After sharing in last week’s column memories of some of those deceased included in my Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes book series, I’ll continue this week to remember the rest of the roster of cherished individuals so profiled. May these accounts lift you up.
• Father John Rausch was passionate about the people of Eastern Kentucky, and motivated by his strong Catholic values, his desire was to show the world what life there — both good and bad — is like. He led tours for outsiders, and he was a prolific writer and speaker in advocacy of the area. He also wrote and spoke about injustices he saw all over the world.
• Della Jones, of Williamstown, packed a lot of challenging experiences into her 106 years of life. She was a teacher and librarian at various schools in north-central Kentucky. She spent seventeen summers attending summer school at Kentucky State University in order to get her bachelor’s degree, and before her death, she was noted as being the oldest living alumnus there. Sadly, she encountered instances of racism along the way, but weathered the storm admirably.
• Ruth Blair’s presence around Hodgenville, in LaRue County, was one of dedication in the classroom as a public-school teacher, along with unselfishly reaching out to newcomers in the community. Ruth and her husband drove thousands of miles sponsoring students in speech contests. Ruth became a voluntary ombudsman and advocate for about 100 Hispanic migrants coming into the area, easing their transition challenges.
• George and Mary Jo Phillips worked as a solid partnership for over five decades in ministering to churches and communities in Island, Kentucky (McLean County), Louisville, and Campbellsville. The two started programs aimed at helping individuals abusing alcohol, and Mary Jo championed the development of a day care center in Paraguay, South America, which the community named after her. George also did national and international Christian evangelistic work.
• Martha Sparks was familiar with the difficulties involved with being a longtime caregiver after taking care of her husband, Bertel, who suffered from Type I diabetes and eventually dementia. After his death, Martha wrote three books used to aid caregivers: Give Us This Day: Daily Hope for Caregivers; Cherish the Days: Inspiration and Insight for Long-Distance Caregivers; and Strength for Today: Daily Encouragement Through Life’s Transitions. She kept a busy schedule of speaking engagements at churches and other gatherings. She was often called “America’s Voice for the Caregiver.”
• Charles Whitaker, from River, Kentucky, was affectionately known as “The Can Man.” That’s because he gathered aluminum cans off roadsides and parking lots in a grand way. In time, he sold the cans to a local recycling center and collected some $36,000—all of which he donated to the local Johnson County Christian School to provide scholarships for students needing financial assistance to go there.
• Evelyn Johnson Seals used her Middlesboro home as an outreach she called “The Blessing House,” a place where items such as basic foodstuffs and blankets. She described her project as “giving to others what is given us.” She annually gave a Thanksgiving feast for the poor, with as many as 129 attending. She was known also as a caregiver of the sick in her family and was an accomplished inspirational poet.
• Dale Faughn lived boldly and heroically in several ways, starting with his time as a U.S. Marine deployed at Iwo Jima, about which he wrote a noted poem. He served as a Kentucky public school teacher with high recognition for 61 years (both National and Kentucky Hall of Fame inclusion). He also was a 1986 co-winner of the Kentucky Poet Laureate, and in 2016 was recognized as Guiness World Record holder as oldest blood donor. Until his last days, he was a strong advocate for America’s military veterans.
• Roy Pullam, born dirt-poor and often living hungry in the town of Providence, in Webster County, used the searing pain of his youth experiences as motivation to help vulnerable people. As a middle school teacher in Henderson, he served as the sponsor of the largest Junior Optimist Club in the world, with the organization reaching out with a helping hand to thousands in the Henderson community and beyond. After retiring from teaching, Roy remained an advocate for the poor and minorities, starting programs and writing newspaper editorials.
Also, I’d be remiss to not mention individuals I honored posthumously in the book series, whose legacies deserved inclusion in the volumes of Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes.
Pat Smith died in the August 27, 2006, in the fateful Comair 5191 from Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport. He was only 58, but his life as a mover and shaker for large numbers of people needing housing was an incredible one. Through the auspices of the Habitat for Humanity organization, his leadership, inspiration, and personal compassion for the underserved resulted in the establishment of hundreds of houses and other buildings that brought, and still bring, better lives to thousands.
Peggy Kimner partnered with Irma Gall for five decades serving the needs of the Stinking Creek community of Knox County. Irma taught school in a one-room building and Peggy, a graduate of the acclaimed Frontier Nursing Service, delivered babies. As the years advanced and new buildings of intentional purpose were built, a multitude of items under the banner “lend-a-hand” became a part of what Irma and Peggy did. They taught Sunday School classes and informally counseled and mentored troubled youth, and at times gave them a place to stay. The operation became a haven for college student volunteers and others with like-minded desires to be of service. The mission of delivering babies was enhanced when Peggy opened a clinic inside the Center, where many of the other activities were done. The Lend-a-Hand Center continues in service today because of the two’s groundwork.
And then there is my brother, Mike. I dedicated the fifth volume of Kentucky’s Everyday Heroes to him. About him, I’ll simply share this memoir I wrote in a previous Kentucky by Heart column: With a heart heavy with the loss of younger brother, wishing the best of Thanksgiving.
May we all become better by looking at the lives of those who lived so nobly.