MORGANTOWN, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia University graduate Doug Skaff Jr. is being remembered through a new scholarship established in his name at the WVU John Chambers College of Business and Economics.
The Douglas J. Skaff Jr. Mountaineer Spirit Scholarship will benefit undergraduate students from West Virginia enrolled in Chambers College programs.
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Preference will be given to students involved with the Mountaineer Maniacs or the Student Government Association—two organizations Skaff helped lead during his time on campus.
Support for the scholarship comes from memorial gifts made by family and friends following Skaff’s death in a June 10 accident on Interstate 79 in Lewis County.
“That our loved ones remember us is important — how they remember us, even more so,” said Josh Hall, Milan Puskar Dean of the Chambers College.
“The Skaff family’s gift in honor of Doug speaks to his commitment to West Virginia and WVU. The students who benefit from this scholarship may never have a chance to meet him, but they will know what he stood for and what he meant to his family, whose generosity we are incredibly grateful for.”
A South Charleston native, Skaff enrolled at WVU in the late 1990s and quickly became a standout student leader.
He founded the Mountaineer Maniacs, WVU’s largest student organization, and co-founded WVUp All Night, a popular late-night program offering free weekend activities.
Skaff served as Student Government Association president from 1999–2000 and was voted Mr. Mountaineer that same year. He also belonged to Delta Tau Delta fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity, and Mountain Honorary.
“WVU was a way of life for her brother from an early age,” said his sister, Teresa Skaff.
“He found that same passion for cheering on the Mountaineers in student government and fraternity life. He came up with Mountaineer Maniacs idea hoping the passion would spread throughout all students at WVU. He prevailed in all aspects of college life, and when he graduated, he kept that passion and tried everything he could to instill the Mountaineer spirit in everyone he encountered.”
Skaff earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2000 and a master’s degree in industrial and labor relations and business management in 2001. He began his professional career with Owens Corning, eventually relocating back to West Virginia where he entered public service.
He served in the West Virginia House of Delegates representing Kanawha County from 2008 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2023, including time as House Minority Leader.
In 2023, he stepped down to run for Secretary of State and had announced a bid for State Senate in 2026.
Skaff was also president of HD Media, which owns several state newspapers, and earlier this year partnered in purchasing Fazio’s, an iconic Charleston restaurant.
He served on various boards, including the WVU Alumni Association Board of Directors, and was interim executive director of the West Virginia Press Association at the time of his passing.
“He wanted the world to know that WVU was the dominant university in the state and entire country,” Teresa Skaff said. “He’d find a way to slip in WVU in every conversation. If there was no conversation and he was just passing by a fellow Mountaineer, he’d yell ‘Let’s Go, Mountaineers!’ with a number one held high in the air. His passion was that of a true Mountaineer.”
Gifts to the Douglas J. Skaff Jr. Mountaineer Spirit Scholarship can be made at give.wvu.edu. All donations go through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that administers private support for the university.
