The snowflake design was developed by Sue Crist, graphic designer at WVU Creative Services, and was first used on an "official" holiday card from President & Mrs. Hardesty in 1997. The snowflake design has appeared on all their holiday cards since then.
From that design, Mrs. Hardesty developed the ornament, and it was sold through a private vendor for several years exclusively for the benefit of the Mountaineer Parents Club and its local chapters. After several years of inactivity, the ornament is now available through the Friends Gift Shop at Ruby Hospital.