Thumbs up to state Senator David "Bugs" Stover, R-Wyoming, who is now in the final days of his four-year term.

Despite serious health issues, Stover was determined to finish his term.

He is now retiring and says he is unlikely to seek public office again.

He has a bucket list of things he wants to do - "... like finishing my walk across America," he said. "I have about 1,800 miles remaining. I want to canoe, or kayak, three West Virginia rivers that I've missed, and I want to spend many, many hours with my grandsons Ryker and Killian."

Stover has had an incredible career of public service - 27 years as a public school teacher, 16 years as the Wyoming County circuit clerk - during which he also served on the West Virginia Association of Counties Board of Directors, board president for a year, and two years as president of the West Virginia Circuit Clerks Association. In 2020, he became a state senator for the 9th Senatorial District. Additionally, he served as park naturalist at Twin Falls Resort State Park for several years, he's a well-known storyteller across West Virginia, and has undertaken more than half-a-dozen widely-publicized protest walks for a variety of causes through the years.

Raise your glass to a true public servant.

By Mary Catherine Brooks

of The Wyoming County Report

for The Register-Herald