Fly the Flag

‘Let’s go.’, the Flying WV and the people who fly it.

By West Virginia University

December 5^th, 2024

Now that West Virginia's rolling mountains have turned from green to fall's signature patchwork colors, and then to bare limbs waiting for spring's breath of life. Now that the cold and snow has arrived to the state and to Morgantown. Now that fall's days are set to expire on December 21 — it feels like the most wonderful time of the year to look back on summer around the state.

This past summer, our photography, social media and marketing teams traveled West Virginia with "Let's go." flags in hand to celebrate the beauty of the state and the people who proudly wave the Flying WV.

The ends of trails. The tops of mountains. The streams and the scenes that make this state special — those were the destinations around the state that we wanted to highlight in photo and video form. And we wanted to put West Virginians in the middle of them.

Peak Adventure

A River Runs Through It

Some of the state's beauty requires ascending to overlooks that allow our vision to be carried across valleys and into a gradient of mountains that roll into the horizon line. Those can be seen above and give the meaning of being a Mountaineer a pretty literal spin.

Others destinations require descending along steps, trails, rocks or rivers — often finding bodies of water instead of reaching for the clouds. Some of those scenes can be seen below.

Statewide Exploration

What do the Mothman Statue, Cranberry Glades, the Green Bank Telescope and the State Fair of West Virginia have in common? Nothing besides being in West Virginia and being well-known by the people who live here.

This project took us to those places, the State Capitol, Harpers Ferry, Blackwater Falls, New River Gorge and everywhere else in between.

The People (and pups)

You may recognize a few of the faces throughout these images, including current Mountaineer mascot Braden Adkins as well No. 68 to don the buckskins, Mary Roush. We've always known the love they share for this state and this university, though.

The wonderful part of traveling the state throughout the summer was meeting all of the people (and some of their animals) we've never worked with before who also share that love — whether they are alumni or not. The Flying WV means something to everyone in this state.

Cindy Robeson

If Stumptown Ales owner Cindy Robeson got a college experience do-over, she’d pick West Virginia University without hesitation. Her confidence in that choice, she said, comes from watching three of her children blossom on the Morgantown Campus.

Read more about the Robesons at WVUToday.

Cordell McClung

Cordell McClung may not have known right out of high school that he was going to eventually end up at West Virginia University, but his mom started saving anyway to be sure he could afford to attend their home state flagship university if he chose to do so.

McClung, a Summersville native and current owner of OAB Sports Complex, took what he called a “roundabout” way to get to WVU, but it paid off with two degrees, a newly found love for coaching and work with youth in athletics.

Caleb Bailes

For Fayetteville native Caleb Bailes, being a Mountaineer has been a lifelong identity.

“Blue and gold just runs through your veins around here,” Bailes said of his love for West Virginia University. “It’s always been my dream to go to WVU, just like most of the people in the area.”

Molly Aderholt

A “winding road” led Molly Aderholt, who was born and raised in Billings, Montana, and moved to the Washington, D.C. area as a teenager, to her husband’s native state of West Virginia in 2000 to attend the West Virginia University College of Law.

Valerie Pritt

More than a decade after graduating from West Virginia University, a Pocahontas County native, public relations professional and member of Lewisburg City Council says she tries to live by a motto she learned while she was a student.

“It’s that spirit of ‘Mountaineers go first,’ always being willing to try something, being willing to do something new and be bold, and being willing to learn something different,” Valerie Pritt, director of public relations at Experience Greenbrier Valley, said.

"It just means so much."

A number of videos were produced by our social media and video teams with this one focusing in on exactly what the Flying WV means to the state and its people. Whether an alumni or a resident of the state, the iconic logo means something to everyone in West Virginia.

Among the Clouds

Some of the most beautiful views around the state can be had watching the fog roll across scenery in the early mornings and late evenings. That's exactly what can be seen in these next three images.

The first two are taken from the same bridge along Fayette Station Road in New River Gorge. The first as rains parted to make way for rolling fog and a beautiful sunset. The second as the next morning was blanketed by the same low clouds that moved in as the rains stopped. The third is at Droop Mountain's Lookout Tower as a field of early morning fog — so deceptive you think you'd be able to run across it — rises from the Little Levels valley below.

Taking Flight

While the entire team contributed photo and video content, Tony Dobies, Hunter Given, and Kelly Heasley created the drone content seen in the videos, with a highlight reel of Given's seen below.

Around Campus

Sheree Wentz from our design team has used a number of the images from this campaign to highlight the people interviewed from around the state. These light pole banners were designed to be viewed while approaching the Erickson Alumni Center. The backsides featuring the text were designed to be seen while leaving.

Along with the banners, Wentz created ads like these to highlight the University, the people who shape it as well as the people it has helped shape, and those who embody — literally — the spirit of being a Mountaineer.

Let's go.

Footnotes

Story by Matt Sunday. Photos and video by Matt Sunday, Brian Persinger, Scott Lituchy, Tony Dobies, Dave Ryan, Mark Webb, Hunter Given, Derek Artimez and Kelly Heasley. Drone work by Tony Dobies, Hunter Given and Kelly Heasley. Graphic design work by Sheree Wentz.