Honored for her voluntary beautification efforts in Warren County recently was Lee Ann Carnall Austin of Bowling Green.
The 1972 graduate of Russellville High School has planted well over 500 trees at Phil Moore Park off Scottsville Road near Alvaton. It all began when she planted a tree along the cross country track in 2004 following the death of her beloved father, Eugene Carnall, as a memorial. She also planted another one in honor of her mother, Cricket Carnall, who is a resident of Auburn Health Care Manor.
She told the Bowling Green Daily News' Robyn Libbs Minor, who also lives in Auburn, that the director of the park approached her to find out what she was doing. She was afraid she would be reprimanded, but instead he asked her to plant trees in honor of his parents. So did Greenwood's cross country coach. Lee Ann's son ran cross country for Greenwood, and this was his home track.
So a tradition was born. Even though people pay $100 to 'adopt' one of the trees, Austin estimates she has spent over $9,000 on trees planted there, money she considers well spent.
For her efforts, she received the first-ever Operation P.R.I.D.E.'s Chairman's Award. Former Bowling Green mayor Johnny Webb is the chairman.
Eugene Carnall worked for the local newspapers for over a half century, leading composition work and supervising printing operations at various times.
Anyone who would like to adopt a tree at that park can send a check to the boosters fund of P.R.I.D.E., 1615 Vosswood Way, Bowling Green, Ky. 42104. For more information, call Lee Ann Austin at 392-4326.
The LoJo
Anoter story in the Daily News last week had a couple of Logan County ties. The feature dealt with the future of Cox Variety Store in Auburn, which closed in October 2007 after 56 years in business, following the death of Dick Cox, who had run the store-- along with his mother Martha until her death-- since the death of his father Richard in 1975. The still intact, unique inventory is owned by Dick Cox's brother, James Cox of Atlanta, who is paying rent to the building's owners, Tim and Kelly Bond, propriertors of the adjacent Auburn Hotel. Although James Cox is not doing anything to reopen the store, he has not responded to requests to buy the inventory, Tim Kelly told the newspaper. Mayor Dewey Roche was quoted extensively in the article.
The story was written by Liz Switzer, who was known as Elizabeth Wood when she graduated from Russellville High School. She is one of the lead reporters for the Daily News.
The LoJo
Despite some serious health problems, retired educators Clyde and Nancy Delk are still managing to travel. When they visited Alaska this year, their collection came complete. They now have visited all 50 states. Making Alaska their 50th state in 2009 was appropriate, since this was Alaska's 50th year as a state. Clyde is a Vietnam veteran, and the Delks often travel with his DASPO Army unit.
His Vietnam experience included contracting kidney disease as a result of interaction with Agent Orange, and he needs a kidney transplant. Nancy is on a campaign to increase awareness of the importance of donating organs. She says, "It’s not as difficult on the person who donates as it was. I think the person who donates is only out of work and activities for about a week. Someone once told us that you do not need two kidneys to have a healthy life and that God just gave everyone two so one of them could be given away!"
Nancy, who was the first official assistant superintendent of Logan County Schools, has battled back problems for about a decade and finally had surgery to correct them in mid-December. She says, "We are thankful that God has allowed us to travel and enjoy his marvelous creations and if health permits, we plan to continue."
The LoJo
The death of Trent Nourse, 21, in an automobile accident in the early morning hours of New Years Day caused sorrow for many people, including his three Kees sisters. The son of the late James 'Slick' Kees, he was the brother of Ashley 'Coco' Kees Collier, Shannon Kees and Brittany Kees . Their mother, Sheila Epley Kees, died relatively young this summer. She, her daughters and grandchildren were very close. Ashley and Brittany also were caregivers for a wonderful couple, Ed and Carol Coffman, and Carol also died in 2009. It's been a rough few months for those sisters.
Some notes received about people who died in late 2009:
Tim O'Dell about Jim O'Dell, who died suddenly recently: " He had been sick 8, 9 months ago; but was doing great. The doctor had just given him a clean bill of health. Charlotte told me they had just finished supper, she went into the other room and heard a racket - like moving furniture. She called out and he didn't answer, she went back in to find him in the floor, apparently already dead. He had gone to Russellville on Tuesday before his death on Friday. He had been there inquiring about the family plots at Maple Grove. He may have had some sense of things... but he said nothing to anyone. So, it was quite a shock."
Nelson Weaver about Doug Shoulders, who owned Spring Acres public swimming pool here: " I often think of Spring Acres and Teen Town. I wonder how kids today can achieve adulthood without those places. We were lucky and didn't know it."
The LoJo
Main Street Russellville Manager Darlene Gooch sent out emails in mid-December encouraging people to do their Christmas shopping downtown. She said, "For a small town like Russellville we have a wide assortment of places to shop at." The following is the unedited list of those businesses she included:

Great Gifts plus many have Kentucky Made Products
Red Tree - handmade furniture & electric gifts (across from Saddle Factory & beside Historic Russellville)
Personally Yours Boutique - monogramming, pottery, handmade jewelry (downtown square)
Shoppe on the Square - gifts, clothing, Vera Bradley (downtown square)
Riley-White Jewelry - classic jewelry in silver & gold w/gems, diamonds & pearls (downtown square)
Off Main Antiques & Gifts - antiques, lotions, gifts, KY Made Products (old Teen Town & behind Breathitt House)
Celebrations on Main - planning a party or wedding? We can help. (downtown square)

Items for the Home and You
Crabtree Furniture (downtown square)
Mega Sales & Rental (downtown square)
Mega Beauty Supply (next to the Carpenter Center between 3^rd and 2nd Streets)
Maggie Mae Fabrics (next to the Carpenter Center between 3^rd and 2nd Streets)

Floral & Gifts
Coots Gifts & Nursery (Clarksville Road/9^th Street just past cemetery going out to RHS)
Oak & Ivy (Winter & 5^th Streets)
Blossom Shop (Bethel & 4^th Streets)
Northern Nursery (Nashville Road across from Southern Heights Baptist Church)
Hickory Hill (Nashville Road)

Consignment Shops
Walk in Closet - clothing (across from Sexton House - 9^th & Nashville Street)
DeJaNew - antiques & collectibles (in the alley way behind BB&T Bank and to the side of Crabtree Furniture)
Jill’s Gallery of Shops - antiques, clothing & gifts (to the side & behind Moore Ins. on 3rd Street)
Tina’s Treasures - collectibles, clothing -
Paradise Consignment (4^th & Main Streets)
Sarah’s Consignment (downtown square)
Stuff & Treasures (2^nd Street across from Angela’s)
Nick & Nana’s (4^th Street down from the Harvest)
Angela’s Consignment (2^nd Street downtown from Granny’s Kitchen)

Pawn Shops
Hole in the Wall (in the alley way behind BB&T Bank and to the side of Crabtree Furniture)
Cash in a Flash (downtown square)
Crazy Ray’s (downtown square)

Downtown Eatery
Holland Country Kitchen (3^rd Street next to DDI Engineering)
The Place - a place for coffee, tea, sodas and snacks & to sit and talk to friends (downtown Russellville)

The LoJo
Some news involving local people at Western Kentucky University:
Two residents of Russellville were inducted into WKU’s chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED) recently. They are Heather Shockley and Laura Williams. Alpha Epsilon Delta is the National Health Preprofessional Honor Society dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of excellence in preprofessional health scholarship, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary and others. The Kentucky Gamma Chapter at WKU was established in 1968.
At the Kentucky Academy of Science’s 95^th annual meeting Nov. 13-14 at Northern Kentucky University, in the 2009 Graduate Research Competition, a local woman was one of the WKU award recipients for presentations. In the Ecology and Environmental Science:Mary Penick of Allensville, received first place for Why is the Green River Still Green: Algal biomass accrual in relation to nutrient availability in the Upper Green River, Kentucky;
Logan County High graduate Coby Westerfield is a member of the Staff Council at WKU. He is manager of the computer lab for the School of Journalism and Broadcasting.
Kelli Woodward , a political science major from Auburn, was one of 18 WKU students competing to become the 2009 Homecoming queen. She is the daughter of R.V. and Debbie Woodward and was sponsored by Sigma Kappa.
The LoJo
Readers comment on articles in The LoJo:
Jane Brown Dodson: " Several people commented (in the Thanksgiving Memories article) on the RHS/Bowling Green football game. I was suppose to be born in November. My mother (the late Lucille Brown) knew that if I came on my due date she would not be able to attend the annual football game. She took Caster Oil in October and I arrived early enough for her to make it to the game. My father, Red Brown, also played in the first game at Rhea Stadium against Bowling Green. I remember (many years later) that Dr. Holt preformed hemorrhoid surgery on him on Wednesday, and he went to the game on Thanksgiving Day. Now that kind of school spirit is hard to find these days!"
Cathy Carver: " Very nice to read on Christmas Eve that someone is remembering us and our mother (the late Hazel Carver). I've just returned from a church service where I accompanied the choir. I can always picture Mother's face when I play - practically telecommunicating her will into those of us she was directing - to sing on pitch and carry our breath over and e-nun-ci-ate! So I think the 'old familiar carols' probably carry a slightly different memory for me than perhaps they do for most people."