Gene Worthington Memorial Picnic Shelter

Born in Chicago, Illinois August 3, 1948, Gene was a husband, a father, a brother, a grandfather, an educator, a theater nut, a Chicago Cubs devotee, birdwatcher, a connoisseur of the finest beers and an enthusiast of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Gene taught welding at the Fayette County Vocational School, now FIT and served as an administrator, retiring after 30 years of service. He served as Faculty Senate President and was the faculty advisor for the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA), now Skills USA.

Always a fan of theater and acting, Gene involved himself in local productions with the Curtain Callers of Mount Hope. In the 1980’s, he and his wife, Karen Vuranch, created their own theater company, WV Enterprises. (The WV was for Worthington and Vuranch or West Virginia). They performed throughout the state, the nation and abroad to appreciative crowds. He is best remembered for one-man shows of Teddy Roosevelt, Babe Ruth, John L Lewis, and Simon Kenton.

In 1992, he and his wife and the Fayette County Historical Society opened the Historic Fayette Theater. From his first production of Foxfire in the summer of 1993 to his final production of Misery in 2022, Gene dedicated 30 years to the theater and directed over 50 shows. He directed the play Grace and Glorie, which took first place in the state theater competition and represented West Virginia at regionals in Florida. And, in 2000, he took the acclaimed play Smoke on the Mountain on a tour of England and Wales. For this, the WV State Legislature proclaimed that the Historic Fayette Theater was an official cultural ambassador of the state. He continued to be an actor as well and performed at HFT as well as in shows in Beckley, including his favorite role of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

In addition to his theater work, Gene was an active in the community, volunteering at the Fayette County Food Pantry, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, Leadership WV and the First Presbyterian Church of Oak Hill. The cities of Fayetteville and Oak Hill were appreciative enough of his contributions that they presented him with a Proclamation of Recognition in 2025.

To honor his vast community contributions, the family wishes to build a picnic shelter in his memory located at the New River CVB, where he spent years volunteering and entertaining visitors.