Tis the season for many things, including what I believe is my 15th annual Cheapskate Editor’s Christmas Card List. The premise is that I
don’t have the time to send out cards, nor the 44 cents to mail each one. So I just do it, first in print and now in cyberspace.
So if I had the time and lots of 44 cents(es), the following would be among my recipients:
To Noel Smith for her volunteer leadership of the Kentucky Artisans at the Saddle Factory. She’s not trying to sell anything herself except
Russellville as a place to visit, do business or live. The high quality gallery would not have happened without her unselfish leadership, And to her
husband, Al Smith, and their daughters for sharing her with us.
To the leadership of the Russellville Blues Society and Historic Russellville for their efforts to improve quality of life and tourism in Russellville.
I don’t know who all are involved, but some of them are
Gran and Sally Clark, Micheal Gough, Michael Morrow, Samra Smith, Mary Lucy Franklin, Pat Basham and Charlie Ray.
To Russell Jones, who has chosen to end his 25 years as the longest-serving member of the Russellville Council in the city’s history. He chose
not to run again. I’ve been in countless meetings with Russell through church leadership or while I was reporting on city business or the Chamber of
Commerce, which he served as president. I’ve never known him to make a decision for his own benefit. He has always worked for those he represented.
To Brian White for his leadership of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce. I’ve known Brian since his birth, and remember how quiet he was as a
teen. For him to make all of these public appearances shows remarkable growth and maturation.
To Edna Hughes, president-elect (for the second time) of the Chamber, for her leadership, her attitude, her encouragement. I like to kid her and
her friend from childhood, Judge Sue Carol Browning, but their contributions to our county are countless. Also to Edna’s husband, the always
pleasant Mike Hughes, who has not only beaten cancer but also was the top vote getter for reelection to Auburn City Council.
To Neil Kerr, who had a year to remember. He was one of the vote leaders in the primary election for the Russellville City Council this spring
before withdrawing his candidacy to become city attorney. He and his wife Emily became parents of little Harrison, he was involved in a
number of community activities including being elected to the Chamber board, and he moved his private practice into his own office.
To Bob and Patricia Hedges, who serve the community in many ways. Bob gave up his role as the long-time Russellville City Attorney this fall.
To Darlene Gooch for her efforts to improve the appearance and economy of Russellville.
To Sandra Kinser for being the leading vote getter for the Russellville Council and for her contagious enthusiasm. Many of her close friends
were members of the speech team when she was in high school but she chose not to be. Now she’s one of the most entertaining speakers in our community.
To Republican nominees Phil Gregory, Corey Morgan and Ken Williams for their spirited and highly competitive political races.
To Tom Noe, who is retiring as county attorney after a long tenure of honorable service. He always is a gentleman.
To Dickie Carter, the first political candidate I ever remember supporting. It was when we were in high school and he was running for student
council president. Sometimes Dickie comes off as being argumentative, but both his dedication to helping young people and his insistence that the
county go to war against drugs know no bounds.
To Harold Prince, the dean of Logan Fiscal Court. His dedication to the people of Adairville is legendary. I’ve sat through more hours of fiscal
court meetings than anyone can imagine, and Harold made the time go faster with his wit and homespun humor.
To Jack Crossley for the superb race he ran in unseating Harold. He virtually came from unknown to highly popular by getting out and actively
seeking the approval of voters.
To Ronnie Clark, the newly elected mayor of Franklin. The Auburn High School basketball coach of 50 years ago is one of my favorite people now,
although when I was an RHS student I didn’t hold him in as high regards.
To Ronnie’s friends, Bill and Nancy Gaines of Auburn, who I really miss seeing at ball games
To Ron McGee and Wayne Thomas, two long-time leaders of Auburn City Council who did not seek reelection. Their service to the city has been
valuable.
To Ken Whitson for all his years of service to Lewisburg
To Tina Callahan-Dye, who was elected mayor when Whitson decided not to seek another term. Whatever good is going on in Lewisburg, it’s
virtually a given that she is a part of it.
To Michael Elliott, who four years ago was elected to the Logan County Board of Education, the first African American to have that honor. He
chose not to seek reelection, which opens the door for his son, Michael ‘Pooh’ Elliott, to teach and coach in the Logan County system if a
position becomes available. Pooh is currently one of Coach Ryan Davenport’s assistants with the Russellville Middle School boys, along with
Chris Sanders.
To Becky Tinch,
the retired long-time Adairville city clerk who was elected to the council this November. I wouldn’t be surprised if I send a card to “Mayor Tinch”
some day.
To the people of Adairville in the remarkable renovation of the appearance of the city.
To Mark Stratton as he embarks on the daunting challenge of leading dilemma-plagued Russellville.
To Marty Dowell and Christy Shoemake, who were a valuable part of the N-D&L while I was there. It’s hard to believe they weren’t needed any
more. Both perform many tasks well. I always thought Marty was our most valuable staff member.
To Shirlee Yassney and Doris Vick for giving our daughter Lindsay super recomendations in helping her get a job that she dearly loves.
To Algie Ray Smith, who is helpful to our family in many ways and is great at recording local history in his unique mixture of nostalgic and
humorous writing, and to his family in the loss of father-in-law
Lee Wheat.
To Lory and Kathryn Edwards, who have had a milestone year. Both of them turned 90 during 2010 and embarked on their 60th year of
marriage. They are pleasant people who are a joy to know. As she began her 10th decade, Mrs. Edwards became a member of Facebook. A story
about her as a child, which was written by wonderful daughter Shirley Grace, can be found in The LoJo archives in May 2010.
To Lorene Leedom, who celebrated her 100th birthday this year. She was one of the anchors of Russellville’s clothing stores at the
family business, She is the mother of two of the nicest women I know,
Clarkie Milam and Jeannie Bowles.
To Punkin Klein, a lady I’ve known all my life through church. She became 90 this year.
To Pearl O’Dell, a wonderful sernior citizen who is like family to us.
To sisters Julie Davenport and Annelle White for their leadership in the distribution of over 900 Thanksgiving meals from Crittenden Drive
Church of Christ.
To Barclay and Marilyn Riley, a magnificent and yet unassuming Christian couple who are spending their retirement years from the ministry and
from care of orphaned children as residents of Russellville.
To some of our favorite couples, Darrell and Janey White, Dale and Fran Baugh, Charlie and Pat Roney and
Michael and Linda Maxwell.
To Hazel Fleming and her son Stanley Fleming, who are always fun to be around or read,
To the men who stood beside me as Elaine and I wed 30 years ago this weekend-
Harris Dockins, Dave Dockins, Dr. Bill Webb, James Greene and Andy Hooper.
To Elaine’s aunt and uncle, Charles and Frances Hackney, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary recently.
To office staffers who make my college teaching go more smoothly-Cyndia Tarrence and Laura Wagoner at WKU and Donna Hayden and Alexia Parker at Bowling Green Tech. Laura and Cyndia have been ready to help for years. Donna has been wonderful in making me
feel comfortable and helping solve problems at BG Tech’s Franklin campus.
To students with Russellville/Logan roots who made my college classes this year pleasurable. They include
Whitney Offutt, Lisa Matar, Larry Shelton, Logan Cobb, Jessicah Reed, Kelsey Johnson, Andy Parker and John Jones.
To the grand old (optionally retired) men of the WKU Communication Department, PhD’s
Carl Kell, Larry Winn, Dale Wicklander and Larry Calilouet
To retired Logan Aluminum CEO Mike Harris, who continues to be my friend and supporter.
To Annie Statton, who is a tireless worker for the Garden Club.
To a group of people trying to revive and build baseball even better here, including
Kevin Gettings, Kyle Wall, Artis Stratton, Travis Steward, Gary Gettings Sr., Gary Gettings Jr., Phil Holliday, P.J. Jones, Mark Thompson, Brian
Kennedy and Mike Riley
, to name a few.
To Daniel McCarley and Eric Evans, who are off to good starts creating and building LCHS soccer. The players are fortunate to have a youth
minister and a state trooper as role models as well as coaches.
To a group of men who work hard to make Fourth Region officiating professional and top level while working with a young group of the new generation of
officials. They include Jerry Kimmel, Troy Winders, Terry Baldwin, Will Smith and Barry Vincent. No one is ever going to agree with all their
calls, but the Fourth Region is light years ahead of many other regions in our mentoring program.
To Lee Proctor, who has been a part of Logan County football over half of his life as a coach and as one of the greatest players in team
history.
To Toby Baptiste, who enthusiastically cares about young people as both a coach and a spiritual leader.
To those who make vending at the various markets where we set up more pleasant, such as
Goober Duncan, Mike and Barbara Dorris, Amanda Mayes, Steve and Cynthia Prince, Virgil and Jo Parrish, Kris Partlow, Phillip Johnson, Al Smith,
Glenda Burchett and Angie Angel, Patsy Taylor and Willard and Jeanine Slaughter.
To our produce/craft friend Dan Grayson, who came within a breath or two of losing his life to a heart attack this summer, and his wife Wanda. Danny is helpful to all. We especially missed him when it was time to close up the farmers’ market on Saturday mornings. While some
vendors make a point of hitting the road before time to lock up, the Graysons are always there to do the dirty work.
To Debra Chaney of Chaney’s Dairy Barn for always including Turner Valley in their Kentucky Proud activities.
To couples who have a baby in their home for the first time, including
Kyle and Evie Ashby, Tyler and Lori Davenport, Matt and Hannah Jolly, Neil and Emily Kerr, Billy and Leslie McCarley, Nathan and Laura Thompson,
Amos and Amy Slaughter,
and
Clint and Keesha Wright (twins).
To people celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple, including
Chris and Shantel Jones Allen, Justin and Scotti Allen Barbe, Jonathan and Amy Adams Blick, Mark and Kendra Coe Cole, Francis and Krista Cropper
Gilmore, Kyle and Heather Morrison, Alex and Amber Miles Margornay, James and Erin Meguiar Price, Trevan and Rachel Price, Will and Jamie Dukes
Rhea, King and Taylor Mohon Simpson, Kurt and Caitlin Coe Smith, Lon and Dartha Davenport Sosh, Sonny and Carla Anderson Statton,
and
Ken and Ashleigh Barnhill Stratton.
To Fred and Barbara Wright and Jon Paul Stuart, who reminded us of how good it is to have friends while Elaine was on the injury list.
To Mary Ewing Hart, Mary Jane Smith, Ed Coffman and Roy and Carol Reynolds, old friends we miss seeing.
To Don Neagle and Evelyn Richardson, whose roles in life in the Land of Logan are vital to our way of life.
To Gordon and Jo Foster, a delightful couple with whom I’ve enjoyed renewing a long-time friendship.
To Lynne Thomas, Travis Bryan, Clay Bilyeu and Cathy Ackerman, some of the people who are often involved in fundraisers to benefit good
causes
Deaths
In earlier articles, I wrote my thoughts about the deaths of some well-known people. A Speaking of People in March, I mentioned Trent Nourse, Jim O’Dell and Doug Shoulders. Another Speaking of People in July included comments on
Butch Klein, Emily Downing, Ruby Hinchee, Donnie Kennedy, D.L. Robey, Jackie Key, Glennie Riley, Charles Shelton, Helen Knight and Howard Williams.
. A Speaking of Sports in September talked about the tragic death of Thomas Washington. Several people paid tribute toGoerge Wilford
Arnold in March. Those four articles are in our Archives, available any time you want to read them.
To my cousins, Bobby and Willard Allen in the death of their mother, Mary Elizabeth Allen. She was the last of nine Turner children and
my last aunt or uncle to die.
To the families of Roger Morgan and James Drake, two men with whom I immensely enjoyed talking sports. Those families includeLee, Janey, Roy, Johnny and Jolene Morgan, Tammy Combs, Lee Ann Harris, Kathy Howard, Mary Winn and Garland Drake, Lavelle Meguiar, Jean Drake, Wilma Chasteen, Joyce Joyner, and their spouses and descendants. I’m going to miss them both.
To Lou Kendall, Russellville’s long-time baseball coach who laid his wife Brenda to rest late this fall. Brenda always supported Lou, and
he was her rock through several years of suffering and courageous battles with cancer. She was a popular teacher at Stevenson Elementary School before
her health forced her to retire..
To all the Meguiars in the death of the matriarch of the family, Jesse Meguiar. She was a wonderful influence on them all, especially sons Mickey, Johnny, Jimmy and the late
Pat Meguiar.
To John Turner and Pat Taylor in the death of their wife/mother, Mary Turner. One of the saddest posts I saw on Facebook this year came
when Pat wrote that it was a tough week. She and husband David were getting ready to take daughter Paige to the University of Kentucky as a freshman on
the same weekend Mary was going under the care of Hospice.
To Bobby and Billy Wilson in the death of their sister, Wanda Leighton. And to Bobby’s wife Joyce, who has not been well in recent
weeks. That family means a lot to us. The family is fortunate to have Bobby and Joyce’s daughter, Tobi Dukes, to watch over their health care
needs.
To Josh Givens and Damon White in the death of their mother/step-mother Malita White, a lady we admired. They had already lost their dad, Milton White, and brother, Spencer White, much too young.
To the Willis Leid family in the death of daughter/sister Mary Ella, who was struck by lightning while she was working in their massive
gardening operation.
To Andy and Doug Parker in the death of their dad, Ray Parker. Ray was good about helping many of us at the Farmers’ Market, even though
he was disabled. Andy was a student in one of my classes at WKU at the time.
To Kige Ramsey, who has become a legend for his YouTube segments, on the death of his dad, Butch Ramsey, and his grandmother, Barbara Ramsey, within a short time of each other. His mom, Rhonda Ramsey, was among family members also sharing the loss.
To Nick Posey, who lost both of his grandfathers, Wayne Posey and John Page, this year. Also to the widows of those gentlemen,
Faye Page and Melva Posey.
To Johnna Welborn Lynch in the loss of her sister, Margie Williams, of Dunmor. A relatively young woman, Johnna has lost both her sisters
and her brother in addition to her parents.
To Jerry White and Becky Stamper in the death of their feisty mom, Harriett White.
To Shorty Taylor in the death of his mother, Lucille Taylor, not long after she turned 100. Shorty has been my friend for a long, long
time.
To Betty Sue Boyles in the death of her mother, Mary Campbell, who had not been well for many years.
To the members of a family that have been important to my life for many years. The death of matriarch Oma Kerr recently leaves a void for
husband John, sons Mac, David, Paul, Jim and Kenny Kerr and daughter Susan Halbert. Mrs. Kerr was always the epitome of a
Christian lady and mother.
To the family of Dr. Tom Threlkeld, including wife Lisle and sons Mike and Tommy Threlkeld and daughters
Mary Crit Johnson, Ann Duncan Shifflett and Meg Hancock,
To Carolyn Baugh and Mike Baugh in the death of their husband/father Clyde Baugh, who was our neighbor.
To Jamie Dukes Rhea, whose dad, James Dukes, died unexpectedly just a few days before her wedding to Will Rhea. James was the center for
champion Lewisburg in the first district basketball tournament I covered as a sportswriter.
To Mary Ann Downing, Sue Wood and Jackie Powell in the death of their beloved mother, Emily Downing.
To the George Epleys in the death of their daughter, Sharon Epley, after a long battle with cancer. I taught Sharon at both Logan County
High School and at WKU. She was always a lady.
To Carroll Riley and sons Tom, Donnie and Bruce Riley in the untimely death of wife/mom Glennie Riley.
To Molly Camp and Shelly Camp in the death of their son/husband Rob Camp much too young,
To the Pogues, Gordon and Nannie Ruth, Austin and Kayla, Greg and Angela (Crafton) in the death of son/dad/brother
Anthony Pogue.
To Carol Andrews Archer in the death of her mother, Sue Tom Kirkpatrick Andrews, this week. She was a gracious lady with a smile that was
not only winning but genuine.
To my former radio co-worker Mack Mallory, his mom Marian, and his brother Ed in the death of Mack’s dad,
Jimmy Mallory.
To Lee and Denise Robey, who each lost a parent this year,
D.L. Robey and Rita Polak
To the families of the following people who died since last Christmas; Margaret Anderson,
Paul Atchison Sr., Lena Belcher, Jake Bell, Edna Ruth Blackwell, Mildred Blue, Bobby Britt, Isaiah Buchanon, Thomas Cage, Cricket Carnall, Clark
Conn, Otis Copeland, Sammy Cornelius, Bobby Costello, Kenny Crenshaw, Rosa Mae Crider, Eula Davis, Marian Davis, W.E. Dill, Frank Faenza Sr.,
Commander David Finney, Edith Funk, Howard Ham, Brenda Hoots, Josephine Cates Landis, Tom Linton, Anne Sanders Lyons, Helen Marren, Myrtle Jean
Marshall, Milford Martin, Charles Matthews, Knox McIntosh, Lucille McIntosh, Mary Rose Meador, H.C. Miller, Ernie Mimms, Trent Nourse, Janie
Osborne, Tom Phillips, Dr. Veronica Woodard Pino, Ricky Powell, Mary Louise Ramsey, Mary Elizabeth Rogers, Floyd Scott, Charles Shelton, Tommy
Silvey, Jim Southerland, David 'Tony' Stanley, Margy Stevenson, Kathleen Strader, Bob Sweeney, Dr. Tom Threlkeld, Carolyn Vick, Thomas Washington,
Willie Whittaker, Helen Wilhelm, Howard Williams, Bill Willis, Leola Wright, Rudolph Wright, Loy Yates
Sickness
To Ronnie and Helen Potter, a wonderful couple who have undergone serious health problems and injuries this year. And to Ronnie super sister, Ann Mosier, and husband Roy, whose caregiver responsibilities have increased.
To Davy Lee Dockins, who has had severe and scary health problems much of the year, and to her husband, Frank Dockins, who looks a little
under-dressed without ‘Dovey’ at his side. Yet Frank never misses worship services.
To Trac Taylor, who underwent major surgery this fall. He and his lovely wife Amy have handled the days before, during and after with courage
and grace. All signs are good for his recovery.
To Jolene Morgan, the matriarch of Roy’s Bar-B-Q, who has been very sick this year and has suffered through the long illness and death of one of
her sons, Roger. Her daughter, Mary Morgan Winn, has taken a leave of absence from her work to stay with Jolene, and we appreciate her for that.
To Pam Hunter Holdcraft and Belinda Morris Ray, two of my favorite students during my RHS teaching days, who have been waging gallant and
seemingly successful battles against cancer.
To Donna Birdwhistell, who has undergone way too many health problems for too many years and to her loving, hovering caregiver, husband Bob Birdwhistell.
To our neighbor James Chestnut, who is recovering nicely from a heart attack. It seemed strange not to see him serving as an election officer at
LCHS, but he still managed to get out to vote. His wife Joyce Chestnut and mother-in-law Nita Williams are among our favorite ladies.
To Johnnie Walling, who kept many children that are now parents and grandparents at her daycare over the years. Miss Johnnie has made the
decision to give up driving, but she still manages to attend worship services and other special occasions.
To Auburn teacher Tina Owens, who had surgery the final week of school and to her caring husband
Tim Owens.
To nurse Mary Ruth Woodward, who has added to some health problems several injuries from a recent fall. Mary Ruth has given so many shots in the
office of Dr. C.H. Mathis that she recognizes more people from behind than she does facing them.
To others who have been very sick or injured during this year, including
Margie Clark, David Corbin, Courtney Dalcourt, Mabel Farmer, Adam Gilliam, Mae Head, Melody Mayo, Malta Moore, Jolene Morgan, Larry Posey, Jane
Silvey, Cheryl Taylor, Dale Tinsley
and
Mary Jo Young.
To Dr. Kevin Davis, who made Elaine’s recovery from a broken ankle that she suffered on her birthday go as well as possible.
The LoJo
To Al Cross, who heads the Institute for Rural Journalism through the University of Kentucky, for inviting me to speak at the annual convention
of the International Weekly Newspaper Editors about online newspaper publication.
To Al Smith, who remains my friend 30 years after moving from Russellville. Nearly all the journalism I know is a result of the tutelage of Al
Smith and the late Virginia Page.
To David Thompson, executive director of the Kentucky Press Association, who invited The Logan Journal to be one of the first online-only
members of KPA.
To two of my favorite coaches, Tim Riley and David Clark, both of whom are faithful readers of
The LoJo.
To contributing writers and photographers to The LoJo, including
Mark and Kathy Hathcock, Fadocia Annette Nole Hall, Andy Mac Rector, Hazel Fleming, Al Smith, Jack Lyne, Greg Pogue, Mike Mallory, James Milam,
Lindsay Turner, Cathy Carver, Kate Tegmeyer, June Robinson, Sue Spurlock, Christy Spurlock, Donna Gholson, F. Marie Foley, James Henry Duncan,
Marvinia Neblett, Martha Wright, Nola Willeford, Shirley Grace, Mary Lucy Franklin, Ashley Bland, Chad Young, Brent Holman, Tom Ruley, Rhonda
Powell, Ruth Dauley, Vanessa Priddy, John Alcott, Michael Gough, Michael Elliott, Brenda Hawks, Kristen Brawner, Annie Statton, Steve Stratton,
Kaelin Vernon, Darlynn Moore, Mark McGee, Samra Smith, Barry Smotherman, Congressman Ed Whitfield, Sen. Joey Pendleton, Rep. Martha Jane King,
Justin Cave, Brian Stanley, Darlene Gooch, J.D. Hill, Sue Sharp, Suzanne Hunt Shuffitt, Bobbie Jean Burnett and Sharon Durie.
To advertisers in The LoJo, including Bryson Price of Price Funeral Home. Roy Morgan of Roy’s Bar-B-Q, Greg Hale of Logan
Telephone Cooperative, Paula Ezell of ReMax, Mike Jackson of Ski Daddy’s, Kevin Gettings of Gerald Printing, Greg Head
formerly of Printers Plus, Brad and Vanessa Priddy of Brookhaven Performance, Clay Bilyeu of Clay’s Auto Body,Derek Skipworth and Mary Bailey of Slappz,, Margarette Porter of Maggie Mae Fabrics, Ronna Knuckles of Trophies to Go,;Robin Hughes of Critter Cuts; Carolyn McCall of The Palms; i.E. Helton of Handi-Food Mart; Patty Parker Yell of Headlines, Jimmy Landers, who operates an Allen County-based heat and air duct cleaning service; and lots of political candidates; Bill Jackson and Brent Price of Jacksons Orchard; and Ben Kemplin for his interior decorating services.