0795: Dr. Robert P. Alexander Collection, 1880-2000

Dr. Robert P. Alexander graduated from Marshall University in 1959. After graduating, Dr. Alexander was hired by Marshall University and traveled to the eastern panhandle of West Virginia to recruit prospective students. It was here he became interested in the town of Cass, WV. In 1969, Dr. Alexander completed his doctorate and became a professor of management and marketing. Dr. Alexander was also the Dean of Marshall University’s College of Business and also served sixteen years on Huntington, WV’s city council. In 1975 Dr. Alexander returned to Cass and created a living history of both the town and timbering industry of Pocahontas County. The bulk of the collection contains research material related to Dr. Alexander’s research conducted between 1975 and 1976 which was later presented at the John Deaver Drinko symposium on April 5, 2000 entitled “Timber: the Times and the Life at Cass, WV.” Materials related to the research include: research proposals, oral histories of former timber workers, census data, newspaper articles, and businesses in Pocahontas County. The collection includes a preliminary inventory completed by Dr. Alexander and his graduate assistants