Bluefield club President Carol McClaugherty was born in neighboring Princeton, graduated from Princeton High School, and attended Concord Colle
ge, where she received a BA in Education with majors in Spanish and French.
During that time she married her high school sweetheart, Herb, and they have been happily married for 38 yrs. Herb went to work with the Dean Company, from which he is now retired. His job took them to Louisville, KY, where their two daughters, Alicia and Heather, were born. The family returned to Princeton in 1978
Carol explained that she was comfortable in Louisville, and wasn’t thrilled to be leaving there. But once she got here she realized the advantages provided by Mercer County schools. In Princeton, the girls got more individualized attention, and they didn’t have to deal with forced busing in Louisville that would have resulted in very long bus rides for them. The girls still live in our area, and have given Carol and Herb two grandchildren, a granddaughter from Alicia, and a grandson from Heather.
After being in the classroom for about 20 years, Carol moved to the central office of Mercer County Schools where she has been for about seven years. She serves as Coordinator of Career Connections, a work-based learning program that places nearly 700 students each year in work environments.
Herb’s membership in the Princeton club – he’s been a member for 25 years – was her first contact with Rotary. She visited the Bluefield club at the invitation of Annette Osborne, and joined this club in 1999. As a Princeton girl, and as a school system employee, she felt it was important for her to get to know people in Bluefield, and joining the our club presented a good opportunity for her to reach out. “The people in this club always turn out, good weather and bad,” she said, “and always make you feel so good. No matter what it looks like outside, a lot of our members will attend the meeting.” Prior to becoming President, Carol served on board of directors, then as Vice President, and President Elect.
As President, Carol wants to emphasize attending weekly meetings, and reduce the reliance on make-ups to keep members’ attendance records up to expectations. She also hopes to find ways to increase the camaraderie among club members, observing that the Salvation Army bell-ringing project is a good opportunity to get to know other members. She also related what a great experience the roadside pickup and dinner was for those that participated in the event.
Carol thinks it is very important to foster activities that bring the people of Bluefield and Princeton together to develop cooperation between the two communities, and hopes that Rotary will be able to move in that direction.
Bluefield Rotary is fortunate indeed to have Carol McClaugherty in our club, and as our President