Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor and thank a very good friend of mine, Mayor George Karos of the city of Martinsburg--I said his name wrong, and I don't want to do that because he is a good friend of mine--for his great service to the city of Martinsburg and the entire State of West Virginia. He was always really great to work with and always gave credit to staff, and he did it with such good humor. George is the son of Greek immigrants who did not speak English when they came to this country. They moved to Martinsburg before he was born. George was born in the early 1930s. George has called Martinsburg his home his entire life. Growing up, he worked at Patterson's Drug Store on Queens Street, where he swept the floors and rode his bike to deliver prescriptions. Over time, he worked his way up in the ranks, taking over the soda fountain and eventually worked as an assistant in the pharmacy section of the drugstore. George did leave Martinsburg briefly when he served his country in the U.S. Naval Hospital Corps, where he was stationed at both Bethesda Naval Hospital and Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. He eventually returned to his home that he loved--Martinsburg--and he returned to Patterson's Drug Store, which he later bought in 1980 and operated until his retirement in 2015. He then began a career as a public servant. George was first elected to the city council as a councilperson-at- large in June of 1974, where he served for 26 years.…”