Thief swipes plaque honoring miner who died in Sago disaster

Thief swipes plaque honoring miner who died in Sago disaster

Charleston Daily Mail

September 7, 2007
A thief pried a metal plaque memorializing Sago miner George Junior Hamner from a stone at Indian Camp Normal in Upshur County.
Hamner, 54, was one of 12 miners that died last year in the Sago Mine disaster.
"I will give a reward if somebody provides me with information," said Tom Hamner, the miner's brother.
Tom said he designed the plaque and lives close to where it's hung since April 2006.
The plaque is 11 inches by 11 inches square. It carries George Hamner's name, birth date, date of death and identifies him as a Sago miner, brother, father and friend.
The plaque also shows a deer head and fish to symbolize Hamner's love of the outdoors; a crown symbolizing his affection for an occasional nip of Crown Royal whiskey; and a bunch of grapes depicting his penchant for making wine.
Below all this is written: "One of us."
Tom said he doesn't know who might have taken the plaque. But he has some theories.
"Number one, they stole it because they liked my brother," he said. "The second thing is perhaps they done it out of spite because they knew him and didn't like him or the family; or they thought it was copper and that they might sell and get some money out of it."
The family believes the plaque was stolen sometime between Tuesday and Friday last week. Indian Camp Normal is an open park and community center that is not monitored by security.
The camp is about 13 miles south of Buckhannon.
Anyone with information is being advised to call the Buckhannon detachment of the State Police at 473-4200.