| Sources |
- [S25] 1930 US Federal Census, (www.ancestry.com).
- [S927] Obituary.
Born November 10, 1924 in Hickory, West Virginia, Lenore Retzer Joseph was one of the first and most successful businesswomen in the Ohio Valley. During her life, she continually demonstrated her commitment to and her love for the Ohio Valley through her community efforts and her dedication to improving local sports.
Joseph graduated from Hickory High School in 1942 and continued her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After graduating from the university in 1945, Joseph began her career as a teacher in the Somerset and Washington counties of Pennsylvania. In 1950, she left the education field to become the home economist for the Columbia Gas Company in Washington and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Eventually, she inherited the Ohio Valley Window Company from her father and became president of the company, a position she held until her death in 1995 at the age of seventy.
According to her husband, Dr. Michael J. Joseph, "[Lenore] was an avid sports fan. Heck, both of us were - from professional football to basketball and, of course, her true love, golf . . ." An accomplished amateur golfer, she was the driving force behind bringing the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour (LPGA) to Oglebay's Speidel Golf Course and sponsored the Ohio Valley Window Company Amateur Tournament in Wellsburg. She was a member of the Wheeling Country Club Women's Golf Association, the West Virginia Golf Association, and U.S. Golf Association, and she served as the tournament chair of the LPGA from 1973 to 1974.
Joseph was also very involved with the local community through membership in several local organizations including the board of directors for Wheeling National Bank, King's Daughters, and the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. She was also a board member at Wheeling College from 1975 to 1981.
In recognition of her love for local sports and her dedication to the Wheeling College community, the press box adjacent to the athletic complex of Wheeling Jesuit University bears Joseph's name. Her husband, Dr. Michael Joseph, donated funds for the construction of the press box in 1997 as part of the Bill Van Horne Memorial Campaign.
Information compiled from:
The Record Enterprise, September 13, 1995
Wheeling Jesuit University Chronicle, Winter 1998
Wheeling News Register, December 2, 2001
Wheeling News Register, February 16, 1997
Wheeling News Register, September 1, 1995
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1924 - 1995 (70 years)
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