The village of Proctorville sits across the Ohio River from Huntington, West Virginia. This community comprises 277 households and OHIO’s Proctorville Center, a satellite of the University’s Southern Campus in Ironton.
The late Marshall Smith helped make the Center possible when he gave The Ohio University Foundation more than 19 acres of land in the year 2000. Valued at $1.125 million, this land houses the Center serving the educational needs of eastern Lawrence County. The community that celebrated the Center’s grand opening in 2007 came together again in 2017 to dedicate the new Proctorville Center Park.
State and University funding, and donor contributions, made the park possible. The project included two regulation-size soccer fields; a half-mile, paved walking path; a new 40-space parking lot; a storm water retention pond with a water feature; and other improvements.
“This project wouldn’t have been possible without the funding secured by Representative Ryan Smith and Senator Bob Peterson in addition to generous donations from alumni and friends of the Southern Campus,” said Southern Campus Dean Nicole Pennington. “We are grateful for all of this support.”
Among these supporters is the family of the late Ernest “Ernie” B. Hall Jr. The park’s walking trail is named in honor of him and his wife Clorinda. Their son, Ernie Hall III said, “We believe that education and the opportunities that the Proctorville Center provide for our community are vital. We are proud to have been a part of the park project, and we think that the park will benefit our area greatly.”
OHIO’s Executive Dean of Regional Higher Education Bill Willan said, “from Marshall Smith’s gift of land through the Hall family’s support for the walking trail, the Proctorville community has gotten behind Ohio University’s effort to provide affordable, high-quality educational experiences to area residents. We are grateful to all who have contributed to making the Proctorville Center vital to the vibrant educational and cultural life of the tri-state region.”
