Life is incredibly busy for a Russellville native who is an author and a potential First Lady of the United States.
Her busy schedule in the days following her husband Rand’s official announcement that he is seeking the office of President of the United States has taken her all over the United States.
Saturday brings her home to Bowling Green where she will both speak and sign copies of her recently released book. She is a featured presenter at the Southern Kentucky Book Fair at the South Campus of Western Kentucky University.
In between signing books April 18 beginning at 10 a.m. with a second session from 2-3 p.m., she will speak and answer questions from noon to 12:50 p.m. at the Knicely Conference Center.
The book focuses on her long lasting friendships, as well as her own family history. It’s entitled True and Constant Friends: Love and Inspiration from Our Grandmothers, Mothers, and Friends
“She said she hopes a lot of people from Russellville will come see her and support her Saturday,” says her mom, Lillian Ashby of Russellville. Her dad, Hilton Ashby, is a Lewisburg native who was a career military man before becoming chief advertising account executive at WRUS until his retirement. Her brothers, Jeff and David Ashby, are former Russellville High School athletes.
Russellville High School sports got national publicity Wednesday when the television show Inside Edition did a feature on three attractive women who will play big roles in their husband’s Republican presidential campaigns. In addition to the Pauls, they are Heidi Cruz, wife of Sen. Ted Cruz, and Jeanette Rubio, wife of Senator Marco Rubio. The lone possibility for First Gentleman so far, former President Bill Clinton, was also mentioned as his wife Hillary begins a second run for the Democratic nomination.
In teasing the show, Kelley’s picture was repeatedly shown at the top of a pyramid of her fellow RHS cheerleaders. She was the senior leader of the group which cheered for Coach Ken Barrett’s 1980 state champion football Panthers.
She also showed her political saavy in answer to a question about Sen. Paul’s telling Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie that if she would quit talking over him he could answer her question. She said, “He’s not as polished in front of a microphone as some of the career politicians…”
Dr. Rand Paul is a Bowling Green ophthalmologist. Kelley studied communication and writing at one of Tennessee’s best schools, Rhodes College in Memphis. They met at a party in Atlanta in the late 80s while he was doing a rotation at a hospital there while in medical school at Duke University.
Rand, Kelley and their sons—William, Duncan and Robert—have experienced major political campaigns. His dad, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, has run full-blown presidential campaigns, and they were all on stage at various times, as they were in Dr. Paul’s successful U.S. Senate campaign five years ago when he was elected to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning.
Kelley shared her schedule by email with her mom on Monday. She was to start the next day with an appearance on the Today Show, followed by “Fox and Friends,” Kennedy Fox Business Network, “Hannity” on Fox, and Dana Basin on CNN.
Early the next day she appeared on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. Then she moved on to appearances later in the week in New Hampshire, South Carolina and finally home to Kentucky for the Bowling Green appearance.
She is at least the second graduate of Russellville High School who has appeared at the prestigious Southern Kentucky Book Fair as an author. The first was the award-winning Holly Goddard Jones. Former Russellville journalist Al Smith has also signed his books at the annual event.
Lill Ashby concludes, “Kelley writes, ‘Thanks to everyone for all their kind messages-- and love, thoughts and prayers.”