My mother, Ann Knowles, was a fellow resident of the Fairmont with Art.  Mom and I toured the Beckley WV Exhibition Coal Mine a few years ago, and one of the guides gave Mom some replica maps of the mine and its underground levels and shafts.  Mom thought them interestimng, and took them back to the Fairmont and showed them to her friends. She showed them to Art, and he recognized them right away.  He told her that he had been born near Beckley and was a coal miner when he was young.

He said that he had been raised by his grandmother, and after talking to him, I was able to find some 1930 census records that listed him and his family members at that time.  I shared a printout of this with him, and he told me about his early years and what his life was like back then. He was an interesting story teller, a gentleman, and a friendly person, whom I liked a lot. Mom said that he and his friend Angelo used to rise very early and sit out on the front porch at the Fairmont, talking. They were fellow WWII veterans, and apparently shared a special bond.