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WHEELING -- G. Ogden Nutting, a prominent community and business leader who for more than a half-century served as publisher and general manager of The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register, died Friday at age 87.
Over seven decades in Wheeling, Nutting received numerous community awards and honors. In 2013, he was inducted into the Wheeling Hall of Fame in the Business, Industry and Professions category, joining his grandfather, H.C. Ogden, who was inducted in 1982 in the same category.
For more than 60 years, Nutting worked at his private and family-owned Ogden Newspapers Inc., serving in various capacities including publisher, general manager and president. The Wheeling Evening News, founded by Nutting's maternal grandfather H.C. Ogden on Sept. 22, 1890, formed the basis of the company that became the Ogden Newspapers Inc.
Don Smith, president of the West Virginia Press Association, called Nutting the "last of the great publishers in the history of newspapers in West Virginia."
Nutting has received numerous state and national newspaper and journalism awards including in 2010 when the West Virginia Press Association honored him with its highest honor, the Adam R. Kelly Premier Journalist award.
He was deeply involved in education, both public and private. He served for 45 years as a member of the Board of Trustees at Bethany College, from which he received an Honorary Doctorate in 2001 and was chosen for Bethany's Communication and Media Arts Department "Wall of Fame" in 2012. He was a board member of The Linsly School and also Wheeling Country Day School.
Nutting served on the West Virginia University Foundation Board of Directors in the 1960s and then later, from 1988-2008. A former member of the Visiting Committee of the West Virginia University School of Journalism, he was instrumental in establishing the Ogden Newspapers and Nutting Family Journalism Endowment Scholarship Fund for juniors and seniors studying print media. Ogden Newspapers and the Nutting family also created the West Virginia University Journalism Library Endowment Fund, the Ogden Newspapers Seminar Series, the Ogden Newspapers Multimedia Classroom, and the Ogden Newspapers Endowed Visiting Professor position, held for a decade by the late Dr. George Esper.
In 1996, Nutting was recognized for his service to West Virginia University and the state of West Virginia when he received the "Most Loyal West Virginian" award. In 1998, he was honored with West Virginia University's prestigious Distinguished Service Award for "exceptional leadership in the state and nation." Honored again in 2000 by West Virginia University, Nutting received the first Paul A. Atkins "Friend of the Journalism School" award. He was inducted into the West Virginia Business Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2012, he received an honorary doctorate from the university.
A lifelong sports enthusiast, Nutting regularly was found at local sports events. A skilled tennis player and enthusiast of skiing, he regularly skied at Seven Springs Mountain Resort and Hidden Valley Resort along with other ski areas across the country, and was twice chronicled in Ski Magazine.
He founded the original Wheeling Junior Soccer Club and also was a founding officer of the Wheeling Ironmen professional football team.
He also was involved in endeavors outside of Wheeling. In 1996, Nutting joined with Kevin McClatchy's partnership group to ensure the Pittsburgh Pirates remained in Pittsburgh. He later worked with McClatchy to help design and open PNC Park in 2001.