CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – The Religious Coalition for Community Renewal in Charleston hosted a dedication ceremony to rename the Samaritan Inn on Quarrier Street in honor of the man who made the recovery residence a reality.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, the building is now known as the John F. “Buz” McCormick Recovery Center. McCormick was instrumental in transforming that very same Samaritan Inn from a homeless shelter for men to a recovery residence in the 90s. He is known as its founder.

“His passion was helping people, and his passion was the inn,” said McCormick’s daughter Amy McCormick-Friesz. “And I know that he would have been proud, too, to know that the inn’s work was going to still continue, and this time in his name.

Buz McCormick is an inspiration to the Charleston community in efforts for recovery and the center now named in his honor is a symbol of his legacy. McCormick passed away in December 2022.