BY DOUG HUFF

Special to the Sports

Department

Two Blue Eagle student-athletes from the late-1980s and early-1990s are among eight honorees at the 28th annual Magnolia Athletic Boosters Life Achievement Awards Banquet.

The honorees, with graduation year and hometown, are Garry Heck (1988) of Mount Airy, N.C., and Dr. David Watson (1991) of Morgantown, W.Va.

The public event will be Saturday, Aug. 3, at Magnolia High School. A social starts at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available at Witschey’s in New Martinsville or from banquet chairman Brent Gamble at 304-455-3234.

Heck and Watson will be feted along with John Brookover (1966) and Tom Myslinsky (1967) of New Martinsville; Dan Gerkin (1967) of Vienna, Va.; Pat Zohn (1971) of Cleveland, Ohio; Victor Dean (1982) of Midland, Mich.; and Scott Stemple (1984) of Xenia, Ohio.

Capsule summaries of Heck and Watson follow.

Heck: The Surgical Services Information Systems Specialist at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., he was a four-year football player and two-year track athlete at Magnolia.

He also was a three-year Varsity Club and two-year Young Men’s Union and Torchbearer’s member. He attended West Virginia Boys State after his junior year.

He graduated in computer management and data processing from West Virginia Institute of Technology before starting his professional career.

His current position since 1999 involves support for more than 40 operating rooms and many other departments that comprise the hospital’s surgical services division. Included was a project that converted the hospital’s several different computer systems into one operation.

The honoree, trained as an EMT and Level II Fire Fighter, also works part-time as a fireman for the City of Mount Airy and serves as a CPR instructor.

For the last five years, he has been head coach of the Mount Airy Little League Bears Football Team and also coached Little League basketball and baseball.

Garry and wife Kimberly have two children, Brock and Elizabeth.

Watson: Currently an associate professor of neurology at WVU, he was a four-year football player at Magnolia and also competed in track two seasons.

Active in school organizations, he served two years as class president and one year as vice-president.

He was a three-year National Honor Society member and four-year Young Men’s Union and Varsity Club member.

He also participated in other school activities and was a National Merit Scholarship finalist as a senior.

He graduated summa cum laude from West Virginia Wesleyan College before earning an M.D. Degree from the WVU School of Medicine.

After an internship at the University of Virginia’s Roanoke/Salem program, he served a residency and fellowship at the University of North Carolina.

From 2004-08, he was an assistant professor of neurology at UPMC before returning to WVU in 2008. At WVU, he also serves as director of the Neurology Student Clerkship program and the WVU Headache Center. Also, he serves on the School of Medicine Curriculum Committee and Committee on Academic Professional Standards as well as Faculty Senate.

He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Headache Society and was a founder and board member of the West Virginia Neurological Society and a member of the American Academy of Neurology Government Relations Committee.

The honoree also finds time to serve as a youth soccer coach and runs in local distance races. Additionally, he made a medical mission trip to Mali, Africa, in 1999.

He and wife Jodi have four children, Emma, Lavi, Luka, and Julia.