Busch memorial clothing drive planned for next week

WEIRTON -- With the winter months approaching, the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation is continuing with an annual effort to assist area veterans, all in memory of the man who started it all.

The annual Bob Busch Memorial Veterans Clothing Drive will kick off Monday, lasting through Nov. 13, with donations of new or gently used clothing items accepted at the Millsop Community Center during regular business hours.

A native of Belle Vernon, Pa., Busch enlisted in the military during the Vietnam War. Though athletic in his youth, Busch would be affected for the rest of his life from exposure to Agent Orange.

"Bob really was an amazing guy," Park Board Executive Director Coty Shingle said.

"He had every right to be bitter, or to feel sorry for himself, but he didn't. Instead of dwelling on negative things about his life that he couldn't change, he embraced the positivity that made him a friend and mentor to all."

Several years ago, Busch approached the administrative staff at the Millsop Community Center, proposing a clothing drive to provide warm clothing for area veterans, to be organized each year near Veteran's Day.

Busch died in April 2020, but the staff of the community center decided to carry on, with one of Busch's former volunteers, Ron Spencer, an Army veteran, now taking the lead.

"I was happy to do it, knowing we were both veterans," Spencer said. "I'm trying to carry on his legacy the best I can."

Programs Director Chris Krishak noted clothing donations should be boxed or in bags, and made particular mention of the need for socks, something Busch would recommend each year.

In addition to carrying on the clothing drive, Parks staff decided to pursue other ways to remember Busch, establishing a memorial fund which led to the purchase of a bench with his name just outside the selectorized weight room at the community center, and a memorial plaque to be place at the center's entrance.