Those coming to Sunday’s Pendleton County Emergency Rescue annual dinner braved overcast skies, falling rains, and, in some areas, some water running over the roadway. Once there, they enjoyed the warmth of family-style fellowship as they remembered a year of service from one of West Virginia’s sole all-volunteer ambulance service.
There to join in the celebration was Kris Warner, West Virginia Secretary of State.
Last spring, Warner was on his way to Franklin to honor centennial businesses, but lost control of his vehicle at the base of North Mountain, flipping it over. Quickly came help from local residents, including Jimmie Bennett, county commissioner, and the volunteers of PCER. In gratitude for their quick and professional assistance, Warner returned to Pendleton County to thank them.
The festivities opened with a prayer from Dave Ellis, who stated, “We are thankful for the rains, Lord.” Then Tina Eye, who served as master of ceremonies, read a book called “What the Road Said.” The story told of an uncertain traveler asking the road about the pathways a person should take.
“It’s fitting for our organization,” she said.
The book took the form of questions from the traveler about life and the road answered with reassuring wisdom. One example was “What if I go the wrong way?” Eye read that “the road curved a little, almost as if giving me a hug and said…sometimes we go the wrong way on our road to the right way.”
When asked about several of life’s common barriers that discourage people, the road responded “keep going, keep going, keep going.” It also taught about leadership.
After concluding, Eye stated, “The only thing I can say to you is be a leader, be a leader in your squad. Treat everyone the same.”
Dinner had something for everyone, serving up smoked brisket, pulled pork, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, rolls, potato salad, and cole slaw.
Later on, Eye presented the certificates of service and awards. She opened with reading the names of captains, including Angie Ellis for Franklin, Amberley Bennett for North Fork, Dennis Knicely for South Fork, Will Hedrick for Upper Tract, and Eddie Caplinger for the tactical team.
Board members included Eye as president, Mike Alt, vice president and training officer, Amanda Mowery, secretary, Stephanie Hartman, treasurer, Stacie Bennett, Pat Frank, Tim Kisamore, and Paul Clayton.
Eye then read off the years of service. With 10 years were Knicely and Savannah Hoover; 15 years Angie Ellis, Caplinger and Sam Harper.
With 20 years were Jeremy Schell and John Dove; and 25 years Doug Rupe. Bob Grimm was honored for 35 years of service.
On the list for numbers of calls responded to by individuals, Kim Hulmes responded 446 times in 2025, Grimm 246, Mark Verdoni 177, Mowery 133, Hedrick 126, Dave Ellis 109, Knicely 104, Alt 102, Eye 96, Donna Bowers 83, Amberley Bennett 75, Delmas Bennett 66, Ruby Crown 60, Bobby Davis 51, Angie Ellis 49, Rupe 46, Stacie Bennett 45, Charlotte Hoover 44, Jeremy Hedrick 32, Pat Frank 32, Katelyn Frank 31, and Addison Ross 31.
Next, Warner stood at the podium and delivered some brief remarks. He spoke first about 738 Lewis County homes wiped away in , sharing that he had helped with a fundraiser there. What the waters took away was significant. Warner shared that “they had no grocery store, no place you could buy any food in the county” with Walmart and other businesses submerged.
He then shared that the night prior to dinner he had come home with the sunroof open. Warner admitted that he forgot to close the sunroof and paid the price. “Problem was, when I got up in the morning, I went to get the car to come here and it had rained overnight.” He joked that he could tell they had an inch and a half of rain because that was the depth of the rainwater in his car’s cupholder.
Then the talk turned serious when he said, “Hey, you only think about auto accidents happening to others until they happen to you. You know, with the good Lord watching over me in Pendleton County, I walked away unharmed.”
“When help was needed, the Pendleton County Rescue Squad answered the call,” noted Warner. He gave special thanks to “captain Amberley Bennett, her husband, lieutenant Delmas Bennett, and their daughter, Stacie Bennett, who all answered the call that day.” Warner added that “they also serve as dedicated volunteers of the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department.”
“To each of you, thank you. Thank you for responding. Thanks for taking good care of me, and for the countless sacrifices you make for others every single day,” Warner went on to state, speaking of the “selflessness and dedication” of volunteers who might “leave their houses on Christmas morning to go help someone they never met in their time of need.”
After the conclusion of his talk, Eye returned to the podium to award door prizes.
