Phyllis Campbell Whitley is a native of Summers County, West Virginia.  She grew up in nearby  Beckley but her childhood summers were at her grandparents’ farms. She spent most of her adult life working as an executive for a national corporation in the “big cities” including several years at Bell Laboratories in New York City and New Jersey.  She is also an artist, photographer and author. She has an abiding love for the people and the county that they call “home”. Her  mission these past four years has been to fulfill her passion to  chronicle  the heritage, the culture, and more importantly, the people who created the barns, and to  preserve these treasures  for future generations. Today, she has a cottage on the Greenbrier River and spends her time between West Virginia, her home in Spotsylvania, Virginia, and traveling. Actively involved in a Sister City Program with Fréjus, France, for over 20 years. She has visited frequently with friends there.