology. He also taught math to those who wanted to pursue their general education development (GED) until 2019. Over the years, Piercy attended many sporting and other school-related events and served as a mentor to many students who came through WVU Tech. He loved being a Golden Bear.

Jim Piercy passed away at the age of 89 on November 3, 2022. The award will be presented to his family at the awards ceremony in February.

“On behalf of the Piercy family, we would like to thank WVU Tech, its alumni and supporters for this wonderful recognition of our father, James Piercy. He truly loved WVU Tech and being a Golden Bear as a student and alumnus, and later returning as an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Technology. His school was truly special to him. We are so grateful that his legacy can live on through this wonderful honor given to him by the WVU Tech community,” says Jennifer Piercy, Jim’s daughter.