John Pill / Mountaintop Library Fund
This fund provides annual support for the Mountain Top Library in Thomas, WV, continuing the legacy of community investment in local education and civic engagement.
TYPE OF FUND: Designated
DATE ESTABLISHED: 2000
PURPOSE: To provide funding for the Mountain Top Library in Thomas, WV.
DISTRIBUTION: Upon the recommendation of the Grants Committee, and approval by the Board of Directors, funds will be distributed to the board of directors for the Mt. Top Library.
VARIANCE POWER: If, in the judgment of the TCF Board of Directors, the restrictions and conditions of the fund become unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment or inconsistent with the charitable needs of the community, the TCF Board of Directors maintains the right to modify the terms of this fund.
FUNDING: Initiated Dec. 30, 1989 as the Pill Fund by a $1,000.00 donation from John “Jack” Pill of Holly Meadows (near Parsons), for “the library.” A $530.91 donation from the treasury of the Blackwater Civic Association, which has since disbanded, was designated for the Mt. Top Library Fund. These two funds were combined by action of the Board of Directors at the annual meeting on May 15, 1997.
BACKGROUND: Mr. Pill made the original donation in December 1989. TCF Board of Directors corresponded with Mr. Pill several times in an effort to have him fulfill the minimum named fund requirement of $5,000.00 but never received any response. Mr. Pill died June 8, 1998.
The Blackwater Civic Association, originally known as the Fairfax Club, was established in the 1920s as a civic organization for the Davis / Thomas / Canaan Valley area. Members sought tourism for the area and were active during the establishment of Blackwater Falls State Park in the 1950s and Canaan Valley State Park in the 1970s. They worked with Joe McQuade in the opening of the Alpine Mine. The organization ceased to meet when the Tucker County Chamber of Commerce became active in the early 1980s. Past presidents of the association included J. Ralph Good, Robert Raese, P.L. Milkint, William M. Miller, Sr., and Harry Dibacco.
