List of people from Beckley, West Virginia

This is a list of people who were born in, lived in, or are closely associated with the city of Beckley, West Virginia .

Athletics

• Joe Goddard, professional baseball player
• Doug Legursky, professional football player
• Bob Pruett, American football coach
• Tamar Slay, basketball player for Sutor Basket Montegranaro, formerly with the New Jersey Nets
• Joe Stydahar, former NFL player and coach, West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame ^[1]

Arts & Entertainment

• Rob Ashford, choreographer
• Mark Carman, producer, songwriter, musician
• Cora Sue Collins, actress
• Little Jimmy Dickens, singer
• Tom Maddox, author
• Scott McClanahan, writer
• Chris Sarandon, actor
• Art Simmons, musician
• Calvin Simon, musician
• Morgan Spurlock, filmmaker
• Bill Withers, musician

Politics

• Jennifer Belcher, former member of the Washington State House of Representatives, first female Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands
• Tom Carper, U.S. Senator from Delaware
• Barbara M. Clark, New York state legislator
• Brian Helton, West Virginia Senate, from the 9th district ^{[2] [3]}
• Todd Kirby, Judge of the 14th Circuit Court of West Virginia, former West Virginia House of Representatives
• Nick Rahall, U.S. Representative
• Hulett C. Smith, Governor of West Virginia
• Joe L. Smith, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, from West Virginia's 6th district

Other

• B. Kwaku Duren, American lawyer, educator, writer, editor
• George Joseph, founder of Mercury General
• Jon McBride, astronaut
• Stephen M. Pachuta, retired United States Navy admiral.
• Christa Pike, convicted murderer

References

1. "West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame - Inductees" (PDF). West Virginia Sports Hall of Fame . Retrieved July 19, 2025.
2. Davanzo, Serena (January 14, 2025). "Brian Helton took the Oath of Office to become WV 9th District State Senator". WOAY-TV . Retrieved June 18, 2025.
3. "Brian Helton (R - Fayette, 09)". West Virginia Legislature . Retrieved June 18, 2025.