By Jack Houvouras
HQ 130 | Summer 2025
Our cover story in this edition about Huntington’s most interesting people reminded me that I’ve been fortunate to meet and write about dozens of fascinating subjects over the last 35 years. Some are nationally recognized figures like Chuck Yeager, Paul Newman and Randy Moss. Others are well-known names in Huntington like Bill Campbell, Joan Edwards and Mike Perry. But of all the accomplished individuals I’ve known, perhaps none was more compelling than proud West Virginia native and Marshall University alumnus John D. Drinko.
In 1991, Marshall University Foundation CEO Ned Boehm came to my office with a request. He explained that Drinko was the first person to ever donate $1 million to Marshall, but over the years school officials had let the esteemed lawyer based in Cleveland, Ohio, fall through the cracks. Boehm believed a cover story about Drinko in Huntington Quarterly would go a long way in repairing that relationship. I told Boehm that if it would help Marshall, it would help Huntington, and I agreed to write the article.
As part of my research, I spent two high-octane days with Drinko in Cleveland. Even though I was 27 at the time, I had a hard time keeping up with the 70-year-old who purportedly had an IQ of 185. He woke early each day, read every major newspaper in America by 6:30 a.m. and didn’t turn in until 2 a.m. It was that kind of energy that helped Drinko transform the law firm of Baker & Hostetler from one office with 64 attorneys into the nation’s 16th-largest law firm with 500 attorneys in eight cities. In his spare time, Drinko was the board chairman of the Cleveland Institute of Electronics, founded and oversaw the Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis at the Cleveland Clinic and owned a ranch in Coshochton, Ohio, where he raised prize-winning Charolais cattle.
When his cover story was published in our Winter 1992 edition, Drinko called to thank me and then ordered 500 copies of the magazine to mail to “some friends.” He also began paying to place a two-page color ad for Marshall University in each edition of Huntington Quarterly, something he did for the next 12 years!
When Marshall began publishing an alumni magazine in 1999, Drinko called President Wade Gilley and told him he was disappointed with the quality. He then suggested the university hire my company to design and produce the publication. Gilley agreed, and we began a long-term relationship with Marshall publishing its magazine.
During our time together in Cleveland, Drinko mentioned several times that Marshall needed a new, state-of-the-art library to meet the needs of the 21st century. I made sure to pass along that information to both Boehm and Gilley and suggested that if they were planning to approach Drinko for another gift, a library was their best bet. Soon thereafter, it was announced that Drinko was donating $2.3 million for the construction of a new library. In the six years that followed, Drinko helped Marshall raise an additional $10 million for the project. The John Deaver Drinko Library officially opened on Oct. 12, 1998.
As a writer, you always hope that your work makes a positive impact. In this case, it was rewarding to be part of the conversation that led to such a transformative project at Marshall. If sharing Drinko’s story in the pages of the magazine helped play a role, then I consider that one of the most satisfying moments of my career.
For 16 years, Drinko would call me once a month to see how things were in Huntington, at Marshall and at work. He offered me exceptional advice, and we remained friends until he passed away in 2008. I will always remember him as one of the most brilliant, generous and interesting individuals I have ever known.
