Horton Penrose Beirne, 67, of 4415 Midland Trail Callaghan, Covington, Virginia, peacefully passed away on January 10, 2015, after a long battle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, surrounded by his loving family.
He was the husband of Mary Ann Warwick Beirne.
He was born June 4, 1947, in Alleghany Memorial Hospital in Rosedale in Covington, a son of the late Richard F. Beirne III and Rose Somers Beirne.
At the age of nine, Horton started his lifelong career in the newspaper industry. His first position was delivering the daily news in Covington on a foot route for six years.
While in high school, he worked in the newsroom of the newspaper. After college, he returned to the area as production manager in 1972. He was named editor of the Covington Virginian in 1974.
Mr. Beirne was named publisher of the Virginian Review in 1992 following the death of his father Richard F. Beirne III. He was the fourth generation of the Beirne family to serve in Virginia newspapers and the third generation at the Covington newspaper.
His grandfather, Richard F. Beirne II, founded the Covington Virginian in 1914, which purchased the Clifton Forge Daily Review in 1989 becoming the Virginian Review.
His great grandfather, Richard F. Beirne Sr. of Lewisburg, WV, was owner of "The State" newspaper in Richmond and in 1883 fought the last recorded duel in Virginia against William Elam, another Richmond newspaper owner. They disagreed editorially over how to handle the state debt incurred prior to the Civil War.
Horton received several 1st, 2nd and 3rd place state writing awards from the Virginia Press Association including: column writing, editorial writing, feature writing, and special section editing.
He began writing editorials supporting merger of local governments in 1975 and continued editorializing for merger over the ensuing years, and most recently when the issue arose in 2008 and 2014.
In 1975 an editorial written by Beirne was reprinted in the Congressional Record of the 94th Congress. The editorial supported Sen. Harry F. Byrd's resolution to restore citizenship to Confederate General Robert E. Lee. President Richard Nixon had pardoned and restored citizenship to draft dodgers who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War. Beirne's editorial pointed out the double standard as Lee's citizenship had not been restored. Byrd's resolution was later adopted by Congress and Lee's citizenship restored.
A petition drive was started and coordinated by Beirne in 1981 to have the local option question of liquor by the drink placed on the ballot in Covington, Alleghany County, and Clifton Forge. The measure passed in Covington and later passed in Clifton Forge and Alleghany County in subsequent elections.
Mr. Beirne was the author of a weekly human interest column "This 'n That" for 30 years, which appeared in the Covington Virginian and Virginian Review until 2006. His column "As I Recall" began in October 2012.
Horton received several community recognition awards during his tenure as editor of the paper including the Jackson River Technical Center's Switzer Award in 1999 for support of vocational and technical education in the Highlands. He was recipient of the Highlands Community Services Board Award for support and service in the community on behalf of those with mental illnesses and disabilities.
In 2010, he received the Chancellor Award for Leadership in Philanthropy from the Virginia Community College System, as well as the Arts Legacy Award from the Alleghany Highlands Arts Council.
Mr. Beirne attended Covington Public Schools. He was a student at Covington High School for two years and Alleghany County High School for two years, graduating in 1965 from ACHS.
He attended Richmond Professional Institute in Richmond majoring in Journalism and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1969 from Virginia Commonwealth University. RPI merged with the Medical College of Virginia in 1968 and became the Academic Campus of VCU. While attending RPI/VCU, he worked on the staff of the college newspaper, "The Poscript", for four years, and served as chief photographer, assignment editor and managing editor.
After graduation in June of 1969, he joined the staff of the Richmond-Times Dispatch and served as reporter/bureau chief for the Northern Neck Bureau with an office in Warsaw, VA. He spent three years in the Northern Neck and returned to Covington in 1972.
Mr. Beirne was a member of the Alleghany Historical Society (life member and past president); Alleghany Highlands Genealogy Society; C&O Historical Society; Bath County Historical Society; Civil War Trust; Virginia Historical Society, APVA Preservation Virginia; and Phi Kappa Sigma Tau Chapter of Randolph-Macon College; served as president of the Covington-Hot Springs Rotary Club in 1998, after joining in 1976; past president and past director of the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce; and served for over 30 years on the Highlands Christmas Mother Committee, after being appointed in 1978 and serving as vice chairman in 2009.
Formerly, he was a member of the Covington Kiwanis Club; a charter member, and past president of the Callaghan Area Ruritan Club; and was director of Jackson River Technical Center's Advisory Board, past vice president and director of the former Covington Retail Merchants Association; the former Alleghany County Industrial Development Commission; Alleghany Highlands Economic Development Corporation in 2008 - 2012; the Local Emergency Planning Committee; and served as a director of the former Dominion Bank's Local Advisory Board.
He was a past chairman of the Virginia Associated Press Newspapers and a former director and past president of the Virginia Press Association. He served as president of the VPA in 1988 and was the first president to be re-elected to the board as a director after serving as president. He served a total of 18 years on the VPA board, serving on several committees of VPA and was chairman of three.
Horton was a member of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, serving several terms on the Vestry and was treasurer of the church for 25 years. He was Worship Committee Chairman for over 20 years, president of the former church Men's Club for two years, taught Adult Bible Class for four years, teen Bible class for three years, all while serving as Acolyte Master, usher, lay reader, chalice bearer, choir member, and Altar Guild member.
Mr. Beirne served as editor and layout designer for the Alleghany Historical Society's book "Historical Sketches", which was written by Gay Arritt and published in 1982. He helped arrange and co-guaranteed financing for publication of the book along with society past-president Paul Lacy Jr. He was also co-author of "Images of America", published in 2013 by the Historical Society.
Interests in his spare time included needlepoint, he completed over 100 projects, several of which were displayed in a local exhibit. He had extensive O Gauge train, stamp and coin collections and was a lover of books.
He married Mary Ann Warwick on September 2, 1976, who survives him. His surviving children are: Joy Beirne Wood, and husband, Craig Wood, of Danville; Elizabeth Rose Beirne of Richmond; and Horton P. Beirne II, of Lake Oswego, OR. He has two granddaughters: Sydney Lynette Stone of Danville and Itziady Isabella Beirne Gonzalez of Lake Oswego, OR. His extended surviving family includes: three brothers, Richard R. Beirne IV of Mobile, AL, Ewell S. "Smokes" Beirne and wife, Louise, of Roanoke, VA; and Coite C. Beirne of Covington; sisters-in-law, Norma Leech of Clifton Forge, Brenda Perkins and her husband, Robert Perkins of Covington; and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 15, at 11:30 a.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, with Bishop A. Heath Light officiating. Interment will follow services in Cedar Hill Cemetery.
Active pallbearers include Joe Carpenter, Allen Downey, Paul Linkenhoker, Pat Loving, Robert Perkins, Ron Perkins, Randy Perkins, Max Shawver, Ed Stein, and Mike Warwick. Honorary pallbearers include William Van Pelt, John Edwards, and Kevin Cole.
The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 14, at Loving Funeral Home, Covington and suggest memorial tributes take the form of contributions to Emmanuel Episcopal Church, P. O. Box 709, Covington, VA 24426 or the charity of the donor's choice.
