What's in a name?

Welcome to the new Pierpont blog. My name is Jennifer Weist and I have worked for Pierpont for nearly 9 years. Our President, Blair Montgomery, has asked me to start a newsletter to keep everyone informed about things happening at Pierpont. The idea of a newsletter seems overwhelming and somewhat inflexible, so I've decided to start a blog instead.

My first big challenge was to come up with a name for my blog. I have one (Pierpont Happenings) but I am not very happy with it. So I am asking you, the reader, for help. If you have suggestions for a blog title, please reply to this posting.

I never cease to be amazed about all the really cool things that happen at Pierpont. I hope to share many of those things with you as I write this blog.

Many people wonder where the name Pierpont originated. The name itself comes from a really amazing man, Francis "Frank" Pierpont. Frank Pierpont grew up in Middletown, VA (now Fairmont, WV) as a tanner working in his father's business. At age 21 he walked to Meadville, PA to attend Allegheny College. That is 175 miles! Frank Pierpont, like many of our students, had several career transitions in his life. He worked as a teacher, a school superintendent, a lawyer, a small business owner and a politician. He was a visionary, helping to restore Virginia to the Union during civil war times and paving the way for western Virginia to become the State of West Virginia. Pierpont is memorialized in the Congressional Hall of Statues as the "father of West Viginia."

Stay tuned to learn more cool things about Pierpont. Feel free to post comments and especially suggestions for names.