When my family and I moved to Parkersburg in 1985, it didn't take long for us to discover how fortunate we were to live in such a nice city. The people were very friendly and helpful like we had never experienced.
I am an exercise fanatic who's been running for over 30 years. Before coming to Parkersburg, I had several people that I used to run with almost daily. So when I came to Parkersburg, the first thing I tried to do was to find people who had the same type of dedication. Fortunately, I met three outstanding men at City Park who asked if I would like to join them. The four of us ran almost daily and participated in numerous road races together.
One of those guys was David Couch, who continued to run with me until his illness prevented him from running. Dave and I developed a very close friendship. He was a sounding board for the numerous issues that I encountered in my job. In my opinion, he was the most civic-minded person that I had ever met. He loved his community and would do whatever he could to improve Parkersburg and Wood County. He was also the most caring, thoughtful and benevolent person that I have ever known.
On Nov. 6, Dave's son Blair is running for re-election for the Wood County Commission. You have heard the old adage, "like father, like son." Blair possesses many of the same characteristics of his father. He is passionate about serving with the drive and dedication that we need. Therefore, I would encourage the community to support his re-election.
Warren Carter
Parkersburg
