James H. “Buck” Harless

James H. "Buck" Harless has been a generous friend to West Virginia higher education. He has underwritten scholarships and provided other financial support for both West Virginia University and Marshall University. He has donated to the Marshall University Medical Center, a community center for the town of Gilbert, West Virginia, and many other community projects within the state. In 1991, Harless funded Operation Strong Mountaineer, a proposed demonstration extension program in the southern counties of McDowell, Mingo and Wyoming designed to use expertise offered by WVU and the WVU Extension Service to aid young adults in finishing high school seeking additional training to become better workers, creating economic opportunities for themselves and making informed decisions about their lives. He later funded the Strong Mountaineer Program in cooperation with the Mingo County Board of Education in 1996.