Denny Barron remembers a Shepherdstown where he could ride a bike down Route 45 from his home to his grandparents’ house. He played tag with his friends in the field where the Food Lion now sits, and he recalls when rooting for the high school team was a pastime the whole town was a part of.

“When I was a kid my friends and I had to create a lot of our own fun,” says Denny. “I think today’s children have more choices.” But from what I learned through speaking with him, Denny and his friends were rarely bored. They would play pick-up games of basketball or baseball next to Shepherdstown High School (now the Shepherdstown Middle School) or just ride their bikes. “I’ve only ever sat on the wall a few times in my life,” he says. Denny became involved with 4-H when he was a child, and it continues to be a major part of his life. “My family didn’t take vacations to the beach over the summer.” He says the highlight of his summer was going to 4-H camp each year.

One of his most vivid memories is when the Shepherdstown High School baseball team won the state championship in the early seventies. “The entire town was thrilled to cheer for their home team and took great pride when they earned the state title.” He feels that people don’t get as involved with hometown sports as much anymore.

Denny’s first job was at Cave’s Market (formerly located where the Sweet Shop Bakery is now). He was 17 when he delivered groceries to customers’ homes for $10 a day. Denny would bring a grocery

order to a customer’s house, and if they happened to be out, he would simply walk in their home and leave the delivery in the kitchen. “It was Mr. Cave who encouraged me to get a job at Jefferson Security Bank.” Denny started as a teller when the bank was in its old location in the Yellow Brick Bank building. Denny worked his way through college while working his way through the bank as well. Today Denny is the vice president of Jefferson Security Bank, but in addition to his day job, he spends most of his free time volunteering for many organizations, including the Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department and the 4-H Club. In fact, if you ask Denny what his hobby is, he will say, “volunteering."

“I remember the ‘old-timers’ when I was a child,” he jokes. “Now I am one of the ‘old-timers.’” We are lucky to have a new “old-timer” like Denny. He is someone who has seen Shepherdstown grow and change, and he says he is content to adapt to change as long as it is done responsibly. Denny is someone who understands that things have to progress, and somehow he manages to bring the values and simplicity of another time to everything he does.