Moler Memorial

IN MEMORY OF D. GROVE MOLER The legal community lost an icon with the death of our founding partner, D.Grove Moler, in 2005. Mr. Moler spent an incredible Seventy-Two Years helping people solve their legal problems. Daniel Grove Moler was born in Shepherdstown, Jefferson County , West Virginia . on December 16, 1908. However, Grove always called Mullens his home, having moved to Wyoming County in 1941. He received bachelor's degrees from Shepherd College and West Virginia University , where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi and Theta Chi. Grove graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1931. He was admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in West Virginia and Virginia , the United States District Court, United States Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States . Mr. Moler was a member of the West Virginia State Bar, the American Bar Association and the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. In 1999, Grove was named a West Virginia Bar Foundation Fellow. This honor recognizes those lawyers whose professional, public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and honorable service to the legal profession with the individuals selected reflecting the diverse nature of the legal profession in West Virginia . Grove had the distinction of serving as an administrative assistant to then-Congressman Jennings Randolph during the First One Hundred Days of FDR's New Deal. He later served as the Secretary of the Farm Debt Adjustment Council. He served in the West Virginia Senate from Jefferson County from 1937 to 1941. While in the Senate Mr. Moler became good friends with Dr. Ward Wylie, who was serving in the State Senate from Wyoming County . Dr. Wylie owned an interest in Wyoming General Hospital . He convinced Grove to move to Mullens to handle the legal matters for Dr. Wylie and the hospital. Grove's wife Katherine “Katty” became a popular school teacher in the Mullens area. With Mullens as their home, Grove and Katty raised their two children and became an integral part of the community. Mr. Moler was appointed Prosecuting Attorney of Wyoming County in 1961. He was elected to that office and served until 1973. He also served for over thirty-eight years as City Attorney for the City of Mullens . His distinguished career focused on criminal and appellate law, and he was recognized as one of West Virginia 's outstanding attorneys. A Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia once remarked that when D. Grove Moler had represented a person in a trial, the Court presumed he had not made a mistake. Grove was very active in his church and community. He was a member and former president of the Mullens Rotary Club and a rector in the Episcopal Church. Grove was instrumental in both funding and overseeing the rebuilding of the Mullens Episcopal Church, which was destroyed by a flood in 2001. He was twice named the Citizen of the Year for the City of Mullens . Grove was a fervent supporter of local libraries, and of Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College . The library in the College's Wyoming County Campus is named for Grove and his late wife, Katherine. Grove retired from the practice of law in October, 2003. In honor of his service to the people of his community, Governor Bob Wise named D. Grove Moler a Distinguished West Virginian. This is the highest honor a Governor can bestow on a citizen. Grove retired to North Carolina to be with his son, Stephen. He passed away from a brief illness on May 19, 2005. We miss Grove everyday, especially at lunch time, when he could recite stories about his life and practice of law from memory. View Photos of Moler Retirement Party