Stephen Morris, left, president and CEO of Jefferson Security Bank; Dr. Suzanne Shipley, president, Shepherd University; Ramon A. Alvarez, president, Shepherd University Foundation; Martin L. Keesecker, vice president, BB&T Wealth Management; and Michael A. Smith, vice president, Valley Proteins, Inc. (Submitted)

The 10th annual Scarborough Society Gala, held Aug. 12, at the Bavarian Inn, Shepherdstown, netted more than $17,000 to support the activities of the Shepherd University Scarborough Library. Approximately 250 invited guests attended the black-tie event. The theme for this year’s event was “Around the World in 80 Days,” based on the classic adventure novel by Jules Verne.

The presenting sponsors for the elegant evening of dinner and dancing were BB&T Wealth Management, represented by John and Shelly Beatty, and Jefferson Security Bank, hosted by Steve and Kathy Morris. Valley Proteins, Inc., sponsored the band, Souled Out, and was represented by Mike Smith, company owner. Other community sponsors included John Wolff , Capital Fiduciary Advisors; Jerry Williams, State Farm Insurance; Bowles Rice McDavid Graff and Love, LLC; CoxHollidaPrice, LLC; Smith Elliott Kearns and Co., LLC; and United Bank.

John Beatty, senior vice president and city executive with BB&T – West Virginia North, said in a press release, “BB&T has sponsored the Scarborough Society Gala every year since its inception in 2001. We are always honored to support the Gala in its mission to endow and strengthen Scarborough Library and the Shepherd University library system, and feel privileged to have been a part of its milestone 10-year anniversary.”

BB&T Corporation, headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is among the nation’s top financial holding companies with $159 billion in assets. Its bank subsidiaries operate 1,800 branch offices in 12 states and the District of Columbia, and it is the largest mortgage lender in West Virginia.

“Jefferson Security Bank is pleased to both serve and employee alumni of Shepherd University in our efforts to foster a sense of community in and around the Eastern Panhandle,” said Steve Morris, president and CEO of Jefferson Security Bank in Shepherdstown. “We feel privileged to support the university and its library system through our annual sponsorship of the Scarborough Gala, and commend the Society on its tenth year of raising funds and awareness for Scarborough Library.

Gala hosts Jim and Mary Staley celebrated the theme of the evening in style by donning festive clothing from Vietnam. (Submitted)

Jefferson Security Bank is a West Virginia state-chartered bank that opened for business May 19, 1869, making it the oldest community bank in Jefferson County. The bank provides general banking services within its primary market area of Jefferson and Berkeley counties in West Virginia, and in secondary markets of Washington County, Md., and Frederick County, Va.

Scarborough Society President Ray Alvarez praised the Gala for a successful decade of raising funds and increasing community awareness of the Society’s existence and purpose. Shepherd University President Suzanne Shipley and her husband, Randall Wadsworth, joined 20 other host couples from the regional community who invited friends to enjoy the evening and support the Scarborough Library.

In keeping with the event’s theme, hosts were encouraged to pay homage to a country of their choice with authentic props, table decor, and clothing that held personal significance. Additionally, guests had the option of having their photo taken in front of a small hot air balloon, which served as a prominent prop in Verne’s acclaimed novel about famed protagonist, Phileas Fogg, and his attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a lofty wager.

Sara Lueck, chair of the 2011 Gala Planning Committee, expressed her gratitude to the many friends and patrons of the Scarborough Library, several of whom have attended every gala.

“It touches me that people still find it in their hearts to support the Scarborough Society and Shepherd University’s library system, even during these difficult economic times,” she said.

Lueck further acknowledged the Gala Planning Committee, the event’s sponsors and host couples, and the staff of the Shepherd University Foundation for the gala’s success over the past 10 years. “Without these folks, this event would not even be possible, much less the successful fundraising vehicle it has become.”

The 225-member Scarborough Society, sponsored by the Shepherd University Foundation, is a friends-of-the-library organization that serves to support and strengthen the Shepherd University library system. Funds raised by the society increase the bound collections and assist in acquiring, maintaining and updating the technology necessary to operate a 21st-century library and provide a scholarship for a student library intern.

Memberships in the organization are available on an annual basis and members’ names are engraved on a Wall of Honor located in the new addition to the Scarborough Library. Members receive library cards with special privileges and are placed on invitation lists for library lectures, book signings, musical events, seminars and receptions.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Scarborough Society is encouraged to call the Shepherd University Foundation Office at 304-876-5397 or 800-344-5231, extension 5397.