The 14 charter members of the Lewisburg Leaders Hall of Fame were inducted in front of a large crowd in the Lewisburg gymnasium on Sept. 20. Students Mykal Hampton and Samantha Vaughn served as masters of ceremony, and each inductee was introduced by a middle school student while others presented the awards.
These are the biographies of one group of Hall of Fame members. Also shown are the names of the students who introduced them.
Larry Forgy
Mykal Hampton, 8th Grader
Larry Forgy, a 1958 graduate of LHS, was unable to attend tonight. He is a terrific example of a leader, though, and I would like to share with you some of his accomplishments.
Mr. Forgy originally attended the University of Kentucky and transferred to George Washington University in Washington, D. C. He received two degrees there, his bachelors and his law degree in 1964. From 1960-1967, he was an aide to Senator Thurston Morton and Assistant Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate. He was also a member of the Legal Counsel for Joint Congressional Committee on Internal Revenue Taxation in the sixties. He ended that era as State Budget Director for the commonwealth of Kentucky. He was voted the outstanding young man of Kentucky by the Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1971.
In the 1970s, Mr. Forgy served as Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer for the University of Kentucky. In fact, he was the youngest person in the history of UK to be appointed as a vice president.
He was the Kentucky Chairman of the Reagan-Bush campaign in 1980, and during those years was a partner of Wyatt, Tarrant, and Combs law firm in Lexington and was president of the S. E. Coal Sales Company. Mr. Forgy has served as president of the non-profit Health Kentucky. He has been vice chairman of the Kentucky Council for Higher Education and chairman of the Finance Committee of the UK Board of Trustees. He also served as budget director and chief counsel in Governor Louie Nunn’s administration.
Mr. Forgy ran for governor twice, in 1991 and in 1995. In 1995, he was defeated by Paul Patton.
Mr. Forgy is now self employed as an attorney in Frankfort.
We are very proud of Larry Forgy, LHS Class of 1958.
Master Sgt. Otis Foulks
Addie White, 6th Grader
It is a privilege to be able to speak about one of the leaders of tonight’s Hall of Fame Inductees. Mr. Otis Foulks:
Otis Foulks was born in Russellville on Jan. 23, 1941. He graduated from Lewisburg High School in 1959. He also graduated from Park College in Kansas City, Mo. He served in the United States Air Force, retiring in 1980 as a Master Sergeant after having served in Japan, Thailand, and England, as well as the United States. He was assigned to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix his last eight years in the military and established residence in nearby Glendale upon his retirement. He was employed for 18 years with the United States Postal Service, retiring as supervisor of customer service in 1999.
He passed away in December 2002 and is buried in the National Cemetery in Arizona. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, the former Polly Jones, a retired school teacher, and his son and daughter-n-law, Pierre and Raymie Foulks, along with a granddaughter, Mia, of Phoenix.
All of these things that I have just shared with you are great accomplishments, but some of the greatest things that can be said about Otis Foulks were told to us by his former classmates and friends. I would also like to share just a few of those things with you tonight.
As Jim Turner reported in the News Democrat and Leader in 2002, many people remember Otis as the first black basketball player in North Logan. But, he was, in fact, the first minority student in the school. Sue Williams Spurlock, a classmate of Otis at Lewisburg, recalls that Otis “was a gentleman who conducted himself in a mature manner. He was a good student, having always prepared his assignments.” She goes on to say that Otis was the “best-dressed student in our class…with sharply-creased casual trousers…a colorful shirt…and shoes always shining.” Mrs. Spurlock also credited Otis’ classmates, fellow ballplayers and school personnel for the fact that she never recalled him being mistreated on account of race or any other issue.
“He was so well-behaved that had an issue occurred, the actions of the opposing person would have been suspect.” She also told the story of a visit to a restaurant in Morgantown while returning from an away basketball game. The store owner asked Otis to follow him to a back storage room where he was to eat alone. His fellow classmates (ballplayers and cheerleaders) quickly joined Otis in the cluttered storage room where they ALL ate, while the store owner was left alone in his empty restaurant to “ponder his behavior.”
Another classmate remembers other times when the assistant principal, Mr. James Grimes, stayed on the bus with Otis to eat if he was not allowed to eat in a restaurant. Mr. Bill Stokes was a neighbor of Otis who saved Otis a seat on the bus on his first day of school at Lewisburg. Otis visited Logan County yearly and would go play a game of golf with Mr. Stokes. Mr. Stokes commented that he “couldn’t think of a better man than Otis Foulks.”
In a phone interview with “Ms. Polly,” Otis’ wife, she recalls his nickname was “Frog” because he could jump so high. She met Otis in 1960 at Alabama State University. They later married and moved to Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina, where their only child, Pierre Foulks, was born in 1964. They travelled all over the world and he retired from the Air Force as a Master-Sergeant. (The office of Master Sergeant is the third Non-Commissioned Officer rank in the United States Air Force and the promotion to Master Sergeant is known as one of the most significant promotions in the Air Force.)
I believe it is safe to say that Mr. Otis Foulks was indeed a leader. He was a leader among his peers, since they stood up for him and retained life-long friendships with him. And, he was also a leader among those who served under him in the Air Force—where he was promoted to the highest of ranks. As Mrs. Spurlock said, “He was quite a remarkable person and certainly a pioneer in the program of American school integration.”
It is my pleasure to present a wonderful man with this token of our appreciation for his accomplishments.
Alice Lynn Forgy Kerr
Samantha Vaughn, 8th Grader
I regret that our next honoree, Alice Lynn Forgy Kerr, is unable to attend tonight’s ceremony. Please listen to her list of accomplishments, which is quite impressive.
Mrs. Kerr graduated from LHS in 1972. From here, she took her talents to Western Kentucky University where she earned degrees in elementary education and vocal music. She also earned her master’s degree in student personnel services in higher education from Western.
She was also selected first runner up in the Miss Kentucky (for Miss America) pageant in 1979; she had been 4th runner up in 1977. She won the talent competition both years. She was also Miss Western Kentucky University, Miss Southern Kentucky, Miss Lake Cumberland, and Miss Green River Valley.
In 1999, she ran for and was elected to the Kentucky State Senate, serving the 12th District in Fayette County. She has held that position since that time. In this position, she chairs the Senate Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor committee and is chairman of the Senate Sub-Committee on Post-Secondary Education. She also serves as a member on the Appropriations and Review Committee, the Economic Development, Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection committees. She is a member of the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee and is a member of the Central Kentucky Legislative Caucus.
In 2004, she was the Republican nominee to replace Ernie Fletcher in the United States congress, but lost to Ben Chandler by a narrow margin. That year she was also a delegate to the Republican National Convention.
Sen. Kerr was selected as one of 40 leaders from across the nation to participate in the prestigious Toll Fellowship Program. She is also a member of the Daughters of the American Colonists and is former vice chairman of the Kentucky Baptist Home for Children Board of Directors. She is an active member of the Calvary Baptist Church in Lexington, where she is a member of the Sanctuary Choir. She is also a member of PEO Educational Sorority, United Way of the Bluegrass, and Women in Leadership. Mrs. Kerr is also a Health Kentucky Development officer and Personnel Officer for R.J. Corman Railroad.
In addition to her state senate duties, she is a faculty member and Director of Academic Advising at Midway College. She has also served as Admissions Officer and Baptist Campus Minister at Northern Kentucky University, and Associate Baptist Campus Minister at the University of Kentucky. She has two sons.
Alice Lynn Forgy Kerr, LHS class of 1972, is certainly an excellent example of what it means to be a Leader!
Neal Webb
Devin Harper, 8th Grader
I am so happy to welcome our next member to the Lewisburg Leaders Hall of Fame, Mr. Neal Webb from the class of 1974!
Neal was a Ranger for all 12 years before he attended Western Kentucky University. He was a leader all the way through school and was quite the entertainer, with his ventriloquist and singing talents. He received his Bachelors Degree as well as his Masters Degree from WKU.
Mr. Webb began working with Ingram Distribution Group, the largest distributor of books in the United States. He was employed there for 16 years. As Director of Marketing, he was able to work with many celebrities and authors to help make their books best sellers. The company experienced a great deal of growth during this period of time.
For the past 10 years, Mr. Webb has worked for Dave Ramsey as Vice President of Publishing. Dave Ramsey is a well known radio talk show host, bestselling author, and personal finance expert. Mr. Webb built and continues to lead the Publishing Department. He has created products for Dave and others including books that hit the New York Times Best Sellers List, the USA Today Bestsellers List and the Amazon.com best sellers list. This company has also grown by leaps and bounds.
Mr. Webb has too many special memories of Lewisburg to list quickly, but most of them involve the people who helped shape him. The important people included his family, his friends, his teachers, and the many church relationships in the Lewisburg area. He advises us to nurture the relationships in all of these areas because they will have even greater meaning to you in the future.
To help inspire current Ranger students, Mr. Webb is offering us 10 Rules. They are:
1. Live by The Golden Rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
2. LISTEN. Listen twice as much as you talk. You have two ears and only one mouth for a reason.
3. Read a lot, know stuff. Leaders are readers!
4. Make friends with people you can learn positive things from. Stay away from the negative.
5. Look for opportunities and never be afraid to ask questions.
6. Travel as much as you can. There is so much to see and learn in this world…and so little time to see it.
7. Set measurable goals. They can be big or small. A wise man said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” Aim at something and strive to achieve it.
8. Start NOW and do well with your money, whether it is a lot or a little. Always give some, spend some, and always save some (including investing.) Starting now will make things better for your long term future.
9. Take care of your mind, take care of your body, and take care of your soul.
10. HAVE FUN!!! And enjoy the journey called life!
Wow – he makes it sound so simple!
It’s easy to see how the young Neal Webb grew up to be the Amazing Neal Webb! We are lucky to have someone like him as a role model for us.
Donald Holloway
Lucas Tayor, 6th Grader
A graduate of the 1976 class of Lewisburg High School, Donald Holloway has been employed by H & H Sheetmetal, a company he helped start, for more than 30 years. He continues to be an important part of the Lewisburg community, and I am honored to tell you more about his accomplishments.
Mr. Holloway attended Lewisburg High School for grades 8-12. He did not go to college or attend any vocational school, but he set goals for himself and worked hard to prepare for his future, which included the love of his life- Teresa. They went on to have two children, a son, Casey, and a daughter, Trasey. They have blessed Mr. Holloway with 2 grandchildren each.
His time spent at Lewisburg influenced so many aspects of his life, from learning how to type from Mrs. Sandra Hayes, to understanding geometry taught by Mrs.Jane Collier, to expanding his growing interest in science and biology from Mrs.Janet Wells. He truly loved his teachers and is so appreciative for all the ways that they helped him achieve through his education.
If you ask Mr. Holloway what his greatest accomplishments are, he will proudly tell you his family and receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He would also tell you to make the most of your opportunities to get an education and set goals for your life. Don't be selfish with what God has given to you. Share it with the rest of the world.
I chose Mr. Holloway as the person I wanted to speak on because he and I attend the same church, Pleasant Union General Baptist. The one thing he didn't mention, but I will is that he is an excellent cook! He and his wife continue to bless people in our community and beyond with their kindness and generosity.
It is my great honor to help induct Mr. Donald Holloway into the Lewisburg School Leadership “Hall of Fame”.