VBT resident James Wigginton climbs stairs in 43rd state

James Wiggington of Van Buren Township is planning to reach his goal this summer of climbing the steps of the tallest building in each of the 50 states to earn funds for thyroid cancer research and for Folds of Honor scholarships.
On Nov. 5 he climbed the building with the most stairs in Arkansas, making stairclimb #43. Staircase #42 was the 44 Monroe Building in Phoenix, AZ.
Wigginton also received permission to climb the stairs of the tallest building in Idaho, which he plans to do in the next few weeks.
He said the big news is that ConocoPhillips in Alaska called to say he not only had permission to climb their tallest building in Alaska, but they want to do a big TV and media blitz about it.
He said his goal is to finish four other climbs in the next three months, so Alaska will be number 49, in honor of their statehood.
His challenges are New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, and Hawaii before the end of February.
New York will be number 50, as it is planned to be an official race in June.
Wigginton, a 75-year-old Marine, continues these climbs to bring awareness and funding to Folds of Honor, a veterans’ organization that has provided more than 57,000 scholarships for families of fallen or disabled military and first-responders in the last 17 years, and for the Punya Thyroid Cancer Fund which has supported doctors at the University of Michigan in research and treatment improvements that have increased the quality and length of life of stage 4 thyroid cancer patients by almost five times.
The fund was created in memory of his late wife.