From the Bench: Recalling My Friend D.D. Meighen and His Impact on Sports that Continues to this Day
By Jeff Toquinto on June 29, 2025 from Sports Blog
It was mentioned in the obituary. In fact, it was very concise and to the point in a memorial so loaded with good deeds and achievement that for the casual reader they may not have known about the impact the person in question had on area sports.
The obituary is for my friend Donald David Meighen. Everyone knew him as D.D., or Rev. Meighen.
D.D. was a reverend for an astounding 56 years that included a stop at Vincent Memorial Church in Nutter Fort. It has been decades since 
D.D. last served as a reverend in Harrison County, as he eventually moved on to Marion County where good deeds did not continue to flow from him, they poured forth like a body of water following a torrential downpour.
D.D. last served as a reverend in Harrison County, as he eventually moved on to Marion County where good deeds did not continue to flow from him, they poured forth like a body of water following a torrential downpour.
When reading his obituary, I was stunned at the level of compassion and caring D.D. had. Not because I thought he was incapable of that – far from it – but because the amount of impact he had through his work was staggering. If you do not believe it, read his obituary HERE.
Of course, those reading this may wonder just how a reverend had an impact on sports and why he is in this sports blog. It goes back to the final days of the old Roosevelt-Wilson High School when I first met D.D. and, even though encounters were sparse at best in recent years, we became friends and bonded over our love of sports – and in 
particular, basketball.
particular, basketball.
His oldest son Chris was playing at R-W when I met him. And as he would do with his younger son Drew and his daughter Julie, he would immerse himself in their extracurriculars.
That, in and of itself, is not exceptional. What became exceptional is that the Rev. D.D. Meighen would eventually become Coach D.D. Meighen. Back in an era where most summers saw high school players getting better on local asphalt courts or in area summer leagues, D.D. went headfirst into the AAU circuit.
In fact, he put together a team for the ages in West Virginia that included not just his son Chris (who went on to play Division I hoops at the University of North Carolina Wilmington), but Bridgeport standouts Scott Hartzell, Shane Roupe, and Billy McCartney.
The team also included former Fairmont Senior and then University of Kentucky standout Jared Prickett, Matt Gaudio, Scott Yahnke, Tony Dobbs, and a host of others who all had standout careers beyond high school
D.D. and Bridgeport’s Dean Hartzell coached the team. According to Scott Hartzell the team – the West Virginia Tempo – played for three years, captured a state championship, and traveled to placed to compete such as Jonesboro, Arkansas and Frankfort, Kentucky, in an era when that was the exception as opposed to the rule.
He also did something else. And understand this was in the early 1990s – he managed to be involved in getting high school games broadcast on television in the pre-internet, Facebook, everything can go live era.
I may have this wrong, but there would a game of the week on a television station no longer in existence locally, which was WLYJ (We Love You Jesus) that promoted primarily religious programming. I remember him calling games with former Lincoln High School standout Sam Freeman.
Was anything done like that prior? I do not know, but he certainly paved the way for being able to essentially watch just about any game anywhere as long as there is someone at an event, Wi-Fi is available, and someone has a cell phone.
He also managed to dabble in sports at the college level as well, doing play-by-play announcing, which he also did at the prep level. The involvement with sports in Harrison County continued well after he departed as he was the founder of church basketball in Morgantown and, according to his obituary, took over the Fairmont Council of Churches Basketball League.
D.D. loved basketball as much as he loved being the champion of the less fortunate, whom he cared for. And understand, me believing 
that is no small statement. There have been people who have helped the downtrodden as much as D.D., but no one did more. Again, read the obituary. It is a staggering testament to good will and good deeds.
that is no small statement. There have been people who have helped the downtrodden as much as D.D., but no one did more. Again, read the obituary. It is a staggering testament to good will and good deeds.
You will also see that he continued with his love for providing coverage, eventually going more to community and government coverage. The phrase "DDTV" was a regular one in Marion County and beyond.
Through it all, however, he remained humble. He was a joy to be around and, if sports were involved, it was even better.
I remember in the early 1990s, I was invited on a road trip to Chatham, Virginia, to watch Hargrave Military Academy play Oak Hill Academy in a prep school battle littered with Division I prospects – including Bridgeport’s own Russ Sickles, who played for Hargrave.
The trip featured me drinking an enormous amount of water trying to have a kidney stone make its final journey. After drinking the water and sitting for several hours, as I stood up, I realized the clock was ticking on time to get to the bathroom to relieve myself or that Mother Nature would simply take care of it for me wherever I chose to be.
The good news was that I made it safely to the bathroom, although hunched over the entire way. The better news was listening to D.D.’s laugh as he watched and then was explained the situation.
That particular trip, and that particular moment, is my favorite memory of a man who left countless memories on the lives of every individual he encountered. And the individuals he encountered and impacted are countless as well.
Now, you know a little bit about a man many years ago who did things in Harrison County on the basketball front few if any were doing that is commonplace today. And he did it well, and he did it with a smile in his heart.
Rest in peace my friend and enjoy the games from the best seat in the house. Your work here is complete.
Editor's Note: Top and third photo show D.D. Meighen doing some of his broadcast work that he began decades ago and continued for decades after. Second photo shows him in front of one of the many churches he served, while the bottom photo is D.D. with three of his grandchildren.
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