John Heatwole

John L. Heatwole (1948–2006) was an artist, historian, tour guide, and storyteller who gathered and preserved hundreds of oral history and folklore stories from the Shenandoah Valley and throughout Virginia and West Virginia through writings, lectures, and radio programs.

Heatwole was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Northern Virginia, where he met his wife Miriam. After high school, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He worked at the Library of Congress.

Heatwole moved to the Shenandoah Valley at the persuasion of his uncle and began work at the Virginia Craftsmen Furniture Company in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in March 1974 as head woodcarver. He opened his own shop in Bridgewater, Virginia, in 1976.

Heatwole died of inoperable cancer on November 22, 2006. Provided by Wikipedia