Memories: A Special Election

The 1988 regular election was a special one for West Virginia and for St. John’s, as three of our parishioners were elected to statewide office and all were sworn in on the same day in January 1989.

William Gaston Caperton III was elected our state’s 31st governor and served two terms. He and his wife, Dee, had two sons whom they raised at St. John’s. Gaston’s parents had been long-time Episcopalians and staunch members of our parish.

Charles “Charlie” Gailey Brown III joined Caperton in the executive branch as attorney general. He was known as an energetic activist who wasn’t afraid to take on the insurance industry. Charlie and his wife, Alyce, had a daughter, Tara, who attended St. John’s with her parents.

Margaret L. “Peggy” Workman became the first woman ever elected to a 12-year term on the State Supreme Court of Appeals. An award-winning jurist, she and her husband, Ty Gardner, raised their three children in our church.