Bob Owen

A resident of Ashland, Bob is the son of the late Elizabeth and Homer Owen, who was superintendent of the Russellville Electric Plant Board. A a 1964 graduate of RHS who holds a degree from UK, he worked in public relations and community services for Kentucky Utilities and Ashland Oil. Now he is a much-in-demand humorist and motivational speaker. See his websites at  www.bobowen.biz   andwww.boomerhumor.typepad.com.

"As a young child, Thanksgiving was about waiting. As an 'old' child, it still is. Our family would make the short drive many Thanksgiving mornings from Russellville to Aunt Edith's, Dad's sister, in Bowling Green. Her house was a wonderful place with a porch that went around the entire front of the house. It was located across from Cherry Hall and that gigantic statue on Western's campus. We always arrived at Aunt Edith's mid-morning, and The Meal didn't usually make it to the table until 1 p.m. It seemed more like 4 p.m. The house was filled with family, even though there weren't always a lot of younger cousins.
"One particular Thanksgiving, I was more antsy than usual as the wait seemed to stretch into years. At one point, Dad gently took my hand and said, "Bobby, let's explore the campus." We started with the Cherry statue, then walked over what seemed to be a huge part of the college. Probably it wasn't more than a few buildings. Dad was a very witty man; however, I remember that day that we didn't talk much. We simply walked and walked and occasionally commented on something special. Finally, we made it back to Cherry Hall and across the street to Aunt Edith's porch. The Meal still was ready, though Dad was given the word "almost." We sat on a porch swing, just the two of us, Dad with him arm around me, and me cuddled up closely next to him. I don't ever remember a more comfortable time. And, it made the wait shorter. 
"Last year, our sons and their families were all in one location -- a rental house on a working horse farm in Lexington. Once again, the wait for The Meal seemed endless. After walking out to the barn and then visiting the horses in the pasture, I went back inside with our grandchildren, where we cuddled in front of the TV and squealed (me loudest) when Santa ended the Macy's Parade. I hope one day, when I'm only a memory, my grandchildren will remember that and feel as comfortable as I did those years ago with Dad."

James Henry Duncan

Henry is a retired Extension specialist who maintains homes in Central Kentucky and on the family farm at Chandlers. He maintains a strong presence in the Land of Logan.

"Thanksgiving has certainly changed for me over the years ... and all of the early memories are good, just different ... from today's activities... 
"As a kid back on the farm on Proctor Mill Road in the 1940s and 50s, farmers did not celebrate Thanksgiving as is done today. This was the first cool/cold weather and time to kill hogs and strip tobacco. 
"I recall neighbors getting together for the "hog killing" on the farm. I was small, but recall the excitement with all of the activities that I observed, some were gruesome. The events began before daylight and went on into dark. 
"I would help grind the sausage with a hand turned grinder, feeding the lean meat strips into the grinder and squeeze the strings of red meat it into white sack cloth tubes into hang and smoke. I would also help hand rub and salt down the meat in the smokehouse. I also helped stir the fat meat in the fired up black outdoor kettle for making cracklings and lard. The neighboring workers would come to the house for a big dinner, including fresh tenderloin and a variety of vegetables from the farm. Custard and jam cakes were made and available for the first time of the season. 
"This was also the season to take down tobacco in the barn and begin stripping for the upcoming market. There was just not much time to take off and celebrate Thanksgiving when tobacco was waiting to be processed. A break for a good country meal was still in the schedule. Beef and pork was the meat of the Thanksgiving Day. I don't recall the tom turkey and dressing until years later. A sincere thanks to the Provider was always given at the table for our blessings. 
"This was also a time for rabbit and quail hunting. Usually, company would come home from the cities during the holidays and we boys and dads would take time to head for the fields for an afternoon hunt. The weather was usually cool enough that the birds and rabbits would "hold their nest" until the dogs brought them up, allowing the hunters to get a close shot. Rabbit and Quail would also appear on the table for holiday meals. 
"My fondest early memories of Thanksgiving Day, probably, were those of playing football for the Russellville Panthers on Thanksgiving Day. We traditionally played the Bowling Green Purples on that day. The two weeks of practice prior to Thanksgiving Day game seemed cold and gruesome. Bowling Green seemed to be a much larger team in numbers and weight, but we always looked forward to that game on Thanksgiving Day. The game in 1956 was played in a blinding snow storm. Some years it was so cold that your hands seemed to freeze to the ground. But the band, cheerleaders and a multitude of fans would always arrive at Rhea Stadium or caravan to Western's stadium to watch that annual clash. We did have turkey and all the trimmings following that game and it always tasted much better during the rare times that we had won!"

Sue Williams Spurlock

Sue is one of Lewisburg's most active historians, although she lives in Bowling Green with her husband, retired WKU professor John Spurlock. One of the first Tobacco Festival queens, she is the daughter of Earnest and Bess Williams. Mr. Williams was Logan County Circuilt Clerk.

"I recall my father speaking rather often of his mother and her various flocks of turkeys. He might tell of his mother sharing some of her 'turkey money' with her sons for a trip to town or a date, when his father was not forthcoming. I found the custom interesting in that there were few means in the first half of the 20th Century for farm women to earn substantial funds. My father's mother was Mary (Henderson) Williams (1885-1939).
"Because both my grandmothers died before I was born, I did not get to share in the traditional memories of returning to "the home place" for Thanksgiving Day. Mother did prepare a special meal and my Uncle 'Ouch' (Thurmond Rhea Williams) and Aunt Peg would ride the morning bus to our house from Russellville. My uncle worked at the Russellville post office and he would always bring mother her Courier-Journal, as it would not be delivered otherwise. 
"Our noon meal would usually consist of a baked hen from the chicken yard, dressing, various home-canned vegetables, an orange and cranberry sauce, and homemade yeast rolls with home churned butter. The beverage would be milk (from our cows) cooled in our icebox. Dessert was usually chess pie.
"While mother and Aunt Peg visited and prepared the meal, my uncle and my dad would take a couple of shotguns and walk over the farm-- supposedly on a rabbit hunt-- but, looking back, I'm sure it was simply a means of escaping us four children and perhaps passing a half-pint in a salute to a day when a family man did not have to put in a day of work."

Jo Bentley Reece

Jo (Ellen) Bentley Reece is the daughter of Melvin and Becky Bentley. who owned and operated Bentley's 5 & 10 Store on the square from 1946-1963. She has been married to Wayne Reece of Muncie, Ind. for 36 years and has 4 step-children and 14 grandchildren. They are both retired United Methodist ministers and live in Nashville. Jo opened The Quiet Center a few years ago to offer space for people to come and have an individual guided retreat and learn how to slow down in this busy culture. Jo and Wayne's daughter, Kirsten Goodnight, works for Dr. Jim Dodson in Russellville. Kirsten and her family live in Sharon Grove.

"Some of my greatest memories are of all the store owners, workers and families with shops around the square going downtown on Thanksgiving eve or early Friday morning and decorating the square and the store windows, putting
up Christmas trees and decorations etc....so that shoppers on Friday enjoyed the atmosphere all around magically transformed into a Christmas wonderland. It was such fun to do together and to see the faces on Friday morning as people came that were home for Thanksgiving holidays or out of school etc.
"My sister, Becky, and I for months would take home rolls and rolls of ribbon to make bows to prepare for wrapping gifts
upstairs above the store for customers beginning that weekend through Christmas. To me, it was the beginning of a magical month of thankfulness, celebration, and community.".

Marie Foley

Marie is one of Logan County's most gifted columnists. A local historian and folk lorist, she lives in Auburn with her husband Dermott, a native of Ireland.

"As a small child Thanksgiving to me was a stepping-stone to Christmas. I liked the story of the Pilgrims, Indians and what had happened at the first Thanksgiving, but thoughts of Christmas soon to come overshadowed all of that. As a matter-of-fact I didn’t know at that time if I would even like turkey. At my grandparents' home we had fried chicken and ham on Thanksgiving, as we did most Sundays after church. At those Sunday dinners about 10 or 12 family members gave thanks and ate too much, just as on Thanksgiving Thursday.
"A little later I came to realize that there were things important to me that I should give thanks for more than once a year. Long before I could have articulated such things, I knew that it was easy to take blessings for granted and forget where they come from.
"Then as an adult, I have learned that gratitude requires humility. Paul’s statement in Philippians 4:11 that he had learned, whatever his state, to be content, is another way of saying he was grateful for the condition he was in, whatever it was. Discouragement is never found in a grateful heart.
"An attitude of thankfulness puts us in a humble frame of mind. It teaches us to whom we are in debt for all that we have. There is no room for pride on our part."

Mary Lucy Franklin

Lucy is one of Russellville's most active historians. She is a leader in Historic Russellville, the Russellville Blues Society and the West Kentucky African American Museums. Her father, the late Clay Franklin, headed "the sewing factory" on Main Street.

"My Thanksgiving memories of growing up in Russellville seem to revolve around football - not today's televised games, but the year's BIG game: Russellville High School vs. Bowling Green High School. This was the last game of the season and was traditionally played at 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, alternating between Russellville and Bowling Green. When it was Bowling Green's turn, the site was Western's old stadium, that beautiful amphitheater located in the middle of campus. Russellville's location was, of course, Rhea Stadium, and it was very fitting that the first game ever played there was the 1939 meet.
"Wherever the game was played, the facility was standing room only. After the games, everybody went home for dinner, which was traditional Thanksgiving fare at my house. In later years I often wondered how mothers were able to produce dinner and attend the games. I guess ovens were left on all over town."

Kaye Simmons

Kaye Simmons is a 1978 graduate of RHS and holds a degree in mass communication from WKU. Her career has been involved in community service. She is currently grant writer for the city of Russellville.

"When I think of Thanksgiving memories I think in pictures. I envision scenes of the fall season (colorful leaves, damp with dew or rain, the smell of chimney smoke or tobacco barns firing). I remember going home, pulling in the driveway and wondering how far Mama was along on the dinner and how much would be left that I would have to help her with. I remember the house being decorated for the special day and how Daddy had to entertain us and remind us to keep the children out of the kitchen. I remember Mama standing for hours and preparing a meal with enough to feed an army.
"We were fortunate to have so many choices that it would compare to a restaurant buffet. Mama knew exactly what we liked and she made sure that we would all be happy, satisfied and full every Thanksgiving. I remember preparing for the family prayer and making sure to list all the things our family had to be thankful for the past year before prayer-time. I can remember the television always being on, and the morning hours filled with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and after that football …as we all tried to visit and talk over the volume. I remember the kids playing and the older parents sharing advice with the newer ones. I remember joking, the regular insults and the siblings jabbing each other every chance we got and lots and lots of laughter.
"I can remember when visitors would come and go and we would gather back in the kitchen so we could brag on our favorite dishes and share the leftovers. I remember parts of the family leaving to go share the holiday with their extended family and friends and the feeling of excitement winding down in intervals. Regrettably, I remember when evening came, and the leftovers had been packed away in the refrigerator for tomorrow, the kitchen was clean and the noise of the day had found peace and quiet. I always thanked God for my family that He picked for me, I thanked Him for the food and the great day. (No matter what went on…it was always a great day!)
"We are so very blessed and we take so much for granted when we are younger. We don’t stop to think about the hours of work our mothers went through for us until we are the ones doing the work…AHA, then we know! We never dream that somewhere in the future there will be a time when we will be forced to grow up and never be the 'spoiled daughter' or the “spoiled son” anymore. We become the ones who do the spoiling. It never dawns on us that this could be the last Thanksgiving with all of us here. Things change. Families change. My mama passed away eight years ago and that alone has changed Thanksgiving forever in my family. Now I have to cook the meal for my little bunch and I have to look back at her stained recipe cards to get her guidance. Daddy has to get out in the cold and come to our houses to visit for Thanksgiving, and of course, eat a little at each one.
"Today, life goes on, we are making Thanksgiving memories for our own children and grandchildren to hold onto. My oldest sister, Pam, celebrates 'Still Thankful Day' (with leftovers, the day after Thanksgiving) and we all get together and bring our leftovers to her house. Time changed us, so we changed with the times, but if you ask me my 'favorite Thanksgiving'…it would be when we were all together at Mama and Daddy’s house and we were growing up, living life, laughing and building memories… and we didn’t even know it! Those really were the 'good ole days'!"

Clay White

Clay is a 1989 graduate of RHS and holds a degree from Murray State University. He is the son of retired educator Becky White and the late minister of music Bob White. He is senior network engineer for Dollar General Corp. in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

"My most memorable Thanksgiving...1987. My cousin, who was 12 at the time, and his parents were staying with us. I'm quite sure we had the traditional feast and fare and were most thankful to be celebrating the holiday together. My mom and my aunt are fantastic cooks. However, turkey, dressing, Pilgrims, and pumpkins were not what was on my mind at the time. That weekend, my Russellville Panthers football team played Pikeville in the Class A championship. We were going to State!
"Some friends and I got a room in the hotel where the football team was staying. I was 16. We ordered pizzas, ran around like children, jumped on the beds, held contests to see how long one could hold one's hand in a bucket of ice water, flirted with cheerleaders, and, I'm sure, many stupid things I can't recall. One of those cheerleaders had, up until the week prior, been my girlfriend. I thought I might get a chance to win her back that weekend in Louisville, but alas, my hopes were dashed. She found out that I had temporarily shifted my amorous attentions elsewhere between the day she broke up with me and the day of the big game. This was made crystal clear while my friends, my cousin, and I were all out in one of the hotel hallways -- along with what had to be the entire Russellville High School football team
"I was blindsided. Just sitting there minding my own business when she came out of nowhere. Shook her finger in my face and commenced to loudly, and most authoritatively, rattling off a laundry list of accusations, some beginning with 'How dare you' or 'How stupid do you think I am,' and most, if not all of them, I undoubtedly deserved. All other voices were silenced by the ruckus. All faces, in amused shock, turned to see me sitting on the hotel hallway floor, mouth agape, with an angry cheerleader (in uniform) scolding me like a child. Before I could retaliate...good grief, before I could even get to my feet, she had already stomped away - amidst a rapidly growing roar of jeers and laughter from everyone in the hallway.
"If you've ever spent any time around a ball team, of any stripe, you can imagine the nicknames given that bounced around the school halls for months. "Toast" was my favorite. Because I got burned. That kind of experience leaves a mark. One I will never forget -- not because of any trauma or maladjustment that plagued me, but because it was so hilarious. Even then, I found the humor in it and remember bouncing right back and into the normal groove of my junior year -- as normal as that could be. And it was a great learning experience -- some do's and don't's about girls and dating, and being able to laugh at oneself. It's one of my favorite stories to tell. And it's a good thing I think about that Thanksgiving weekend so fondly, because whenever I get a chance to spend the holiday with my cousin, he asks me if I remember the time that cheerleader yelled at me in front of the football team. Yeah...I remember."

Patricia Mooneyhan

The former Patricia Harbison is a 1964 graduate of RHS and was a long-time employee in the circuit clerk's office. She retired from the clerk's office in Christian County in 2008 and lives in Hopkinsville. She is the daughter of the G.W. Harbisons of Russellville.

" Thanksgiving today has changed a lot in my family. We laugh and say we use the family china....paper plates, cups, napkins. We don't have to wash dishes all day. We do buffett style and everyone eats at the same time.

"When I was a kid (100 years ago), we used real china, silverware, and had a sit down dinner. Of course the adults ate first, then they washed the dishes for us kids to use. Most of the women stayed in the kitchen and the men watched ball games or went hunting. Later in the afternoon, we went to a real football game. I was in the band and we marched in all weather. Usually it snowed or rained on us. I had to wear pajamas under my uniform since I am allergic to wool. They really felt good on this day."

Ann Piper Pember

Ann is the daughter of the late Robert and Eleanor Piper. Her dad was the long-time superintendent of Logan County Schools and her mother was junior English teacher and National Honor Society sponsor at RHS. Dr. Pember had a long and distinguished career in education. She lives with her family in Greensboro, N. C.

"Some of my main Thanksgiving memories involve the Russellville-Bowling Green football games that were actually played on Thanksgiving Day. One year it would be at Rhea Stadium and the next in Bowling Green. We would always have giant yellow mums with a black R on them. Cheering during my junior and senior years added to the drama of Thanksgiving giving off special touches. Often it was cold; sometimes it was wet. I have a picture of the "mud bowl" with the senior cheerleaders crouched down in Rhea Stadium, and the senior football players standing at attention behind us holding their helmets. They were soaked through and through. I do not remember how our mothers prepared or served the Thanksgiving meal. I just remember the excitement of the games and attending the games."

Jeannie Leedom Bowles

Jeannie is the daughter of Lorene Leedom and the late Walter Leedom, who owned and opeated the family dry goods store on the Russellville square for decades. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, she wrote articles and sold advertising for the News-Democrat and Logan Leader for several years before accepting her current position with the Farm Service Agency two decades ago. She and her husband Charlie have two grown narried children, twins Jamie and David, and a young grandchild, Riley.

"When I was a little girl, probably 6 to 10 years old, I went to all the Russellville-Bowling Green football games on Thanksgiving morning. We always dressed up and wore a big yellow football mum with a black R wired on it. The best part was when the games were in BG and we, the kids, rode the train from Russellville to Bowling Green with lots of other fans. Our parents picked us up at the BG depot and took us to Western where the games were often played. It was thrilling. I also remember it snowing on a number of those Thanksgiving game days. I don't really remember Mother going to the games. I guess she stayed home and cooked because we always had a big Thanksgiving meal when we got home.”