Giving
The H. G. Hardbarger Science-Mathematics Award Trust Fund was transferred to the Foundation Huntington National Bank. Kathy Frederick, Huntington Banks area Manager, said, "Placing the Hardbarger Fund in the Ritchie County Community Foundation allows for this scholarship to grow and live on perpetually providing scholarships to area students."
The H. G. Hardbarger Science-Mathematics Award Trust Fund was originally established in 1992 in honor and memory of H. G. Hardbarger, a long-time community leader and friend to children and youth in the Ritchie County area. The purpose of the fund is to provide a scholarship to a graduating senior at Ritchie County High School who has demonstrated enthusiasm and academic achievement in the fields of science and mathematics and who plans to attend an accredited college, university, or vocational/trade school in West Virginia.
Since the fund was started in 1992, many RCHS graduates have received this scholarship to aid them in their pursuit of a college education. "He always wanted to see children in the Ritchie County area succeed," said Raiguel Funeral Home Director Bob Bonar, of Harrisville, who was Mr. Hardbarger's son-in-law. He continued to say that this is exactly what Mr. Hardbarger would be happy to see.
H. G. Hardbarger was born in Ritchie County in 1893. His family moved out west when he was seven years old and returned to Ritchie County several years later. Hardbarger worked at the Bank of Cairo and on the C&K Railroad before entering the service. He served in World War I and after being discharged worked in Pittsburgh for what is now known as Valvoline Oil. In the 1930s, he headed back to Ritchie County, working in several different business ventures. Then, in the late 1930s, he began working at the Union Bank of Harrisville as a cashier and worked there until his retirement. He was highly involved in community affairs as a member of the Board of Education, Lions Club, Civic Club, and the United Methodist Church, and as a Red Cross worker and much more. "He wanted to see things progress for the community and make things better," said Hardbarger's grandson, Bob Bonar, who lives in Grantsville.