James E. Casto, Scriptwriter

Groups that gather around a good campfire love to hear stories that are as lively as the crackling flames. They don't want a dry account of days gone past.

In telling the story of West Virginia's Capitols, MotionMasters enlisted a scriptwriter with a track record for making history come alive. James E. "Jim" Casto fit the bill perfectly. Matter of fact, he brought us the idea to begin with! He has written freelance articles for a long list of national, state and local magazines and newspapers and is the author of a half dozen books on local and regional history, the latest of which is "The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway," a photo history of the railroad.

Jim is associate director for public information at the Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) in Huntington. He joined RCBI in 2004 after retiring from The Herald-Dispatch newspaper, where he was a reporter and editor for more than 40 years.

A native of Huntington, he attended Bethany College at Bethany, W.Va., and is a graduate of Marshall University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in English. He is active in community affairs in Huntington and, costumed as Collis P. Huntington, regularly appears at civic clubs, schools and other groups in a first-person program that offers a glimpse of the famed rail tycoon’s life and times.

On his retirement from The Herald-Dispatch, Marshall presented him its John Marshall Medal of Civic Responsibility in recognition of his services to the university and the community. He’s been inducted as a member of the Huntington Wall of Fame. The Cabell County Library has named its local history room in his honor. And the West Virginia Library Association has honored him with its Literary Achievement Award.