Thomas “Tom” L. Bonner was born in Gladwin, West Virginia in 1921. Bonner took part in West Virginia’s Civilian Conservation Corps and went on to serve in the United States Air Force during World War II. After the war, he returned home to Tucker County, where he lived with his wife, Freddie Rachel Waybright Bonner. Tom was working as a local bus driver when devastating floods struck the region in the fall of 1985. 

On April 3, 1986, Michael Kline interviewed Vittie and Thelma Lipscomb for the Tucker County, West Virginia Flood Audio Recordings project. Vittie Lipscomb, the eldest of ten children, grew up in Pine Run, West Virginia, and later moved closer to school. During the Great Depression, Vittie’s family farmed, selling produce to local mining communities. Vittie later served in World War II, participating in significant campaigns, including the D-Day invasion and the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest.