Victor N. Green

Victor N. Green graduated from Greenbrier Military School and West Virginia University and shortly served in World War II. After returning from war, Green purchased Coal Salvage Company and began operating in Kingston, West Virginia. In 1958, he formed Eagle Coal and Dock Company, a venture which started modestly and became a multimillion-dollar operation by the 1970s. Eagle Coal and Dock Company eventually grew to the point of operating several contract mining projects for Armco Steel Corporation in Boone and Raleigh Counties. Over time, Green increased Eagle's holdings further to include a number of subsidiaries, including Hope Mining Company, Ellis Creek Coal Company, Eagle Mining Industries, Walhonde Coal & Construction, Inc., Peytona Coal Company, Cherry Pond Coal Company, and even a coal sales company. With The Pittston Company, he also operated a joint venture known as Evergreen Industries, which included subsidiaries Sycamore Coal Company, Excel Development Company, The Maple Company, and Rail River, Inc. In addition to mining coal, Green's construction companies provided extensive mining-related construction services for other coal companies. A civil as well as mining engineer, Green used his Eagle Mining Industries, Inc. to construct roads and develop mine portals and other sites at mines across southern West Virginia. This company also did reclamation projects and other environment related works for Armco Steel. His road building venture, West Virginia Paving Company, built miles of paved roads for several large mining companies. Green spent more than 56 years of his life meeting the challenges of the coal industry. He was one of the pioneers in the use of the valley fill and haul back method of mine reclamation. His companies used both old and new technologies in the production and processing of metallurgical and steam coal for the domestic and export market. His surface, auger and underground mines added millions of tons of coal to the state's production during his lifetime, while his construction companies contributed to the development and improvement of mining-related infrastructure and reclamation in the southern West Virginia coal fields.