From single women to the military, people are looking for a few good men. The Logan County Public Library is conducting an essay contest to help define
the term.
"What does it mean to be a good man in the 21st century?" is the title of the essay. The library and Ric Federico, who is a contributor to a
nationwide effort called The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood, a collection of first-person stories about
what it means to be a man in America today.
The project grew out of the mind of Yale graduate Tom Matlack, who was a huge success as a businessman but a flop as a husband and father. "There is a
moment in time when everything changes, a human experience when you wake up and your life is going in one direction that doesn't work - when your real
manhood has to emerge," Matlack told the Amherst Journal. "It's a searching for the answers to the big question: ‘What's really important?"
Federico is a contributor to the project and provided the impetus for the writing competition in Logan County. Fedrico is married to Cheree Marshall Federico, a 1988 graduate of Logan County High School who operates a photography business out of their Bowling Green home and
educates their three children there. She is the daughter of the late Marvin Marshall and the late Ann Cole.
Competition is in two age groups, one for students through high school and the other for adults 18 and over who are no longer in high school.
Youth Services Coordinator Monica Edwards of the library is the contact person for the essay contest. The document, which can be no more than
five pages of 12-point type in Times New Roman font, must be submitted by Friday, March 12, at 5 p.m. The author's name should be on the back of each
page with name and contact information on the final page. Entries can be submitted electronically to edwards@loganlibrary.org. Edwards can be
contacted at 726-6129 for more information.
Winners will be invited to read their works at a reception Thursday, March 25 at 6:30 p.m.
The LoJo
Duane Spurlock, a 1977 graduate of Russellville High School who is the son of retired Farmers Hardware owners Earl and Betty Spurlock, is with
Care Excel of Kentucky. He wants you to know the following:
"If you need help understanding your Medicare rights, wish to discuss the quality of care you received from a health care provider, or want to file a
formal quality of care complaint, you can contact the Medicare Beneficiary Help Line for Kentucky at 1-800-288-1499. If you decide you want to make a
formal complaint, a nurse case reviewer from Health Care Excel of Kentucky, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Kentucky, can help
you put it in writing. The nurse case reviewer will contact you once the complaint is filed and will serve as your point of contact throughout the
process."
The LoJo
A few months ago, I wrote about professional musician Eric Wilson, a native of Auburn and a 2001 graduate of Logan County High School who is
constantly on the go singing. He's making a return visit to Bowling Green Friday and will be performing at Spencer's Coffee House. He will be on the
program with Brooks Ritter and Aaron Robinson from 8-11 p.m.
"I am excited to come up and play some new songs from the record I will be recording this spring, as well as seeing and hearing the greatness of Brooks
Ritter and Aaron Robinson. The band will be coming along with me, so be there!" he says. The cover charge is $5 for all ages. Spencer's is located at
815 College Street.
The LoJo
Russellville High School Class of 1979 held its 20th reunion on Saturday, Oct. 12, during Tobacco & Heritage Festival weekend at the new
Logan County Extension Office,. Sixty classmates- roughly half of the graduating class- were present. Memorials were held for 12 deceased class members
and for the military.
Melody Kees Clark
came from the farthest distance, Minnesota. “Many of our classmates said it was the best reunion they had been to yet. I talked to people from many
states, and it was such a pleasure to hear from so many of them,” says Brenda Davenport Whittaker, who worked diligently on the reunion along
with Carol Kersteins Kees and a few others.
“I could hardly wait each night to get on Facebook where I found many of them and got several signed up. It's just another way of connecting with old
friends. We also had lots of food and a deejay. What a great time we had! We're even talking about having another one in five years,” Brenda says.
Class member Carter Hancock sent The LoJo a couple of pictures of the group. Carter-- the son of Martha Helen and Al Smith-- lives in
Louisville and has a daughter, Lauren, who is a freshman at Bernard University in New York City. "We have had so many pass away, and I think all of us
that attended were really needing to see each other to keep our childhood memories together."
Also gathering during the Festival were members of the RHS Class of 1958. Although the classroom building that we knew as Recitation Hall has
long been gone and many of them were seeing for the first time the empty spot where the grade school and Bethel College stood so long, the class
enjoyed lining up on the steps of the auditorium building (now the Central Office) in much the same order that they had appeared in their yearbook 50
years earlier.
The accompanying picture was submitted to us by class member Jim Humphrey, who was the architect who designed Logan County High School.
The LoJo
Two young women from the Land of Logan were part of a group from Western Kentucky University's Habitat for Humanity Chapter who participated in
Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge during the winter break. Three WKU groups - 27 students and two faculty members - traveled to Tutwiler, Miss., Lucedale,
Miss., and Alexandria, La., Jan. 18-22 to assist local Habitat chapters with various projects,
Freshmen Jenna Wilson of Auburn and Hailey McGinnis of Russellville were part of a seven-woman group who went to Louisiana, accompanied
by faculty advisor Bryan Reaka. Collegiate Challenge is an alternative break trip program run through Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Programs and
volunteer mobilization department. The program offers students an opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity affiliates from across the country
during breaks in their academic year.
The program works to build houses and hope in communities. Students learn a great deal about building, issues of substandard housing, working and
living within a community, cultural differences in different parts of the country and most of all themselves as a result of the program.
The LoJo
Gov. Steve Beshear has appointed Dan Costellow, of Bowling Green, to the Bowling Green Community and Technical College Nominating Commission.
Costellow, who is the son of Troy and Ann Costellow of Chandlers and a graduate of Logan County High School, is a vocational agriculture teacher at
Warren East High School. His term will expire April 15, 2013.
Beshear also appointed Eston Glover, the president and chief executive officer of Pennyrile Rural Electric, to the Bluegrass State Skills
Corporation Board of Directors to serve a term expiring July 5, 2013. Pennyrile plays a huge role in making Logan County function.
The LoJo
Stacey Biggs
, who previously worked for Logan Telephone Cooperative in marketing, advertising and public relations, has been named Western Kentucky University's
Chief Marketing Officer. She advanced into that position in January after having served as marketing manager for WKU's Division of Extended Learning
and Outreach since July 2007. "I'm truly honored to be named Chief Marketing Officer," Biggs said. "There is extraordinary opportunity to spread WKU's
message to potential students, and I look forward to the challenge."
As Chief Marketing Officer, Biggs will be responsible for developing, implementing and coordinating WKU's communications and marketing strategies and
branding efforts; providing oversight and content management of the university webpage and university publications; creating and implementing a
comprehensive, integrated marketing campaign for WKU; and coordinating marketing efforts to ensure consistency of messaging, content and brand
management.
A native of Adair County, Biggs is married to Craig Biggs, also an Adair County native who is associate athletic director in charge of facilities at
WKU. She is a former chairperson of the Logan County Tobacco & Heritage Festival and a Guest Writer for
The LoJo.
The LoJo
Another contributor to The LoJo, Lynne Thomas, tell us: "I met an interesting gentleman at work who was looking for some
information. His name is Ray Epley and he used to be a drummer for a local band back in the 60's called "The Escapades." They would play in
Auburn at the old hotel that is located on Main Street. He was told by an acquaintance that someone he had visited once had a sign on their barn or
shop with an advertisement for the group. Anyone who could help this man find the advertisement he is looking for, please send me the information."
Lynne works at the Auburn Minit Mart. She says Mr. Epley's address can be found on the bulletin board at the store. His phone numbers are 202-5861 and
202-8283
The LoJo
A WKU student organization which emphasizes professional communication was recently named the nation's best in communicating its own activities.
Western Kentucky University Chapter has been named Best in Student Publicity and Public Relations by the International Association of Business
Communicators (IABC). The award was the result of a competitive entry based on student chapter activities during 2009.
Donna Schiess Renaud
, a member of the Department of Communication faculty and sponsor of the WKU IABC chapter, recently returned from the (IABC) annual leadership
conference and awards presentation in San Diego. She. is a graduate of Lewisburg High School and the daughter of Martha Foster of Russellville.
President of Western's IBAC Chapter is Amanda Belcher of Auburn, a graduate of LCHS.