Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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July 29, 2010

Former W.Va. governor enjoys Pro-Am event

By JIM WORKMAN Staff reports

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS —  Among the amateurs playing in The Greenbrier Classic Pro-Am on Wednesday was Gaston Caperton, a former two-term governor of West Virginia from 1988 to 1996.

Caperton, 70, lives in New York City primarily, but “spends as much time as I can” in West Virginia.

He came back to West Virginia this week to lend his support to the inaugural PGA TOUR event.

“I’m just so proud of what The Greenbrier is doing,” Caperton said. “(The Greenbrier chairman and owner) Jim (Justice) has done one fantastic job bringing this place back to the top. People from all over the world are here. There’s not a guy anywhere in the world that could have done that but him. He has big vision and a belief in West Virginia.

“I’m one of his great admirers.”

Caperton said that he thinks that The Greenbrier comeback under Justice could be a model — and an inspiration for others.

“Absolutely,” he stated. “I think his example is inspirational. He is a strong West Virginian. He believes in West Virginia. He is very generous with his investments. He has big ideas.

“I’ve known Jim for a long time. I was a great admirer before he did all of this. But now, I’m over the top.”

Caperton is currently the president of the College Board, a membership association founded in 1900 that consists of 5,000 of the nation's leading schools, colleges, and universities.

“It’s the largest not-for-profit education company,” Caperton said. “It’s a wonderful job. I care deeply about education. So being able to spend all of my time and energy in it is great. I believe that education is the future of our country.

The former governor said that he is excited about the state of the state of West Virginia.

“I think we can see a lot of positives,” he said. “We still have a lot of work to do. It’s a big challenge in this economy, in particular. But when you look around the country, we’ve done much better than most people. I think we have a lot of momentum.”

Caperton’s name was tossed around in political circles as a possible candidate for a senate seat left vacant when Sen. Robert C. Byrd died. But he did not file for candidacy when the deadline passed last week.

“I had a great eight years (as governor) and I loved that very much,” he said. “I think that was my turn. I get lots of calls but I don’t think that’s what I should be doing now.”

Caperton played in a foursome with PGA TOUR player Brad Faxon on Wednesday.

As for his golf game …

“I’m not much of a golfer,” Caperton admitted. “I play about once a year. I’m trying to have a lot of fun.”

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