MARTINSBURG, W. Va. – They still call it the “new” building, but on Friday, staff of the Martinsburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center marked the 40th anniversary of Building 500, the main medical center building.
Staff who were part of the move shared memories, including now retired nurse Tammy Michael, whose mother also worked at the VA Medical Center in Martinsburg:
Staff Pharmacist Timothy Kefauver was there, as well:
Kefauver, who was commended for 40 years of service in Veterans Affairs, talked about the old building, which had no elevators and instead featured “seven miles of corridors”:
Over the years, the new building has seen a number of advancements, according to Kefauver:
Medical Center Director Kenneth Allensworth talked about the now 40-year-old building:
Many of the speakers talked about how the VAMC in Martinsburg had become a family, including veteran Michael Alexander, who said his time at the VA Medical Center saved his life:
Joining via Teams were folks who had been at the helm of the Martinsburg location in previous years, including Ann Brown and Tim Cooke, who both talked about the camaraderie and the sense of family.
Brown, who served as the Medical Center Director at the VAMC Martinsburg from 2008 to 2013, reminisced about the family vibe and recalled during a snow event she called Snowmageddon which dumped several feet of snow in the region, administration had to remind staff that were pulling extra shifts to get some sleep. “There’s no better place in my heart than my time in Martinsburg,” Brown said.
Craig Perkins oversees the burying of the time capsule, set to be opened in 2084.
Cooke served as Medical Center Director from June of 2014 until early 2020. He said, “The love for each other was what was so special about being part of the Martinsburg family.”
Among the day’s festivities, the burying of a time capsule which was meant to mark a moment in time, according to dedication remarks by EEO Manager Craig Perkins, who said the capsule is slated to be opened in 2084.
Allensworth talked about the time capsule which will include maps of the facility, information about COVID-19, nursing items, union items, employee lanyards, VA mugs, newspaper articles, and photos documenting current and past events.
During the event, plans for a medical center museum were unveiled.
Allensworth told WEPM/WCST The Panhandle News Network that improvements continue at the medical center, including a new dental building that features 3-D printing. A Women Veterans Primary Care Center and a new inpatient medical surgical unit are both slated to open next year, according to Allensworth, who said, “The growth continues.”
IV Billes at Dedication Ceremony. (VAMC)
According to a history provided ahead of Friday’s anniversary event, the completion of Building 500 in 1984 marked “a new era of Veterans health care on campus with 357 inpatient beds, as well as a 200-bed domiciliary and 120-bed nursing home unit, now known as community living centers.”
Back then, Senator Robert C. Byrd and Governor John D. Rockefeller IV were among the dignitaries attending the dedication ceremony in July of 1984. In attendance during the dedication were veterans from World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
On Friday, dignitaries included family members of Mr. I.V. Billes in attendance. Mr. Billes was the Medical Center Director from 1975 to 1989 and led the construction of Building 500.
The Martinsburg VA Medical Center (VAMC) originally opened in January 1944 as the Newton D. Baker Army General Hospital with 3,000 beds needed for service members returning from World War II combat theaters. The facility was named after Martinsburg native Newton Diehl Baker, who served as the U.S. Secretary of War from 1916 to 1921. Now in its 80th year of operation, the medical center serves over 40,000 Veterans from West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania.
(2024 Photos by Panhandle News Network’s Marsha Chwalik)
Veteran and volunteer Michael Alexander talked about what his time at the VA Medical Center has meant.
Staff Pharmacist Timothy Kefauver received a 40-year commendation from Medical Center Director Kenneth Allensworth
Retired nurse Tammy Michaels said both she and her mother worked at the VA Medical Center in Martinsburg
Former Medical Center Director Tim Cooke joined from Orlando
Medical Center Director Kenneth Allensworth made his remarks with family members of former director I.V. Billes in the front row
