Keith Blankenship, a native of southern West Virginia, currently lives in Matewan, WV.  Keith’s hometown of Matewan has gained notoriety for being the home of the infamous Hatfield & McCoy Feud and the location of the 1920 mine wars know as the Matewan Massacre, which inspired the John Sayles movie MATEWAN.  Keith met his wife, Paula Marie Collins, a native of Elkins, WV at Marshall University in 1979.  Keith and Paula were married in 1983 and started A-A Tire & Parts, Inc., which today includes Radio Shack, U-haul, Auto Value Autoparts, Pro Hardware, and a garden center.

Keith’s first exposure to Rotary was in 1979 during his senior year in high school through the youth exchange program, when the Rotary Club of Matewan sponsored a student from Denmark.  Keith has been a member of the Matewan club since 1997 and has served as Club President, a multi-year member of the Board of Directors, the Club Foundation Chair, Club Communications Officer, as well as serving on various other committees.

Beyond the club level, Keith was District Governor in 2005-2006, was founder of the West Virginia PETS in 2005, and has served District 7550 as an Assistant Governor (2001-2004), District Foundation Coordinator (2007-2010), District Communications/Database Officer (2007-present), and many other committees including finance chair, nominations chair, annual giving chair, strategic planning, etc.

For Zone 33, Keith’s appointments have included Class Reunion Chair, Sergeant-at-Arms, Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, House of Friendship Chair, Round Table Discussions Chair, and Regional Membership Assistant.  Rotary International appointments include RI Zone Youth Activities Chair and Sergeant-at-Arms of multiple Rotary International Conventions.

The Rotary Foundation has become a major part of Keith’s Rotary interest and he is proud to be an EREY member, a Sustaining member, a Paul Harris Fellow, a charter member of the Paul Harris Society, a Major Donor, a member of a 100% EREY Club for multiple years, a member of a 100% Sustaining members club for multiple years, and a member of a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club.

Keith’s many community activities have included serving on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Valley Automotive Aftermarket Association, Board of Directors of the Central West Virginia Red Cross, Director of the Matewan Development Center, Executive Director of the Magnolia Fair, Executive Director of the Matewan Depot Museum & Genealogical Library,  business partner with Matewan High School, member of the Hatfield & McCoy Reunion Committee, Tug Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors of the Matewan Fire Dept., and President of the Matewan Community Action Team.

Keith and Paula love to travel, spend time at their lake home, riding their 2003 Harley Davidson Ultra-Classic, snow ski, scuba dive, and participate in Rotary functions as an opportunity to meet new friends.