Preston County, West Virginia Biography of ROGER B. MCKAHAN This biography was submitted by Valerie Crook, E-mail address: ********************************************** ***The submitter does not have a connection*** ********to the subject of this sketch.******** ********************************************** This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume II, pg. 559 Preston ROGER B. MCKAHAN has shown his initiative and exe- cutive ability in the building up of one of the largest and best automotive establishments in West Virginia, and in general equipment and service facilities this modern estab- lishment, at Monndsville, county seat of Marshall County, is maintained on the highest plane. Here Mr. McKaban has the agency for the ever popular Ford automobiles, and in his building and its equipment is now represented an investment of fully $100,000. The building was erected in 1915, by H. W. Perkins, who later sold the property to H. W. McDowell, from whom Mr. McKahan purchased the same on the 9th of February, 1920. The present owner has expended $32,000 in enlarging and remodeling the building, which is now 70 by 120 feet in dimensions, a portion of the structure being two stories in height and in bringing the facilities and appointments of the office, gales and storage rooms up to the beat modern standard, besides installing the most approved machinery and other acces- sories in the repair department. In the operation of the enterprise Mr. McKahan retains a corps of thirteen assist- ants. Here are handled not only the Ford automobiles but also Fordson tractors, trucks, etc., and at all times is to be found a full supply of accessories and parts, so that the service is of the best in all of the departments. The original contract into which Mr. McKahan entered with the Ford Company provided for his handling ninety-six of the Ford cars annually, and the splendid success which has attended his vital enterprise is shown in the statement that in the month of May alone, in 1921, he sold 110 cars. His aver- age on annual sales has now become three times the volume represented in his original contract. Mr. McKahan was born April 22, 1890, was reared and educated in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, receiving his col- legiate degree from Waynesburg College in 1911. He went to Pittsburgh and was later engaged with H. J. Heinz Com- pany, the great pickle manufacturers. He won advance- ment through effective service and the experience which he gained in connection with a nation-wide industrial enter- prise proved of greater value to him than could any salary, and he held responsible positions that gave him a very appreciable income in this connection. He later entered the Johns Hopkins University at Baltimore, Maryland. When the nation became involved in the World war Mr. McKahan was among the first to enlist, and from the position of private he won promotion through the various grades and was commissioned a first lieutenant. He con- tinned in active service two years, and during the major part of this period he was on duty with American Expedi- tionary Forces in France. Upon entering the United States Army his ability soon led to his being detailed to service as purchasing agent for army supplies in France. He had previously studied the French language, and ho soon perfected himself in the colloquial usage of the same, and as a purchaser of government supplies he paid out several millions of dollars and made an enviable record. He received his honorable discharge after the signing of the historic armistice had brought the great war to a close. A number of years ago Mr. McKahan decided to await only a proper opportunity to establish himself independently in business as an agent for the Ford products, and after severing his association with the Heinz Company and mak- ing extended investigations, he selected Moundsville, West Virginia, as the most eligible point in which to establish himself in business. He was determined to own and equip an automobile establishment second to none in facilities and service, and his achievement at Moundsville has proved his capacity for winning results, besides making him a most valuable acquisition to the local business community. His enterprise and his success have prompted others to emulate his example, with the result that so many other automobile plants have been established at Moundsville that no other city of its population in the state has superior buildings or more enthusiastic salesmen in this particular line. Mr. McKahan married August 28, 1917, Miss Mazie R. Smith of Port Norris, New Jersey, daughter of B. F. and Elizabeth (Souder) Smith. He is a member of Park Lodge No. 676, Free and Accepted Masons, West Virginia Con- sistory No. 1, of Wheeling, West Virginia, Osiris Temple Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Wheeling, also a member of Moundsville Chapter No. 86, Royal Arch Masons, and the Moundsville Chamber of Com- merce.