eTearsheet - Kentucky Press Association

INDEX
■ The Bridge, the Ship and the Gap ....................2
■ Murray-Calloway County Quilt Trail ...................6
■ The Legend of Casey Jones .........................9
■ Walking Through History at Fort Donelson. ...........13
■ Murray Woman Finds Healing in Yoga. ...............16
■ Jefferson Davis Monument .........................19
■ Dexter Artist Inspired to Live His Dream. .............22
■ George Bandarra - Four Decades of Metal Sculpting ...25
■ Primary Care Medical Center .......................30
■ MSU’s 90th Anniversary ...........................32
■ LBL “Abuzz” with Hummingbird Festival .............37
■ Chess for a New Generation. .......................40
■ Paducah Wineries ................................43
■ Scott Winkler: The Century Mark ....................47
■ Antique Automobile Club of America - Twin Lakes
Chapter .........................................50
■ John Mack Carter. ................................53
■ Smith Brothers Quartet ............................56
■ Kentucky Senior Games ...........................59
■ Murray Couple Learn National Geographic
Photography Techniques ..........................62
On the Cover: Pictured is the recently repaired Eggners Ferry
Bridge at Aurora. Traffic over the bridge was halted after the Delta
Mariner cargo ship collided with the structure in January.
Greg Travis / Ledger & Times
Publisher, Alice Rouse
Managing Editor, Greg Travis
Advertising Manager, Chris Woodall
Production Manager, Tammy Hobbs
Editorial Staff:
Hawkins Teague, Angie Hatton,
John Wright, Jessica Morris,
Ricky Martin, Jack Kees,
Austin Ramsey
Contributing Writer: Tom Berry
Advertising Staff:
Crystal Duvall
Ashley Morris
Graphic Design:
Trudy Ellenberger
Sherry Holt
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
1

■ By Angie Hatton
GREG TRAVIS / Ledger & Times
Delta Mariner Master Capt. Lloyd Patten woke around 7:30 p.m. on the
night of Jan. 26. He was scheduled to go on watch in a few hours, but he
wanted to get his bearings first. Coffee in hand, Patten went to the bridge to
find out the ship’s position and the outside conditions
ahead of his shift.
When Patten arrived on the bridge, the crew
was preparing to pass underneath the Eggners
Ferry Bridge. It was one of dozens of bridges
the vessel was scheduled to navigate under
on its cargo route from Decatur, Ga., to
Cape Canaveral, Fla. It was a journey the
ship and crew members had completed
many times. But this passage would not go
smoothly.
Transcripts from the bridge’s Voyager
Data Recorder (VDR) show the motor vessel
was pointed toward the only lit span of
the bridge. Crew members testified at public
hearings held in Paducah in April that
they believed they were headed toward a
section of the bridge adjacent to the main
channel span. It was an area they said they
knew they could clear. However, too late
that night the bridge crew realized they
were wrong. Patten said that at the time the
crew saw their error, the vessel could not be safely stopped or turned
around.
The next sound on the VDR recording is a sickening crash.
Keith Todd, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Districts 1 and 2 public
information officer, got a phone call shortly after 8 p.m. that night from a
news contact. The contact told him a boat had hit the Eggners Ferry Bridge.
He said he would check into it.
Barges and other small river traffic bump against bridges from time to time,
usually causing little to no damage. Todd said he knew this time was different
when he got a call from the 911 Emergency Call Center in Marshall County.
“Before I could get to their number, they called me. And that’s when I realized
that if they’re calling me this quick, this is not good,” he said.
In the minutes after the allision, Todd said he could think of little else than
making sure there were no fatalities.
“Our engineers can replace concrete, they can replace steel, but they can’t
replace a human life, and that was the one thing that to me was most important,”
said Todd.
Traffic on the bridge was stopped almost immediately the night of the incident.
Todd credits the early response by volunteers, law enforcement and the
Marshall County Rescue Squad as one of the reasons no one
was killed that night.
The bridge catastrophe left many
speculating in the first days and weeks
after the incident. Highway officials
wondered if the piers on either side of the
missing span were too damaged to handle
any repairs. Commuters and tourists wondered
how they would manage extra driving
expenses with a 40-mile detour around
U. S. 68/ KY 80. Businesses wondered
about their economic future.
Murray-Calloway County Chamber
of Commerce President/CEO Lance Allison
vocalized the concerns of local businesses
worried they would be cut off from a large
swath of their customer base.
“In Cadiz, Kentucky, you can go to
Hopkinsville, you can go to Paducah, you can
go to Clarksville, you can go to Murray. So
now, with this bridge out you’ve effectively
taken out Murray because the convenience isn’t
there,” said Allison.
As crews with Foss Maritime and the
U. S. Coast Guard cleared debris and moved the Delta Mariner from between
the remaining bridge spans, KYTC engineers quickly began inspections and
electronic monitoring to determine whether the bridge was still safe after its
structural fissure.
In mid February, Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear visited the site of the crash
for the first time. It was then that he and transportation officials announced
what was the first glimmer of hope for a new span.
“We’ve been monitoring the piers and span now for some time ... we hope
to declare soon that what we have is safe enough to utilize,” Beshear said. “If
they are safe, then we are obviously looking at, and planning, a temporary
span here that could reopen this highway.”
But speculation remained as to how soon a replacement section could
become a reality. State and local district engineers said an extra supporting
pier or two could be needed to hold up the new truss. KYTC District 1 Chief
2 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Engineer Jim LeFevre told reporters he was not sure
the same kind of bridge design would work in the
space because the steel truss would take too long to
fabricate.
Ideas for temporary measures included a ferry to
transport cars back and forth across Kentucky Lake.
However, that idea was abandoned as state officials
encountered logistical snarls over where to pick up
and drop off vehicles, how to coordinate with river
traffic and how many vehicles could be ferried at one
time.
Focus shifted to getting the best bridge repair
design as quickly as possible.
Enter Hall Contracting of Kentucky Inc., a
Louisville-based bridge company with a reputation
for getting the job done quickly. State transportation
officials had recently contracted with Hall to complete
the Sherman Minton Bridge in Louisville, a job
the company completed ahead of schedule.
Beshear announced on March 3 that Hall had been
hired through a $7 million emergency contract to
complete the repair by Memorial Day. The design
called for a single structure that would be supported
by the existing piers, an elegant solution that had been
thought too complicated to construct quickly. Hall
said they could do it in three months.
The task seemed daunting, but Hall Contracting
Vice President Tom Roberts said he was not worried
about missing the deadline.
“We pride ourselves on fast-track projects, and we
have not failed to meet a schedule,yet,” said Roberts.
Hall began work by designing and fabricating the
steel that would be assembled for the new truss, a
process which took more than a month. The beams
were then trucked to the Eddyville Riverport in Lyon
County for assembly. KYTC photos of the gray steel
lined up on the ground resembled the pieces of a giant
tinker toy set. Crews soon shaped the beams into a
300-ton truss. The span was ready for the river.
Around 12:30 p.m. May 14, a three-barge flotilla set
out from the riverport to carry the bridge section and
two cranes required to lift it to the Eggners Ferry
Bridge site. Crowds dotted the shoreline near the
riverport and at the overlooks along the Cumberland
River and Kentucky Lake as the flotilla made the
■ See page 4
Pictured at top, Gov. Steve Beshear speaks at a press conference on the Eggners Ferry Bridge soon after the incident (ANGIE HATTON / Ledger & Times).
Pictured above, two cranes lift the replacement bridge span into place (KEITH TODD / KTC).
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
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The Bridge
■ continued from page 3
five-and-one-half-hour passage to Aurora. The next morning, the truss was
lifted into place. Hall now had less than two weeks to finish fastening the steel
and laying the bridge deck.
A much-talked-about stipulation of the company’s contract was a $50,000
per-day penalty for work not completed by the midnight May 27 deadline.
However, Todd said the contractor was not pushed to work hard because of a
fine.
“This wasn’t about avoiding a penalty. This was about their personal pride,
company pride, the employees’ pride in their work and wanting to get it done
on time or ahead of time,” he said.
The announcement came on the afternoon of May 24: The bridge was finished,
and would open the next day.
During a “Bridge Day” event that drew thousands, people from around the
region walked and biked the bridge before it was set to open that day at 1 p.m.
Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock was among those who
Above, members of the Purchase Area Model A Car Club were some of the
first to cross the reopened bridge (JOHN WRIGHT / Ledger & Times).
Left, thousands walked across the new span during “Bridge Day”
(ANGIE HATTON / Ledger & Times).
marveled at the feat of engineering as he stood on the replacement span.
“In my 34-year career with the transportation cabinet, I’ve never seen anything
that compares to this,” Hancock said.
One of the first cars to pass over the new span was driven by Robert Parker,
of Trigg County. Parker was one of the drivers who had been on the bridge the
night of the allision. In another symbolic gesture, a fleet of cars from the
Purchase Area Model A Car Club drove across the bridge. The Model A was
the standard vehicle when the bridge was constructed in 1932.
Vehicles of all kinds began streaming across the bridge at 1:05 p.m. May
25, two-and-one-half days ahead of the deadline. Within minutes of its opening,
the flow of traffic returned to normal at the Eggners Ferry Bridge, as
motorists passed over it on their way to business, leisure and home.
Editor’s note: Angie Hatton has covered the Eggners Ferry Bridge story
extensively. She has reported on the allision, updates to the construction
replacement process, the public hearings and the recent reopening of the
structure.
4 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
5

Have you ever been out driving along one of Calloway County’s scenic
highways and spotted some enigmatic, but artistic and geometrical
designs painted on some of the barns.
Could they be crop circles? No, nothing alien about them.
Chances are you’ll be looking at part of the official Calloway County Quilt
Trail - a colorful network of quilting artwork representing one-of-a-kind original
designs, or some already featured, on hand-made quilts made right here
at home.
The Calloway County Quilt Trail, part of the Kentucky Arts Council’s
Kentucky Quilt Trails project, spans the county and is one of many similar
“trails” that can be found across the Midwest. The local version kicked off in
2010 when the Calloway County Quilt Trail Committee was formed by local
resident Ruth Daughaday. The project was supported by the Calloway County
Homemaker Extension Service and Murray-Calloway Tourism and artists
were solicited to paint and install the designs that include art designs already
featured on works by local quilters.
Many volunteers made the project possible including support from Murray
Electric System and Don and Lisa Wilson who have allowed the artists to use
their garage as a homebase to store paint and supplies.
Some of those involved include Daughaday, the Wilsons, Anita and Bill
Bain, Pat Wilson, Georgia Keel, Helen Campbell, Kitty Davis, Linda
Passalacqua, Nancy Burcham and Judi Little.
Little, of Irvin Cobb Road, is now in charge of the project. She said painting
of the signs started in the old barn at the fairgrounds.
“It was dark, no air, heat...many problems,” Little said.
She said individual choice determined the design and colors with many
trails in the Midwest offering options.
“I usually transfer the design from a picture or actual quilt to graph paper
■ By Tom Berry
GREG TRAVIS / Ledger & Times
and then transfer to the metal,” Little said. “The sign metal has to be prepped,
sanded and primed before we can transfer the pattern. We use painter’s tape
and several coats of exterior acrylic.”
However Ruth Daughaday kicked off the project about two years ago.
“She is the driving force. She talked us into starting this back in 2010.
Without her commitment and contacts we would not be where we are,” Little
said. “It was Daughaday who enlisted help from the Wilson’s who have
helped to paint the signs and allow use of their garage for other needs.”
Daughaday said she became interested in starting a quilt trail project in
Calloway and helped to get it started, but gave most of the credit to Little.
“I had a passion for getting this started, but didn’t want to chair anything.
We talked about it, and I agreed to chair it to get it started,” she said. “But I
have to say that Judi Little does all the hard work.”
Little said the cost for a 8X8 design is about $200, $100 for a 4x4.
“This is not a money-making exercise,” Little said. “If we do end up with
some profit, we will subsidize a public space quilt.”
Anyone who wishes may take part and place a quilt-designed sign on their
property.
“The only criteria: it should not be an advertising sign or logo, and it should
be a quilt pattern,” Little said.
Others participating in various ways include Ginny Harper, Dr. Durwood
Beatty and members of the Calloway County 4H crew who have assisted with
painting.
Kat Marie Fick, who is also credited with assisting with much of the art
work, said her mother was an avid quilter who passed the love of traditional
quilt art on to her.
“I fell in love with the beauty that barn quilts can add to a setting,” Fick
said. “She and I worked on the first one I did together with one of her pattern
6 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Pictured above and right are scenes
from the Calloway County Quilt
Trail (photos provided).
books, graph paper and a big box of
crayons - experimenting with different
color combinations until we
found one that worked. This is a special
memory for me.”
After painting her own barn, she
decided to do more.
“I have a very busy job, and I
wanted to do something different to
bring in additional income, yet be a
stress-reliever for me, which painting
is,” she said. “I have several rescued
pets with special needs and each quilt
helps toward their medical needs and
veterinary visits. I volunteer for our
local animal shelter and decided that
a community quilt might add something
unique to the building. It has
been added to the Barn Quilt Trail and my hope is that it will increase awareness
about the location of our shelter as well as the number of visitors to the
shelter.”
Photographer Terry Little contributed his skills, patience and particularly
his “hauling expertise” while MES assisted with hanging several of the quilt
squares. Stephanie Butler and Erin Carrico, of the Murray Convention and
Visitors Bureau, have also supported and promoted the project.
Some of the more-than-a-dozen displays set up so far on barns and buildings
across the county include the red, white and blue “Patriotic” quilt painting
on the Butterworth barn on Ky. 94 West. In 1996, the Butterworth’s built
their home behind an aging, dark-fired tobacco barn. The barn, which was
intended to be moved, was modified to include a drive-thru and is now the
main entrance to the home.
Others include a colorful 8X8 “Ohio Star” design painted by the Wilsons in
memory of Treva Hurt that is located at the Wilson home on Point Road.
Another “Ohio Star” is located on the Smith farm on Faxon Road that was
chosen to compliment other buildings with advertising signs.
Another design is located on a 65-year-old barn belonging to Murray State
University on Graham Road. It includes a set of three squares originally commissioned
by the Cohoon family before it was sold to MSU. The ‘Ohio Stars’
represent a daughter and son-in-law who live in Ohio, the Army star is for Joe
Pat Cohoon who served in Vietnam.
At the Rowlett home on Van Cleave Road there’s a 4x4 “Texas Lonestar”
that was placed by Angela Rowlett, who was inspired by the beauty of quilt
squares displayed across Kentucky when she drove back and forth to visit
family. She chose to post the work to surprise her mother in 2008. It was painted
by Tim Driskell using a photo of Glenda Rowlett’s favorite quilt that Sadie
Runyon, her grandmother, had made - possibly in the 1940s.
There’s also an 8X8 “Mariner’s Compass” design on the Max Rogers barn
on Ky. 94 West.
For more information about how quilt trails got started in Ohio and spread
to other states, go online to artscouncil.ky.gov/KentuckyArt/QTrails.htm. For
more information about how to become part of the quilt trail, contact Little at
436-5132 or the Calloway County Extension Office at 753-1452.
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
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8 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

The story of John Luther “Casey” Jones is shrouded in as much myth as it
is truth.
Born in 1863 in Cayce, Ky., the famed train engineer was a star on the
tracks, but died in a tragic collision early in the morning on April 30, 1900.
Jones was known by his colleagues as a charismatic engineman and a noble
man, for on the night of his death, he remained at the head of his passenger
train to keep continued pressure on the breaks, assuredly saving the lives of
the dozens of passengers he had on board.
Songs, television shows and movies have been made for decades, praising
Jones for his heroism on the tracks or aiming to shed a more “real” light on
the incident that morning.
Indeed, a great deal of mystery still surrounds the engineer’s death to this
day. Casey Jones Historian Norma Taylor of the Casey Jones Home and
Railroad Museum in Jackson, Tenn., has spent the greater part of her career
studying Jones and who the Kentucky native was.
Jones spent his childhood between
Cayce and Columbus, Ky., along the
Mississippi River in Hickman
County. The young boy grew up like
many others playing baseball and
living a carefree, playful life along
the mighty river banks.
Most historians agree Jones
always had an interest in trains. A
route ran near his home in Columbus
run by the Mobile & Ohio Railroad.
When he was old enough, he went to
work with the company on freight
trains as a brakeman on route
between Columbus and Jackson,
Tenn. After a few years making a
name for himself, he was promoted
to a fireman between Jackson and
Mobile, Ala.
Among railroaders, Jones soon
took the name “Casey.” Taylor said it
was not uncommon in the railroad
community for individuals to take on
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By Austin Ramsey
the names of their hometowns, especially if their real names were common.
“It is my understanding that most railroad workers had nicknames,” she
said. “When Casey moved from Columbus, Ky., to Jackson, one of the first
questions he was asked was, ‘Where are you from?’ His reply was, ‘Cayce,
Kentucky.’ He was told, ‘Well, welcome, Casey.’ The name stuck - and he
was known as Casey for the rest of his life.”
Some dispute exists over Jones’ spelling, however. Taylor said she thinks
Jones kept the original spelling of “Cayce” rather than the “Casey” that has
become famous today.
“We have some letters that he wrote, and he signed his name spelled the
same way as the town Cayce,” she said.
Jones moved to Jackson where he met his wife, Mary Joanna “Janie”
Brady. The two settled together and begin to make a life with each other. Jones
was becoming increasingly successful in a new rail company, the Illinois
Central Railroad, soon being promoted to the position of his lifelong dream as
engineer, and his wife Janie stayed at
home with their eventual three children.
Reportedly, the couple was
happy and supportive of each other.
As an engineer, Jones was ambitious
and intuitive. He ran a freighter
south from Jackson to Water Valley,
Miss. The train was the No. 638,
considered a massive technological
advancement within the railroad
industry. In fact, people in the communities
Jones’ route ran him
through begin to know the talented
engineer, and Taylor said almost
everyone liked him.
“From all my research, Casey was
a very likable person,” she said.
“The railroad community had much
respect for him.”
Jones was considered a master
with his train whistle. Typically used
to warn other trains and passersby
Top, the reproduction of No. 382 found at the Casey Jones Home & Railroad
Museum and a portrait of Jones as a young man. Above, Fireman Sim Webb of
the Illinois Central Railroad talks to a conductor on the No. 382, the train in
which Casey Jones died and saved the lives of all the passengers aboard. ■ See page 10
9

Casey Jones
■ continued from page 9
that a massive iron engine was on the tracks, he learned to manipulate the
drawstring used to let out the low mournful call so that he could make
melodies. One particular melody he liked to play was likened to the “war cry
of a Viking,” and those living along Jones’ route late at night were known to
roll over in their beds as he roared past and say, “There goes Casey Jones.”
But on the night of April 29, 1900, Jones and his fireman Sim Webb took
on a challenge. The regularly scheduled driver of the No. 382 had called in
sick, and his light, speedy passenger train was running late on its way from
Memphis, Tenn., to Canton, Miss. Jones was known for repeatedly touting
that he would “get her there on the advertised time,” but the train was 95 minutes
behind schedule.
The night was foggy and the track was damp, but Jones and Webb knew the
route well and worked well together. In fact, for most of the night, Jones made
incredible time, reaching speeds of up 75 mph at times. Because Jones was
manning a passenger train that night, freighters along the way were required
to move aside to secondary tracks off of the main line, but during maneuvering
down the tracks outside of Canton, the No. 83 got stuck behind a broken
down train the No. 72, leaving four cars still on the main track.
Railroad employees of the No. 72 rushed down the track with flags to wave
down any oncoming trains, but either due to speed or the dense fog, Jones
never saw the two flagmen and upon rounding a curve, Webb shouted to him,
“Oh, my Lord! There’s something on the main line!”
Jones shouted back to him, “Jump, Sim, jump!” Meanwhile, Jones pulled
the train whistle with one hand and put the rest of his weight on the brakes,
decreasing the speed from an amazing 70 mph to 35, but there was no way to
prevent the engine from colliding into the sitting cars.
The headline in the Memphis Commercial Appeal said it all. “DEAD
UNDER HIS CAB: THE SAD END OF ENGINEER CASEY JONES,” it
read. He was killed instantly. The IC accident report named Jones solely
responsible for the incident, but he had prevented the deaths of anyone else.
Wallace Saunders, an engine wiper that helped clean Jones’ engine popularized
the late engineer with a tune he used to sing. He called it the “Ballad
of Casey Jones.” Since, the song has been sang by such artists as The Grateful
Dead and Johnny Cash. Today, 40 plus versions of the song exist. Jones was
portrayed in a television series and several films over the years, and at least
two museums exist in his honor, including the one Taylor and her husband
operate in Jackson.
“The Casey Jones Museum aspires to keep the memory of Casey Jones
alive,” she said. “For so many years of our history, the railroads were extremely
important - being the means of transporting goods and passengers across
our country. Therefore, those workers who kept those trains running also kept
America going strong. So we honor not only Casey Jones - but railroad workers
in general.”
Pictured at top, the General Store at the Casey Jones Home & Railroad
Museum. Middle, Jones’ wife, Janie Brady, looks at a picture of him in the
couples’ home in Jackson, Tenn. Below, the entire museum complex
complete with train replica and Jones’ home. (All photos provided)
10 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
11

12 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

As the 150th anniversary of the Civil War continues, many people are
recalling the importance of Civil War historic sites in our backyard. Fort
Donelson National Battlefield in Dover, Tenn., was one such location that
influenced the course of the war.
From Feb. 6-16, 1862, Union troops waged an attack on three Confederate
forts along the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers bordering Kentucky and
Tennessee. The successful siege on Forts Henry, Heiman and Donelson
plunged a hole into Confederate lines, and cut off a major supply route on the
river system, severing a connection between Confederate troops farther north
and southern reinforcement.
Park Ranger Doug Richardson, chief of Resource Education, said all Civil
War battle sites assert that they were pivotal in the war. However, Fort
Donelson has compelling evidence to back up its claim, he said.
The story of Fort Donelson is written in its landscape. Three square miles
of preserved earthworks still exist in the park. They mark the defense points
Confederate troops used against Union attackers. Richardson said one of the
most striking locations at Fort Donelson is the river front. Two batteries of
cannon are lined up on the hill overlooking the Cumberland River, and visitors
can walk around and touch these recreations of the armaments that
defended the fort.
“There is nothing like standing behind one of those cannons, and trying to
imagine what happened there,” Richardson remarked. “Our former chief historian
for the National Parks Service, Edwin Bears, always had a great line,
‘The only way to get to know a battlefield is to walk it.’ And so when you’re
here, you do get a sense of the geography, the ravines and such, that you can’t
get from looking at a map of troop movements.”
When looked at in perspective, said Richardson, the winning of the battle
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By Angie Hatton
at Fort Donelson was a power play in the Civil War that gave an advantage to
the Union side.
“With the fall of Fort Donelson, within days, Clarksville (Tenn.,) would be
taken without a shot, Nashville would be evacuated, and would be basically
given up with very few shots,” he said. “It really changed the whole dynamic
of the Civil War and the timeline.”
Richardson said the battle was a milestone in military technology, with the
use of the newly designed iron-clad gunboats and land battle strategy not seen
in wars before.
“The gunboats made any other navy used up to that point obsolete. So the
use of iron-clads at Fort Donelson changed warfare forever,” he said.
Confederate Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest, known as the “wizard of the saddle”
moved mounted troops around the battlefield like infantry, said
Richardson. Doing so made Calvary more active in the field, instead of keeping
them separate from other troops.
The battle was also historic because it was a pivotal turning point in the
career of then Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Grant commanded the Union side
in the fighting, said Richardson.
“There’s a piece of land here at Fort Donelson that I try to visit two to three
times a week because there’s such a sense there. In the fighting on Feb. 15,
1862, ... Grant arrived on the scene,” said Richardson. “When he saw what
was happening with the land fight, he helped reorganize the Union lines and
rearm them, and there are a lot of historians who will look at that one moment
in this battle, and say that’s what made him a star. And it was here that started
his road to the presidency.”
Richardson said Grant earned the nickname “unconditional surrender
■ See page 14
13

FORT DONELSON
■ continued from page 13
Grant” at Fort Donelson, for his answer to Confederate Brig. Gen. Simon B.
Buckner’s request for terms of surrender. “No terms except an unconditional
and immediate surrender can be accepted,” Grant wrote back. The battle catapulted
Grant to prominence in the Union ranks, and from that point “his star
kept rising,” Richardson said.
Records from the Civil War era are spotty, said
Richardson, but by many accounts Union leaders had
21,000 soldiers. On the Confederate side there were
between 13,000 and 14,000. An estimated 500 Union
soldiers and 257 Confederate soldiers died, although,
said Richardson, the number of Confederate dead is
uncertain. Richardson said part of the problem on the
Confederate side is that many soldiers were buried
where they fell, or were buried in a mass grave without
any marker of who was buried where.
“You can tell 150 years later that the war was a pivotal
part in many people’s genealogies. It’s very real to
them, in terms of genealogy 150 years is pretty recent,
and many will come here to research their family,”
said Richardson. “It’s one of the tough parts of the job
because if their relative was on the Confederate side,
and their records indicate they were killed in battle, the
records do not indicate where they were buried and we
do not know where they were buried.”
The park’s site encompasses more than the fields of
battle. Visitors are also encouraged to visit the Fort
Donelson National Cemetery where 670 Union soldiers
were reinterred in the 1860s. A little over 500 are
only identified with simple white markers because the
majority of soldiers did not carry any identifying information
with them. The cemetery is closed to new burials
now, but it contains many United States veterans
who served since Civil War times.
Another highlight of the park is the Dover Hotel,
Pictured are some of the reenactors who came
to Fort Donelson in February for the official
sesquicentennial of the battle there.
(All photos provided)
where the official surrender occurred. The hotel has been largely preserved in
its original state along the banks of the river. Richardson said it is another
location that creates a connection with history, because it was there that
Confederate troops were gathered to be taken to prisoner of war camps.
“Just try to imagine the sight of 14,000 Confederates being loaded onto
boats,” he said. “Sometimes the history books don’t convey emotion, so you
imagine those guys were probably just as angry, scared, depressed as we’d be
today. Many of those Confederate prisoners of war
never came home.”
The town of Dover has developed around the park,
and at times on top of it. Some subdivisions are built
on top of skirmish sites, and Civil War markers can be
seen at the edges of property. But even with the modern
encroachments, the battlefield site is still well preserved,
Richardson stated.
“Even in the 19th century, those who were fighting
this battle and those who were living in this community,
probably had no idea of the concept that some day
there would be a park here commemorating the battle
and the story. But even so, they had this remarkable
foresight to preserve so much of the physical (things)
related to this battle. That’s a real credit to the community,”
said Richardson.
The Fort Donelson National Battlefield site includes
the remnants of Fort Heiman in Calloway County. The
National Parks Service has in the last few years begun
a restoration and preservation project at Fort Heiman,
and interpretive signs now mark many of that former
fort’s historic areas.
Several sesquicentennial activities are planned throughout
the year at Fort Donelson. Those include a visit by a
Ulysses S. Grant re-enactor, and a performance by the
Civil War Singers, a local group that performs Civil Warera
tunes. The park also offers nature programs and
school tours. For more information about Fort Donelson,
visit www.nps.gov/fodo.
14 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
15

Marcy Snodgrass, of Murray, is one in a million. At the age of 23,
Snodgrass was diagnosed with a disease called Takayasu’s Arteritis, a
rare inflammation of the arteries that affects mostly women in their 20s and
30s. The cause of the disease is unknown, and its complications include chest,
arm and abdominal pain; high blood pressure and the possibility of heart failure
or stroke.
The year she graduated from college, Snodgrass began experiencing unexplainable
dizziness and fatigue. This went on for several months, and she
decided to consult a doctor when she
started having trouble with every day living.
“I was having all these symptoms. I
was really dizzy. My vision started blacking
out,” said Snodgrass.
Because the disease is so unusual,
Snodgrass said it was a miracle that she
was diagnosed correctly early in her consultation.
“I went to a doctor who was not my
normal doctor, but he was the one on call
that day, and he had seen my disease one
other time, in medical school,” she said.
Snodgrass underwent tests to confirm
the physician’s suspicions, and was called
back to the doctor’s office that same day.
The physician told her she had
Takayasu’s Arteritis, and that she had to
go to Memphis for treatment.
Two days later, she said, she had open
■ By Angie Hatton
Yoga instructor Mary Snodgrass demonstrates a yoga pose.
Snodgrass credits yoga as a technique that helped her heal after
open heart surgery at age 23 (ANGIE HATTON / Ledger & Times).
heart surgery. At the time of the surgery, Snodgrass said her left carotid artery
was 100 percent closed from inflammation, and her right carotid artery was
80 percent closed. Surgeons put in two artificial arteries to help with blood
flow. While the technique had been used before with other heart patients,
Snodgrass said that at the time of the operation, she was the youngest person
to receive the type of artificial arteries the doctors used.
Another surgery followed three months later, along with a subsequent regiment
of medications to aid her recovery, she said.
Snodgrass said the period after her
surgeries was the lowest point in her
health and quality of life. Due to some
side effects of the medication she had to
take to control the inflammation, she
began gaining weight, and she said that
overall, she did not feel good.
It was at that time, around two years
after her first diagnosis, that doctors
found on a follow up visit that
Snodgrass’ arteries were blocked again.
Another surgery was recommended, but
Snodgrass could not face that prospect.
“I asked them, ‘Could you just give
me six months to work on my own
health, and see if I can make any changes
that would help this?’” said Snodgrass.
“And I just decided that God has created
us with such magnificent bodies that
surely he has created us with the ability
to restore and heal. I wanted to see what
16 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

I could do.”
With the permission of her doctor, Snodgrass began to
change her lifestyle. She made better food choices, she started
to get massage therapy body work and she began to exercise.
For the latter, she chose yoga, a practice that she had
experimented with before.
Snodgrass said that like many people, she came to yoga
because she thought it would be good exercise, but as she
experimented with different styles, and practiced yoga more,
she found that it was also good for her in other ways. It lowered
her stress level, and relieved some of the side effects of
her medications.
“I fell in love with yoga and what it did for me, both mentally
and physically. It helped me to clear my mind and to
keep me more focused,” she said. “Physically, it helped me
lose about 20 pounds or so.”
The style of yoga Snodgrass prefers is hot Vinyasa Flow
yoga. It focuses on one breath for each movement, she said,
with one pose sliding into the next one. Doing the yoga
moves in a warm room decreases the likelihood of injury and
increases range of motion, she said.
“Many people think that yoga is sitting on a mat and
breathing, and that is a form of yoga, but with Vinyasa Flow,
after an hour work out, you leave sweating,” she said.
Snodgrass said the decision to live healthier was for her
not only about eating better and working out. It was also
about slowing down in her life, and not trying to do a lot at
once, which has been her habit. She said that was a way of
taking care of her mind and her body.
When she first started changing her lifestyle, Snodgrass
said she was only thinking about ways to avoid another surgery.
But after her follow up visit showed that her arteries
had begun to open up again, she began a new goal of working
to get healthy enough to live without medications.
Her doctor had told her that she would have to take steroids and immune
suppressants for the rest of her life because of her disease. However,
Snodgrass worried about the side effects of the medications, which included
ulcers, skin problems and an increased risk of cancer. That is when she decided
her next goal after avoiding the surgery would be to work to get off the
medication, particularly the steroids.
She said for her, disease management has been about daily deciding to seek
health.
“Instead of looking at it as whether I’m healthy or I’m not healthy, I try to
look it as every choice that I make, am I moving more toward health or am I
moving away from health?” said Snodgrass.
Snodgrass and her doctor have been working to reduce her medication
dosage for well over a decade. She said a little over six months ago was when
she finally took her last pill.
“My doctor called me. ... He said, ‘Marcy, we’ve conferred, and we think
it’s time for you to come off the medicine,’” said Snodgrass. “I just remember
I was sitting in my kitchen and I started crying because it was like after
15 years of being on that medicine, to be able to come off of it, that the body
had restored itself, it was so exciting.”
Snodgrass said that she feels blessed to have come as far as she has in her
disease management.
“A lot of people with my disease don’t get out of the house, and that can be
depressing, but I wanted to wipe out the negativity and stay positive,” she
said.
Alternative health techniques have worked for Snodgrass. However, that
does not mean she does not support conventional medicine. She said that
without it, she would not be alive today, and she is thankful for the doctors
and surgeons who helped her early on.
Snodgrass continues her personal yoga practice, and has been certified as a
yoga instructor. She said that was a move she made early on as an outward
show of her commitment to the practice. She said she also continues to work
each day to move herself a few steps closer to health. In rating herself on a
scale of one to 10, she gives herself an eight, because, she said, there is always
room for improvement.
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
17

18 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Western Kentucky is home to a diversifying array of historical places
centered around the events that have shaped the region and its people.
Exhibits that date back to before the colonization of the Americas exist here,
as well as more present features of the western arena of Kentucky.
This region played a special role in the Civil War, but by midway through
the conflict, fighting had dispersed along the Tennessee and Cumberland
riverbanks for more southern battlefields.
However, one of the most important figures in the secession of the
Confederate States and the fighting against Union forces was born only miles
from here in Fairview, and one of western Kentucky’s most striking historical
landmarks stands only feet from his birthplace.
The Jefferson Davis Monument, built in recognition of the first and only
president of the Confederate States of America, stands tall today in the
Jefferson Davis State Historic Site. The monument and park are meant to distinguish
Davis’ birth and the time he spent in Kentucky.
Born June 3, 1808, Davis spent his early childhood in Kentucky and attended
college at Transylvania University in Lexington. His parents, Samuel and
Jane Cook Davis, migrated from Georgia to Kentucky and built a one-story
home in Fairview in what is now Christian County on the border of Todd
County in 1792. The family moved with several children already and made a
home there where Davis’ father served as postmaster in Davisburg.
Davis’ time in the region was limited - the family moved to Mississippi
before he entered school - but his impact was longlasting, said William
Turner, the official historian for Hopkinsville and Christian counties.
“His significance and the recognition accorded to him with this state park
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By Austin Ramsey
and the monument 351 feet high stems from the ‘lost cause,’” Tuner said. “For
four years, many men from western Kentucky cast their lots with the confederacy
and fought through the war. And those who survived it carried with
them to their graves years later a deep commitment to the stars and bars.
People are dedicated to causes, especially when they become lost causes.”
That cause, he said, is what led the United Daughters of the Confederacy
and the Sons of Confederate Veterans to purchase the land where Davis was
born in 1917. The original idea came from ex-Confederate General Simon
Buckner at a reunion of the Kentucky Orphan Brigade. Buckner, like others,
felt as though the Confederate president deserved remembrance for all that he
had accomplished. Construction of a monument began in 1917, but ended
abruptly in 1918 because of heavy federal rationing during World War I. In
1922, construction continued, and the monument was dedicated on June 7,
1924.
“Effort was made to hold the dedication on Mr. Davis’ birthday, June 3, but
they didn’t quite make it, and it came just a few days later,” Turner said. “The
custom has been from the time the park was established in 1909 to have a
gathering and a picnic on June 3, or a day as close to it as possible.”
The monument is a 351-foot-high obelisk with a single elevator that
extends to a top-floor viewing area. Visitors can take the short ride up and
view the miles of farmland in which the monument sits. It is the tallest unreinforced
concrete structure in the world, due to its 8.5- to 2.5-foot thick
walling that was produced in a tapered pour almost a century ago. It is the
third largest obelisk in the world. The structure is often mistaken as a large
■ See page 20
19

Jefferson Davis MONUMENT
■ continued from page 19
reproduction of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C., but Turner
said the structures’ resemblances were not mistakes. Rather, he said, contractors
wanted to pay tribute to Davis the same way Washinton was honored with
his own monument. The two presidents are often compared, not only as first
presidents, but as keen, educated and fair leaders.
Turner said controversy is something new to the Jefferson Davis State
Historic Park. The area that is often occupied by local picnickers and history
buffs has come under fire in more recent years because of popular opinion.
“There was very little controversy at the time,” he said. “In the year in
which that monument was built, the South still had thousands upon thousands
of Confederate veterans living. The controvresy that has come over Jefferson
Davis has only come in my lifetime. The controversy that exists within the
nation is the feeling that the whole Confederate cause was an act of treason,
which legally it was, and that it was supporting the institution of slavery,
which it was, and that has brought about the controversy, really beginning in
the Civil Rights Era after World War II.”
The park celebrated Davis’ birthday again in June with a fair-like atmosphere
as usual. Attendees enjoyed a recently built museum and visitor center
on the grounds as well as reinactments and food. The site is open from May
1 to Oct. 31.
The visitors center at the State Historic Park provides information
on Davis’ history, along with Confederate history facts.
(All photos provided)
20 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
21

22 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

■ By Tom Berry
Dexter artist Tommy Patterson’s unique talent has landed him in a position
that’s very difficult to achieve - living his dream of being a comic artist
and making an impact on the next generation through story and art.
A Paris, Tenn. native, Patterson, 35, graduated from Murray State
University in 2004 with a degree in studio art. After graduation, he worked in
graphic design at two Murray businesses. Patterson is currently working on
Dynamite Entertainment’s “Game of Thrones,” comic series - a medieval fantasy.
The “Game of Thrones” TV show has begun a second season on HBO;
however, Patterson’s work is entirely original, featuring characters created by
George R.R. Martin in his book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” but as originally
depicted by Patterson.
Patterson’s art talent speaks for itself, but he credits most of his success to
his deceased mother, Etta Faye Patterson, because she encouraged him to take
his future into his own hands and strive to achieve what he - not others - wanted
to do with his life at a young age.
“My mother always encouraged me to not, so much, count on what other
people said I should or shouldn’t do, but to make my own way - learn what I
needed to learn on my own; decide what I wanted to do, and then take it upon
myself to do it,” Patterson said. “It’s not easy. It’s hard work. You have to
work toward the goal you set for yourself. Learn what you need to learn and
do what you have to do and not get distracted by what someone else says, or
anything else.”
He says he’s tried to apply what he learned as a child in everything he does,
but particularly in his art which, he says, kind of chose him, instead of the
other way around.
“I don’t mean to brag, but in school I was one of the guys that could always
draw better than anybody else,” he said. “It was just something I could do. I
was one of those guys in school that was sitting in the back of the room drawing
and not paying attention to what was going on.”
It’s difficult to break into the comic art business, and competition is fierce.
He got his first break when one of his
artist friends introduced him to an art
dealer who had contacts with several editors.
His portfolio landed his first job
doing the series “Farscape” created by
the Jim Henson company. Patterson has
also done work on “Grimm’s Fairy
Tales.”
He also credits much of his success to
his wife, Michelle. While working other
jobs, he would practice his trade after
work at home with hopes of breaking
into the comic art industry.
“There were times when I knew that
doing this was taking away from some
family time, but she kept encouraging
me,” he said. “She would tell me that she
knew I could do it.”
What does he hope for in the future?
He hopes to both write and illustrate stories
with moral content to teach young
people the important things they need to
know in life. He says there is too little
moral content in much of what young
people read today.
“I like stories that have a moral. They
mean something or are trying to teach
important lessons,” he said.
Patterson also likes to help out other
aspiring artists. He has penned a bimonthly
article entitled “Draw Over” for
www.ComixTribe.com. But he particularly
directs young people to www.triviumeducation.com
that presents what is
called the “lost keys to learning” featuring
the educational philosophy of John Taylor Gatto.
“So much of what we do and say is programming. As humans, our one really
special ability is to reason,” Patterson said in an article for
lefthandhorror.com. “I feel that has been stripped away from us, and it’s
caused damage to everything. I realized about four years ago that I spent my
whole life learning how to learn. Once I figured that out, I improved at a faster
rate. I learned as much in three years as I had the previous 15.”
Patterson’s work can be found at comic shops across the U.S. including G’s
Comics on South 12th Street in Murray, where he has appeared to sign autographs
for fans in the past. Patterson can be contacted by email at tommythecomicbookguy@yahoo.com.
Pictured at left is Tommy Patterson.
Some of his drawings are shown above.
(TOM BERRY / Ledger & Times)
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
23

24 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

This pair of giraffes that
were formerly in Paducah's
LowerTown Arts District
are now at the lakeside
home of Cindy Hutson
in Buchanan, Tenn.
For four decades, Murray’s George Bandarra has been making his mark on
the region with his signature style of metal sculpting.
Bandarra is the founder of The Iron Hammer, which is located at 4687 State
Route 94 East outside of Murray and is now run by his son-in-law, Toy
Stockwell. Over the years, Bandarra has created more sculptures than one
could easily count, but there are plenty with which people from Murray and
around the region might be familiar.
A sculpture called “Time and Technology,” made in 1991, rests outside
Murray State University’s Collins Center for Industry & Technology on
Chestnut Street. Residents of Saratoga Farms southwest of Murray know
Bandarra’s majestic stallion sculpture, which is reared on its hind legs, greeting
residents and visitors and they drive into the subdivision.
Bandarra created a standing giraffe and a young, grazing giraffe that used to
be visible to the public in Paducah’s LowerTown Arts District. However, the
property changed owners in 2011, and the sculptures were purchased by Cindy
Hutson and placed in the back yard of her beautiful lakeside home in
Buchanan, Tenn. Also in Hutson’s yard is a sculpture of a helicopter she commissioned
from Bandarra. The helicopter is a replica of the Robinson R44 her
late husband, Dan Hutson II, owned before he died in a plane crash in 2008.
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By Hawkins Teague
In April 2011, Bandarra unveiled a sculpture of a deep sea humpback angler
fish at the 18th hole of the “Islands Mini-Golf Course” at Kentucky Shores
Family Fun Center in Gilbertsville. The sculpture – made from recycled scrap
stainless steel – was inspired by a creature in the 2003 Pixar movie “Finding
Nemo,” which Bandarra’s grandson, now 9 years old, has watched many
times.
Many artists who work with metal do cast-iron work, but Bandarra mostly
hammers steel. This involves taking a flat sheet of metal and simply hammering
it into the desired shape.
“I started trying to find out, what’s considered good art? And if you’re
going to sell art, what could you do that’s unique?” Bandarra said. “The
world’s inundated with guys that do castings, and they’re very good. They just
do some incredible work, but there’s just so many of them, to compete in that
market would be a nightmare, you know? So I thought, ‘Well, I’ll try to get
into something that’s nobody’s doing,’ so I started doing the hammering.”
Bandarra said he is self-taught, and he came up with many of the techniques
he frequently uses. After hammering the metal into the basic shape he
wants, he often uses a welding torch to give it texture. He said some other
■ See page 26
25

George Bandarra
■ continued from page 25
artists who hammer metal usually hammer it into a mold. Instead, Bandarra
typically hammers his shapes on an anvil, stretching it to form curves and
other features. He said this technique makes his work stand out and one-of-akind,
especially compared with pieces made from molds.
“Some artists do a clay mold of the actual piece, and they take that clay
mold and they encase it with sand and make a sand mold,” Bandarra said.
“Then they pour their material into it. It might be aluminum or bronze or
stainless steel or various kinds of metals that they can cast. And then, generally
speaking, if they make it a permanent mold, once they make the original,
they can make 1,000, whereas with the hand-hammered (method) it’s just one
case at a time. Very seldom do I duplicate pieces, because I get kind of bored
with doing anything more than once.”
Bandarra said in high school, he took an aptitude test, the results of which
told him he had an artistic side and should pursue it.
“Well, to me, in my mind, as a kid, I thought of art as being able to draw,
and I couldn’t draw, so I just figured they were blowing smoke,” he said. “I
just figured, ‘Well, I can’t draw, so this art thing is crazy.’ It didn’t dawn on
me that art was music, art was sculpture, art was poetry, art was acting or
whatever, so I just never pursued it.”
After high school, Bandarra said he started doing ornamental iron work, but
there wasn’t much demand for it at the time. In the mid-1960s, he and his
brother, Ray Bandarra, started a steel fabrication and erection business called
Bandi’s Welding and Steel. They ran that business for about 35 years, and
over time, the ornamental work gradually grew fancier and more complicated.
One day, when Bandarra was about 35 years old, a set of circumstances
caused Bandarra to pursue the artistic inclinations he had mostly ignored since
taking the aptitude test so many years before. A client asked Bandarra if he
could fashion a set of deer horns. He made the horns out of stainless steel and
thought they turned out well, so he thought he would challenge himself to see
if he could hammer out a deer’s head as well. Although he had no idea that he
had the ability to do sculptures, he has done them ever since.
Besides the pieces that can be seen in the area, Bandarra has been hired for
sculpture and ornamental iron work by several country artists in Nashville,
including Clint Black, Naomi Judd and Big & Rich. A flying saucer made for
Big & Rich’s Kenny Big was used in a parade, he said.
In addition to his metal sculpting, Bandarra does a good deal of woodwork
as well. He said some of the furniture he has made is for sale at Lulu’s on
South Third Street in downtown Murray. The unique pieces include several
tables and benches, as well as a bar table he made from a large piece of driftwood.
The driftwood stands tall like a tree and features several gnarled holes
in which people can place bottles or hang wine glasses. The bar table surrounds
the driftwood.
Not only has Bandarra had the pleasure of working alongside Toy, but his
craft has also rubbed off on Logan, who is the son of Toy and Bandarra’s
daughter, Gina Stockwell. Recently, before Logan turned 9, he designed and
sculpted a metal bumblebee by himself. The only help he received was when
Toy welded its small antennae. Logan is currently making a much larger version
of the bee at the request of a customer, Bandarra said.
26
At left is another George Bandarra sculpture in Hutson's back yard, a
life-size replica of the helicopter Cindy's late husband, Dan Hutson II
owned. At top, Bandarra watches his 9-year-old grandson, Logan
Stockwell, weld a creation of his own. In the bottom photo is the stallion
that greets residents of Saratoga Farms. Inset photo is the 1991 sculpture
called "Time and Technology," which is outside Murray State University's
Martha Layne Collins Center for Industry & Technology.
In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

At top is Bandarra with family friend Tristan Ross and a
humpback angler he made for a Gilbertsville golf course.
Pictured at bottom is a bar table that Bandarra sculpted from driftwood.
(All photos by HAWKINS TEAGUE / Ledger & Times)
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
27

28 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
29

Primary Care Medical Center in Murray is working to improve the health and lives of
Murray/Calloway County residents and those in our surrounding service area. Each year as the
profile of the community is presented through various articles, we have been a participant. Each
year the focus of the article from our practice has been upon the new services and changes that we
have made to better the lives of our patients.
This past year and the coming year have seen and will see more changes to build upon our patient
services and the quality of that experience. We did see one change that we disliked deeply and that
was the passing of Dr. Bill Holman, Cardiologist. Dr. Holman was a retired Captain of the Navy
with 34 years of combined active and reserve duty. He also gave over 17 years of Cardiology service
to our area. We plan on having a Cardiologist full time in the office by mid to late June to continue
this needed service. In memory of Dr. Holman and those that serve, we have placed a memorial
and flag in front of Primary Care Medical Center. We plan on formally dedicating this during
Freedom Fest week prior to the Primary Care Freedom Fest 5K run that we sponsor annually.
This year Dr. Susan Heffley and Dr. Emily Thomas Gupton became full partners in the practice.
Both are Family Practitioners with strong local ties. Kelly Barnes is a new Family Nurse
Practitioner who graduated from the Murray State University program. She is a summa cum laude
nursing graduate and native to the Purchase Area. On the technology side, we added a new PACS
(picture archive computer storage) system for radiological studies. This is internet based which
allows specialists from Vanderbilt University and other referral centers to access these studies when
needed to care for our patients even if they are not hospitalized or being seen in Murray. More
plans are in store to advance the technology to enhance the care that you receive.
The Obstetrics and Gynecology at Primary Care has continued to grow exponentially with the
advanced care that Dr. Matt Price and Dr. Corey Forester have provided the women of this area.
They provide personalized, individual care to each new expectant mom including the daughter in
law and future grandson of Drs. Robert & Joyce Hughes due this June. Drs. Price and Forester are
also opening a new office in Benton with the recent addition of Becky Johnson who is a Women's
Health Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife. In Gynecology, they have performed new
procedures in Murray in the areas of minimally invasive surgery with single incision, laparoscopic
hysterectomy and advanced urology procedures. All of this brings the latest techniques with the
least pain and recovery time. You can count on Obstetrics and Gynecology at Primary Care to bring
the latest technology and care to the women of our area.
Radiology/Imaging this past year has been improved with the addition of E-Rad which is an
internet based computer storage for x-ray images. This allows specialists wherever you may see
them to access your images with the appropriate privacy concerns addressed. This same system is
used by institutions such as Baylor University in Texas and Princeton University in New Jersey. It
is probably the first of its kind in the western Kentucky area. The MRI suite, CT suite, ultrasound,
DEXA (bone density), and plain film imaging continue to provide the latest technologies at a fraction
of the cost to our patients compared to other facilities. It also leads to quicker diagnoses since
we have control of all of the scheduling of these studies.
After Hours/weekend coverage has continued to improve with the addition of a physician working
along side a Nurse Practitioner or Physicians' assistant on weekends. The hours, in response to
patients' needs, have expanded on Sunday. Our hours at the office are 8am-8pm Monday thru
Friday and 8am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday. Our expanded hours plus walk in availability not
only improves the quality of your overall care by being available, but it also helps you to reduce
your family's overall health care costs by reducing expensive emergency room visits
But at the end of the day, none of this would have been possible without the doctor-patient relationships
that we have established over the decades and your support of that. Our practice of medicine
is provided as a service to the patients and the community. All of our doctors are active members
of our community, state, and country on many levels. We serve you and we appreciate you.
We all want a better life for all and a tomorrow filled with hope, health, and happiness.
30 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
31

On Sept. 4, 2012, the public will get a chance to step back in time and learn
about Murray State University’s past as alumni, faculty and staff celebrate
the university’s first 90 years.
Mark Welch, Town and Gown coordinator and director of community relations,
said university staff had been planning the 90th anniversary celebration
since spring. On Tuesday, Sept. 4, there will be an event held outside in the
quad in which the public will learn
about the origins of the campus’s
oldest buildings, most of which surround
the quad. These will include
Pogue Library, Wells Hall, Lovett
Auditorium, what is now called the
Wrather West Kentucky Museum
and the presidential home, Oakhurst,
which Welch said was the oldest
building on campus, having been
completed in 1918 before establishment
of the school.
Welch said Bob Valentine, senior
business lecturer and longtime MSU
faculty member, would appear at the
event portraying the university’s
founder, Dr. Rainey T. Wells. Welch
said a reception in Pogue Library
would likely follow the event.
According to a history provided
by the university, MSU was the
32
■ By Hawkins Teague
eventual result of an education commission the Kentucky General Assembly
appointed in 1920 to conduct a survey of the public school system. The commission
submitted its report to Gov. Edwin P. Morrow the following year,
reporting that the condition of the public schools was unsatisfactory. The commission
made numerous and specific recommendations for improvement,
such as establishing a couple of teacher training institutions.
Morrow submitted the report to the
legislature in 1922, and the legislature
passed Senate Bill 14, which
provided for the establishment of
two normal schools. After the bill
passed the senate 30-2 that January,
it was taken to the House of
Representatives, and the House created
a Normal School Commission
consisting of eight Kentucky citizens.
The commission was empowered
to establish one normal school
to train elementary school teachers
in the west, and another in the east.
The commission was also authorized
to accept gifts of land, buildings or
Pictured at top, a worker sits on the edge of the roof of Wilson Hall in the 1930s,
giving him a complete overview of the Murray State Teachers College campus.
In the bottom photo, Kentucky Gov. Edward T. Breathitt looks up as he signs the
bill that made Murray State a university in June 1966. (Photos provided by MSU)
money for the establishment of the
schools.
Among the western Kentucky
towns and cities interested in becom-
■ See page 35
In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

At top is a 1923 illustration by Joseph and Joseph Architects & Engineers of the proposed building layout for Murray State Normal School.
Below are photos of Lovett Auditorium (left) under construction in 1927, Ordway Hall (right) under construction in 1930 and both buildings
as they look today. Ordway Hall could be demolished within the next year unless an unforeseen grant for renovation surfaces.
(Historic photos provided by MSU. Current photos by HAWKINS TEAGUE / Ledger & Times.)
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
33

Above are photos of Pogue Library (left) under construction in 1930 and as it looks today. At right is the Oakhurst presidential home as it appeared in
the 1930s and today. The house was the home of Murray State founder Rainey T. Wells and was originally called Edgewood before it was purchased by
the college in 1936 and renamed. Murray State's first president, John W. Carr, was the only president to never live there. Below, the 1937 College News
staff is pictured hard at work. (Historic photos provided by MSU. Current photos by HAWKINS TEAGUE / Ledger & Times.)
34 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

MSU 90th Anniversary
■ continued from page 32
ing the site of one of the schools were Murray, Paducah, Benton, Princeton,
Clinton, Henderson, Hopkinsville, Mayfield, Morganfield and Owensboro.
However, Wells and the people of Murray and Calloway County launched a
campaign to raise $100,000 for the establishment of the school. By the end,
the campaign subscription books contained 1,100 names, and the money was
guaranteed by the end of March. Members of the campaign committee included
chairman James G. Glasgow; secretary Robert E. Broach, county superintendent
of schools; O.T. Hale; Nat Ryan; Thomas A. Stokes and Ben Grogan.
Wells spoke for Murray at the formal presentations of the interested towns
and cities, and was drawn to speak last. After his speech, Wells reportedly laid
down two $50,000 checks and said, “It’s not what the people of Murray have
promised to do, but what they have already done that counts.” Some time after
those presentations, it was discovered that an additional $16,000 needed to be
raised. Once again, Murray met the goal, and the town was officially chosen
as the site by the end of the summer. The eastern normal school was eventually
established in Morehead.
The State Board of Education elected Dr. John Carr as the school’s first
president in 1923, and Carr served in the position until 1926. The Murray
State Normal School officially opened on Sept. 24, 1923, and it occupied four
rooms and the auditorium on the first floor of Murray High School, which is
now Murray Middle School. Ground was broken for the school’s first building
on Oct. 15. The Old Administration Building, later Wrather Hall and now
the Wrather West Kentucky Museum, was completed in 1924.
Wells was appointed the school’s second president in 1926 and served until
1932. The school’s name also changed in 1926 to Murray State Normal
School and Teachers College. The name changed again in 1930 to Murray
State Teachers College. Carr came back for a second presidential term in 1933
and remained in the job for three years.
Murray State Normal School and Teachers College was was renamed
Murray State College in 1948 by an official act of the General Assembly. It
was finally renamed Murray State University in June of 1966.
In preparation to play Wells at the September event, Valentine said he had
been seeking help with research from demographers and archivists in the
Murray area, as well as some MSU students majoring in history. He said he
wanted to locate some letters, speeches or other documents that could give
him a better sense of who Wells was and how he might speak.
“What we’re trying to find is original documents that might be records of
speeches or personal letters, other kinds of communication that Wells actually
wrote so we can get a sense of his use of language, see if we can figure out
his – and I don’t mean this literally in a physical sense – but his ‘voice;’
maybe get an insight into the intensity of his character,” Valentine said. “We
know that as a personality, the historical record’s pretty clear, he was a very
dynamic person, very energetic, forceful. But how he would have felt about
one thing or another, you have to interpret that. We’re pretty sure that his feelings
about establishing the normal school in Murray, Kentucky, were very
intense.”
Looking into what kind of man Wells was also illuminates the relationship
between the residents of Murray and Murray State. As someone who is not
originally from Murray and did not earn his undergraduate degree at MSU,
Valentine said he has been fascinated with that relationship since he moved to
Murray in 1974.
“The relationship between the town and the university is interesting, and
always has been interesting to me,” Valentine said. “It’s not that the town feels
a sort of proprietorship over the university, it’s just that the town seems to be
very proud of its creation. And when you look at the story of Rainey T. Wells
and how he organized the supporters in the Murray area, you can understand
why that’s the case.
“The amount of money that they raised in the 1920s to support their bid to
be the new normal school in the west is quite remarkable. Today, we say,
‘Well, you know, you can get five or six people together and throw $100,000
on the table.’ But not in those days, you couldn’t. It was, literally, the work of
more than 1,000 people to put that kind of money together. It’s very impressive
to know that you had that much community support, and I can only imagine
that it took a very dynamic personality with a pretty strong reputation in
the community to pull all that together, and that was Rainey T. Wells.”
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
Pictured at top is a 1953 Campus Lights production.
In the center photo is the 1975 MSU men's basketball team,
and in the bottom photo is the 1974 cheerleading squad.
(Photos provided by MSU)
35

36 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area will once again become
“abuzz” with the migration of hummingbirds during the annual
Hummingbird Festival, set for Saturday, Aug. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and
Sunday, Aug. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is held at the Woodlands
Nature Station (NS).
Carrie Szwed, a
Woodlands NS naturalist,
said during the festival,
hundreds of Rubythroated
hummingbirds
- the only hummingbird
species to breed east of
the Mississippi River -
will visit the native gardens
and fill up at LBL’s
15 feeders in preparation
for their migration
travels.
“Throughout this festival,
participants will
learn more about these
fascinating birds, as
well as the astounding
number of other critters
that constitute our own
‘Backyard Biodiversity,’”
she said. “Data from our
observations and banding
activities indicate
that more than 200 different
hummingbirds
will visit our feeders in
one day, meaning that at
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By Jessica Morris
any given time, participants will see 20-40 hummingbirds.”
The festival first began at the NS in 1996, when LBL was starting to look at
more thematic programming.
“The fact that we had so many hummingbirds proved to be a good first
attempt for moving toward a festival,” Darrin Samborski, LBL education specialist,
said. “August is
the peak month for
hummingbird migration,
so we started with
a simple in-house festival
and then made contact
with hummingbird
banders to see if they
would be interested in
holding demonstrations.
The festival has evolved
since.”
Throughout the weekend,
licensed hummingbird
banders Brainard
Palmer-Ball, Jr. and
Mark Monroe will be
on site to perform banding
demonstrations.
Banding, a way of identifying
and tracking
individual birds, is an
important technique for
studying the movement,
survival and behavior of
Attendants from the 2011 Hummingbird Festival watch as Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr.
puts a tiny band on the leg of a ruby-throated hummingbird, which allows scientists
to track the bird’s migration patterns and behavior. (Photo provided)
hummingbirds, said
Szwed. If a humming-
■ See page 38
37

Hummingbird Festival
■ continued from page 37
bird is recaptured at another study site along its migration route, the band
number is recorded and added to a database. Biologists can then look at all the
data collected over the years for clues about their habits and how to best meet
their habitat needs.
“Through this process,
we can determine how far
the birds go for the winter,
where they stop during
their travels, how
long they live and
whether they come back
to the same sites year
after year,” she said.
In fact, Szwed said
several of the hummingbirds
banded at the NS
during past festivals have
been recovered, not only
in other states, but as far
as Central America,
where they spend the
winter.
In addition, the festival
will hold informative
exhibits and educational
activities and programs to
highlight native animals
and plants, including a
nature photography program,
a native plant sale,
activities and games for
children and live animal programs. Guest presenters and exhibitors include a
honeybee observation from the Houston-Stewart County (Tennessee)
Beekeeper’s Association; Bob and Judy Peak, bluebird experts; biologists
from the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge; wildlife workshops from J. L.
Fottrell, wildlife artist; classes on “The Basics of Hummingbird Photography”
by
Licensed hummingbird bander Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr. closely examines a ruby-throated
hummingbird to determine the gender and age of the bird. This bird will then be banded and
released. Brainard Palmer-Ball, Jr. and Mark Monroe will be doing bird banding
demonstrations throughout Hummingbird Festival for the public to view. (Photo provided)
Teresa Gemeinhardt, nature photographer; Dinner With The
Hummingbirds, a chance
to dine while surrounded
by dozens of hummingbirds,
set for Friday, Aug.
3 from 6-8 p.m.; and
more. Take-home information
will also be available
on gardening, bird
feeding and naturefriendly
cleaning products.
“If you love seeing
more hummingbirds
in one place than you can
count, then this is the
event to attend,” Szwed
said. “It’s a great opportunity
to see these birds
up close and personal.”
Admission is $5
per adult and $3 per child
and cameras are welcome.
For more information
and a complete listing
of events, call (270)
924-2020 or visit
www.lbl.org.
38 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
39

This is not your grandfather’s chess club. On any given Monday evening,
the Cumberland Room at Murray State University’s Curris Center is
buzzing with activity, as around a dozen kids spar at chess boards. The players
range in ages from second to eighth grade. Some make lightning quick
decisions as they move and capture pieces. Others calculate, head propped on
one elbow. Those who are not bent over games circulate through the room and
offer color commentary and game
play tips.
Whatever their focus, everyone is
engaged. That is something that
pleases Wayne Bell, sponsor of the
Murray-Calloway Chess Club. Bell
is an MSU professor emeritus and a
former Kentucky state chess champion.
He revived the local chess
club less than a year ago, following
a nearly 10-year hiatus from teaching
competitive chess.
“People think of it as being a very
intellectual game,” said Bell. “In
some sense it is, but in a lot of other
senses, it’s not. And this is what I
try to teach the kids ... is there’s
some basic principals, just like
blocking and tackling are in football.
Like, a rook belongs in an open
file, and knights go to the center of
the board. ... Then beyond that
there’s this potential for making a
move that looks totally absurd on
40
■ By Angie Hatton
Joza Mikulcik, left, and Ben Thome play a game of chess at a recent meeting of the
Murray-Calloway Chess Club (ANGIE HATTON / Ledger & Times).
the face of it, but then when you drill down - as they say these days - you see
that there’s no way out of it. It is a good move.”
Chess is a game that engages its players on both a scientific and an artistic
level, said Bell, which is one of the reasons he has such a passion for it.
He said that he became seriously invested in learning chess in college. At
that time, Bell had played for a few years and thought he was pretty good.
“I told one of my math
teachers what a great player I was,
and he said, ‘Why don’t you come
up to the office and I’ll play you a
game, without looking at the
board.’ And so we went up to his
office, and he laid his head down,
and not looking at the board told me
his moves, like pawn to F5. And
then he just trounced me. At that
point I decided there was more to
this game than I had previously
thought,” Bell said.
When Bell teaches chess to
the kids in the club, he uses their
own gameplay as an example. In
one instance at a recent club meeting,
he stopped a boy halfway
through a move, and pointed out a
pattern in the way the boy moves
his king. Bell said seeing real examples
helps the students remember
the lessons better than a theoretical
example out of a book or in a lec-
In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

ture.
Many of the club members have been playing chess for less
than two years.
Hayden Holcomb, a fourth grade student, said he likes the way
chess challenges his mind.
Holcomb, and his brother, Nickolas, started playing chess
during the 2011-2012 school year. Their father, Kevin
Holcomb, said both boys got very good quickly.
“I play with them, but they can beat me,” he said. “Dr. Bell
teaches them too well. But it’s fun to play with them, and
watch their minds at work. It takes ability on both sides,
offense and defense.”
Seventh grader Nathan Weber said he started playing chess
competitively a year and a half ago.
“I thought it would be an interesting thing to do. I thought it
would present some unique challenges and make me think,”
Weber said.
He said the game has met his expectations, and helped him
become a more thoughtful person.
“I’ve learned: Think through your decisions carefully. Don’t
just act without cause,” he said.
Weber said not thinking through a move in a chess game
could lead to losing a big piece, or worse, losing the game.
Parent Stacey Mikulcik said her children learned to play
chess at home, and now her daughters Joza, fifth grade, and
Olivia, third grade, play in the club.
“It’s really good for brain development and thinking and
being patient, and not jumping to conclusions. Instead, think
through a situation,” Stacey Mikulcik said.
Joza Mikulcik first learned to play chess when she was three
years old. She said the game comes pretty naturally to her, but
she stopped playing for a few years, and last year when she
joined the club, she was rusty. The more she practices, though,
the better she is becoming.
Chance plays almost no part in a chess match, Bell said. A
game is decided solely on how well a player makes moves.
“There really are no excuses in chess. You don’t ever say ‘I
had back luck’ in chess,” Bell said. “Overwhelming, chess is
determined by who plays the best.”
Many of the club members have competed at regional and
state chess tournaments, placing in the top rankings of their
divisions.
Bell said he hopes the local club will draw young people
from all over the community who want to learn how to play
and compete in chess. He added that his dream is to be able to
hand off the club to other chess teachers.
“What I’d really like to see is someone else start doing it,
and me be the grand old man of chess in town. And then I
could come and watch,” he said.
The Murray-Calloway Chess Club meets Mondays, from 5-
8 p.m. All meetings are open to the public.
Above, Wayne Bell, left, gives Jackson Hale some pointers on his game.
Below, a group of younger players enjoy a match.
(ANGIE HATTON / Ledger & Times)
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
41

42 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Grapes and blackberries grown at
the Purple Toad Winery in Paducah.
Although southern Illinois is known for its
wine trails and Tennessee cities such as Paris
have started wineries in recent years, several
Paducah entrepreneurs are making their own mark
on the local wine industry.
Steve Glisson founded Glisson Vineyards &
Winery after receiving his liquor license in 2009.
He had his first harvest that fall and began bottling
the following spring. In June 2010, he started selling
his wine on weekends at the Downtown
Paducah Farmers Market. Since Glisson
Vineyards & Winery is located in Lone Oak - a dry
part of McCracken County - they couldn’t sell at
the site, so Glisson opened a tasting room at 126
Market House Square in downtown Paducah in
December 2011.
Glisson said the winery specializes in semi-dry
and dry wines, but also sells quality sweet wines.
He said he mainly grows hybrids, which includes
chambourcin. He said most of the grapes that
make the wines are grown in Lone Oak, but that
he also contracts with other vineyards, including
one in the Hopkinsville area.
“Chambourcin is a hybrid,” Glisson said. “It
grows very well here, and depending on where it’s
grown across the state, it gives you very different
flavor profiles.”
For example, Glisson mentioned several types
of chambourcin that he tried recently.
“One’s from up around the Lexington area,
one’s from down in the Hopkinsville area and
one’s from our area,” he said. “Each one of them
■ By Hawkins Teague
A selection of wines for sale at the Glisson tasting
room at Paducah's Market House Square.
has a very different flavor profile. From our area
right here, we get a lot more spice out of chambourcin.
We get a little richer flavors. Mainly, I
think it’s because of the type of soil we have, plus
the type of weather. We’re a little more humid, a
little more hot.”
Different varieties offered by Glisson include
Chardonnel, Riesling, Seyval Blanc, St. John’s
Blush, Vintner’s Blend, Sweet Red, St. John’s
Red, Dry Red and Blackberry. The Glisson website,
glissonvineyards.com, contains a detailed
description of each wine and some suggested
cheeses to eat with them.
Allen and June Dossey received their liquor
license in 2008 and opened the Purple Toad
Winery on July 1, 2009. Allen Dossey said he and
his wife were inspired to start their business after
a trip to California’s famous Napa Valley in 1999.
“We went to Napa about 13 years ago and just
loved it. We started doing research and (looking
into) what might grow here and what might not,
and how to take care of them and all that,” Dossey
said. “I ended up just doing a bunch of research...
so I put those out.”
Dossey said he makes cabernet sauvignon,
cabernet franc, Riesling, pinot noir, merlot and
chardonnay. Paducah Blue is made from concord
grapes, he said.
Pinot noir is notoriously hard to grow and usually
isn’t attempted in this part of the country.
They are a tightly clustered grape and usually
■ See page 44
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times 43

Paducah Wineries
■ continued from page 43
ripen in August when it is very hot
and humid, so if they are not
picked quickly, they can rot easily,
Dossey said. He said the grapes
are prone to diseases, and he has to
spray them with fungicide more
than the other varieties.
“The one I wouldn’t recommend
(trying to grow) is pinot
noir,” Dossey said. “I would not
recommend anybody in this area
to grow that one. I’m one of the
few that can grow it. It’s a rather
finicky little plant ... you have to
baby it.”
Purple Toad makes other, nongrape-based
varieties of wines,
many of them using blackberries.
These include Black & Blue
(some blackberry), Lauren’s
Blackberry (pure blackberry) and
a dessert wine called Paducah
Harbor (pure blackberry). Dossey
said he plans to release a blackberry
merlot in a few months. There
is also Paducah Peach and Grants
Pomegranate, and PeachBerry is a
Steve Glisson pours a sampling of Riesling in the Glisson Vineyards and Winery tasting room.
At left is a row of plants
at the Purple Toad
Winery's vineyards.
Below are some
decorations in the
Purple Toad's outdoor
reception area,
which can be booked
for special events.
(All photos by HAWKINS
TEAQUE / Ledger & Times)
blend of strawberry and peach wines. Dossey said many of the blackberries
are grown at the winery, and other fruit is bought mostly from local farmers.
Dossey said sales were up 500 percent since the original opening and up at
least 50 percent this year over last year. He said Purple Toad made 2,000 gallons
of wine the first year of operation and 10,000 last year. He added that the
wines had won 54 awards in various competitions across the country last year.
The winery and vineyards are located at 4275 Old U.S. Highway 45 South in
Paducah. More information can be found at www.purpletoadwinery.net.
44 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
45

46 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

At left, Scott crossing the finish line in the 100 Mile Endurance Run.
Above, from left, Eric, Scott, Ashley and Amy Winkler at the first
5K run they all participated in together. (Photos provided)
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By Ricky Martin
Scott Winkler must have been asked what was going through his mind
100 times since March 16.
You can’t run 100 miles in less than 24 hours and not get asked why.
Even though he’s had plenty of time to prepare an answer now some
two and half months later, Winkler still doesn’t quite know what to say
when he gets the most common question of all.
“I just can’t come up with a good, rational answer,” he said with a
laugh. “I just did it.”
After completing a 12 hour race a year ago in Cape Girardeau, Mo.,
covering 62 miles in the process, Winkler completed an encore performance
on March 16 in his first-ever 100-mile race, finishing the
event in 22 hours and 54 minutes, a little more than an hour under
the time limit.
The race was part of the Howard Aslinger Foundation
Endurance Weekend, which included both a 24 hour and 12
hour race, as well as a midnight 5K.
Money raised from the event went to providing scholarships
to individuals with disabilities, and it was estimated the weekend-long
event raised more than $10,000 in proceeds.
Winkler began his 24-hour ultra endurance test at on Friday at 7
p.m., and the event culminated at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Winkler covered 80 miles before finally taking his first and only
break, sat down for 10 minutes, then covered the final 20 miles, which he
said couldn’t have gone by fast enough.
“It’s not something you do every weekend,” Winkler said. “Those last 20
miles were brutal, but the last seven, those were excruciating.”
Participants in the 24-hour race were allowed the given amount of time to
run as far as possible. Some ran only 15 miles, while three exceeded the 100-
mile plateau.
Winkler finished tied for second, covering 100.37 miles with over an hour
to spare.
Once he hit the 100-mile mark — his personal goal — Winkler said it was
an easy decision not to keep going.
“It was my goal to reach 100 miles,” Winkler said. “You’re just trying to
get one more step, run one more step. By the end, your knees and ankles are
shot.
“Not a lot of people reach 100 miles, so once I did, I was pleased enough.”
■ See page 48
47

Scott Winkler: The Century Mark
■ continued from page 47
As Winkler strided toward what would become the finish line on the looped
course, which was just less than a mile long, he said he found enough energy
to put in a ‘good sprint’ during the final quarter mile.
“I just wanted to finish upright with dignity,” Winkler said with a laugh.
“The people that are there know when someone is about to hit 100 (miles) and
they were there cheering and things like that.
“Once I crossed the line I was proud and excited, but then I really just wanted
to sit down.”
As grueling as the final seven miles were, Winkler had plenty of support,
including his wife Angie, who
did her part by providing
Winkler with snacks along the
way.
“She helped tremendously,”
Winkler said. “She baked
chicken strips for me, and I
actually ate quite a bit.
“She really helped me
though, not only with that, but
with her support. She helped
me particularly those last
seven miles.”
As for what’s next, another
question Winkler gets asked a
lot, the local physical therapist
said he hasn’t put much
thought into the future.
“I really don’t have any big
plans right now,” he said. “I
have a lot of obligations with
business and things like that
over the next few months, and
I guess we will just wait and
see.”
Pictured at far left, Scott’s many
trophies on display at his office.
Top, right, Scott running in the
San Antonio Marathon in 1999.
Above, Scott and his wife, Angie,
after he completed the Toronto
Scotiabank Marathon in
3 hours, 5 minutes.
Left, Scott and his son, Eric,
after they won the relay division
of the 2011 Paducah Iron Man.
(Photos provided)
48 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
49

When Howard Brandon mentions his antique cars, his eyes glint and
sometimes he allows a small smile and a sigh. He likes to look back, he
says, because when the 82-year-old retired Murray businessman turns a conversation
to those cars, it becomes his own history. Cars were what made him,
he says, and he loves every one of them.
“I lived here and
my sister lived in
Detroit when I was
young,” he said. “I’d
go and visit her, and
I’d buy a car and
drive it home.”
His first car was
an old Model “T”
truck. He traded it
for a .22 rifle and $7
when he was just 11
years old. The
banged up truck supposedly
would not
start, but the crafty
boy toyed with his
purchase under the
hood, cranked the
truck to life and
drove it home.
To him, it started
then. But he isn’t
alone. A whole
group of individuals
in Murray have similar
stories, all warranted
by their love
for the old leather
seats, thick, bulky
50
■ By Austin Ramsey
sheet metal and the enchanting glimmer of an all-chrome wheel only found in
antique cars. Brandon is the president of a nearly 50-strong Twin Lakes
regional chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America.
The group aims to create an open, social atmosphere for those individuals
who have taken an interest in antique vehicles large and small. Most of the
members are car
owners themselves,
but Brandon said
the club accepts
anyone with an
interest.
Club members
use the organization
to share knowledge
they use in the selling,
buying,
restoration or
upkeep of antique
cars. They participate
in parades in
and around Murray
and attend driving
tours, auctions and
car shows across
the country.
Members meet at 6
p.m. on the third
Thursday of every
month at local
restaurants and
Howard Brandon holds a picture of a vehicle he remembers buying for a few spare dollars.
He refurbished the car, and it now sits as one of his most prized automobiles.
(All photos by AUSTIN RAMSEY / Ledger & Times)
homes for
announcements and
fellowshipping.
Brandon spoke at
the May meeting at
In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Murray’s Pagliai’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant. While members and many of
their spouses crowded close over pizza and the discussion of cars, a new face
appeared among the throng and sat down a few seats from him.
Brandon spoke to the man and soon, he too was surrounded by smiling
faces.
“This gentleman needs a timing gear for a ‘31 Model “A,” he said. “He’s
here asking about it, and somebody will have it.”
Indeed, Dave Nelson, a retired local man had bought his Model “A” only
six weeks prior, and within minutes of sitting down and ordering, Jim
Cantrell, another antique auto club member had given him the name and number
of a man who sells exactly the part Nelson needed.
“This is my first evening to meet with the club,” Nelson said later, “but I’ve
always had an interest since day one.”
And they all had. Dick Cullen, another member, said buying, selling and
fixing up old cars was just what he enjoyed. It’s what he was good at.
“When I grew up, back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, nobody had anything, so you
just took the old stuff and made it work, and I’ve been doing it ever since,” he
said, laughing.
His wife, however, said she thought her husband’s hobby of so many years
was just part of the process of getting and being a man.
“I think men like whatever cars were popular when they were teenagers and
they first began driving. When they get old, they get sentimental for what they
had when they were young.”
Whatever the reason, it’s driven men and women like Brandon to collect
and restore stunning vehicles for much of their lives. Over his lifetime and
starting with that Model “A” so many years ago, he collected upwards of 400
antique cars, tractors, trailers and airplanes as well as thousands of antique car
parts that he sold in a mass no-reserve auction in 2009. The Brandon
Plantation Auction rid him of some of his most prized pieces, but Brandon
still has several dozen “cream puffs.” And with that glint in his eye and smile
on his face, he was quick to show everything he drives.
Pictured at right, Brandon shuts the door on one of several sheds
and barns where he keeps his prized automobile collection.
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
51

52 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

■ By Angie Hatton
John Mack Carter, one of Murray’s most professionally successful sons,
said he is proud that his career has never overshadowed his love for his
family and his warm feelings toward his home town.
Carter is likely most famous as the editor-in-chief of Good
Housekeeping magazine — a job he held from 1975 to 1994 — in a
career in publications that spans six decades.
He also served as president of Hearst Magazine Enterprises, the division
of Hearst magazines charged with developing new publishing ventures.
Carter founded the division in 1994 after overseeing Hearst's
launches of Country Living, Victoria, Country Living Gardener, Smart
Money and Marie Claire magazines. He was partly responsible for the
creation of ESPN the Magazine and several others.
Carter said his role in these prestigious magazines, and his work as publisher
for Down & Hearst Corporations have been his biggest career accomplishments.
However, he added that he has always kept his family support system
throughout his career.
He said he had a great childhood growing up in Murray.
“I love Murray and Calloway County. I left home to pursue a career, but I
left my heart in Murray. I treasure precious memories of my youth growing
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
Above, John Mack Carter poses
at a fireplace in the White House.
At left, Carter, third from left,
and other media industry
personalities at an award
event at Sardi’s in New York.
up there. Everyone knew practically everyone and, as Hillary Clinton stated,
‘it takes a village,’ to raise a child,” Carter said.
Carter’s twin sister, Carolyn (Carter) Reagan, said her brother was “precocious.”
He was a passionate writer and a reader of literature at an early age,
she said. At Murray High School in the 1940s, Carter wrote for The Tiger
school newspaper. In college at Murray State University he was sports editor
for the Murray State News, and was a part-time employee at the Murray
Ledger & Times, delivering newspapers and occasionally working in the
office.
Murray State University journalism professor Dr. L. J. Hortin, aka “The
Chief,” encouraged Carter’s career in journalism, Reagan said.
“He thought John Mack was so talented, and he was,” she said.
Reagan has always been a supporter of her brother’s work and his drive to
achieve.
“I’m really proud of him, not only for his accomplishments, but for his
character,” she said.
Carter said his greatest personal accomplishment was helping to raise his
children with his wife, Sharlyn.
“Being a major player in having a wonderful family and having an outstanding
journalism career - successfully
- has given me huge satisfaction,”
he said. “It’s rewarding
to see your children and grandchildren
become good citizens and
make positive and meaningful
contributions to the world. I’m
extremely fond of my family.”
In the last few years, the Carters
have made donations to the community.
The John Mack Carter
Nature Trail was named in his
honor in 1994. Enhancements
have been made to the trail in the
intervening years, including a
plaque and a garden in 2007 and
new trail signs in 2011. Tab
Brockman, parks director, said the
Pictured above is John Mack Carter as a student at Murray State
University, and at right, with his twin sister, Carolyn. (All photos provided) ■ See page 54
53

John Mack Carter
■ continued from page 53
signs were made possible in part by
an additional gift Carter made to the
parks service in Murray. As a boy,
Carter and his friends often utilized
the area that was eventually developed
into the Murray-Calloway
County Central Park. He has said that
he cherishes the memories of hiking,
fishing, crawfish hunting and otherwise
playing outdoors. In later years,
Carter also got the chance to walk the
developed trail system on a visit to
Murray.
“The John Mack Carter Garden
and the Nature Trail are great assets
to the park,” said Brockman. “Lots of
people regularly walk down the trail
and through the woods, and we get
lots of compliments on having a trail
of that nature. The fact that Mr.
Carter made that donation speaks
volumes about the way he is as an individual and the way he values his
home.”
Carter said that the naming of the nature trail has been his “greatest legacy”
for his home town.
“It keeps on giving pleasure to locals and visitors to Murray,” he stated. “I
hope they enjoy it like I did.”
A few years ago, the family also donated a large collection of leather-bound
volumes of back issues of magazines that Carter worked on to his alma mater,
Murray State. The collection of 78
volumes of magazines and six
miscellaneous volumes is housed
at the MSU Alumni Center, and is
open to the public during regular
business hours.
Jim Carter, vice president of
institutional advancement, called
Carter a “Racer/’Bred icon.”
“To be able to have some of the
magazines here bound, and some
of his personal items here at the
Alumni Center, we’re honored,”
he said. “We have volumes of
Good Housekeeping, Country
Living and other magazines and
Hearst publications. It’s a nice little area to look back and remember someone
that has helped put Murray and Murray State University on the map in his
field.”
Carter’s awards and accolades have included being named one of the “Ten
Outstanding Young Men of the Year” in 1963 by the U.S. Junior Chamber of
Commerce, the 1977 “Publisher of the Year” by Brandeis University, 1978
“Headliner of the Year” by Women in Communications, Inc. and the Missouri
Honor Award for Distinguished Service in Journalism in 1979.
Now in retirement, Carter is spending more time with his family at his residence
in Connecticut. In
reflecting on his life, he said
he hopes to be remembered
for his character.
“I would hope that I am
remembered as a respected
and moral Christian man of
unquestionable integrity,
dedication and drive, who
respects and loves his home
town,” Carter said.
Pictured clockwise, from left, the house John Mack Carter
grew up in on Olive Street; Carter and First Lady Nancy Reagan;
Carter, back row, third from left, and other magazine executives
at a meeting with President John F. Kennedy; Carter with Johnny
Reagan, left, and Carolyn (Carter) Reagan; Carter with his wife,
mother-in-law, children and grandchildren.
(All photos provided)
54 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
55

■ By Austin Ramsey
It was about 67 years ago in Vaughn’s Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian
Church near Calvert City when four Smith brothers first stood in front of a
congregation to sing. Lonnie Smith who was 7 years old at the time, said he
looks back on that day with fond memories, because it was then that the Smith
Brothers Quartet was born.
The brothers, who quickly became national icons in the gospel singing
world, always worked to maintain what they captured in that old church house
so many years ago - the southern-style gospel singing that their parents
instilled in them all those years ago.
Born and raised by Hattie May and Elza Ray Smith in northern Marshall
County, the original quartet, comprised of Lonnie and his brothers Donald,
Charles “Pete” and Joel, grew up in a musical family. Lonnie said their mother
was incredibly influential in starting their musical careers. The mother of
three girls and fourt boys, Hattie May, her husband, and their two eldest
daughters, developed an early local esteem singing in area churches. The
brothers, while still musically inclined, started out keeping their singing to
themselves. As Charles put it, singing was the only thing to do in the late
1940s after World War II.
“We’d sung our whole lives,” he said. “We would just sit around the house
being brothers. We didn’t have a TV back when we were young, so we sung
a lot and had fun doing that.”
But after singing at their home church, the brothers began to be asked to
sing at their school. After Joel came back from overseas during World War II,
the brothers began to get calls from churches asking for their old-time sound.
The brothers didn’t sing for the money, rather they had a purpose and drive.
Charles said he and his brothers began touring as an organized quartet because
they were purposed from God.
“Back when we first started, we had pretty deep convictions about what we
were doing, and we had chances to go another types of music, but we felt like
being brothers kind of made us stronger in that,” he said. “It helped us with
the faith that we had and the singing.”
His brother Lonnie said the musical influence of their mother was one of
his main motivaters.
“She came from a family of musicians - all of them played instruments,” he
said. “They’d have Saturday night get-togethers. In fact, at the dinner table,
instead of asking grace, we’d sing. She was really an inspiration to us when
we sang.”
And sing they did. When asked how many places Lonnie and his brothers
travelled, he said there is no way to know. As the original four brothers, the
four received national attention, with one album reaching 14th in the top
56 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Billboard charts. The four also won big name
gospel and quartet awards such as at the Mid-
South Gospel Contest, the National Quartet
Convention and the Kentucky State Fair Gospel
Singing Contest.
As success grew, Lonnie said the group
turned down plenty of opportunities. One such
opportunity was a six-week tour overseas to
perform for American servicemen, but the
brothers turned it down because they began to
devlelop their careers. Charles and Lonnie started
C and L Construction Company, which
became an institution in the plant construction
in the Calvert City area. During the same year
that the company brought in $4 million worth of
contracts, Lonnie said the group was performing
10 to 15 gigs per month. The brothers would
work hard all week and then hop on a bus to
sing somewhere in the country.
“After a hard day’s work, it was like taking a
refreshing shower,” Lonnie said.
As the original four members, the group
stayed together singing and travelling for 25
years, but when Don and Joel dropped out
brothers Charles and Lonnie sang with others
including famous names like Jerry Reed and
George Jones. However, keeping to the true
Smith name, Bobby (Charles’ son) and Mylon
(Lonnie’s son) joined the group by the 1980s
and they continued to tour and perform at local
events.
Mylon, the last bass singer for the band is
acclaimed with one of the lowest singing voices
in the nation, and while he is more of a Smith
son than a brother, he said he has been blessed to have had the opportunity to
follow in the foosteps of a man like his father Lonnie.
“God gave me a talent to sing the part that I do sing,” he said. “To follow
behind my dad Lonnie is a dream, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if I
hadn’t followed him. The Lord’s the major part of it.”
The Smith Brothers never did it for money or fame. Sure, they made a few
dollars here and there, and their nine total albums reached a national and even
international audience, but four boys from Calvert City always tried to stay
true to their intial purpose - they tried to stay true to God.
Charles recalled one of his favorite singing gigs.
“We sang in a little church in Illinois,” he said. “We were tired and wondering
why we were there. It was a small crowd. At the end of the service, five
young people accepted Christ as their savior. That’s probably the highlight of
my experience.”
Above, the albums the Smith Brothers make
often reflect their deep familial ties.
Left, the original four brothers pose for a picture after a wedding.
(All photos provided)
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
57

58 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

This just in ... Brownie Jones loves senior games. A longtime member of the
Purchase Area Senior Games board, Murray’s Jones also has competed and
performed volunteer duty for the Kentucky State games the past 12 years.
However, while the thrill of competition - the basketball shoot and softball tournament
are his favorite events - does draw him to these activities over and over,
he said it is something else that really makes him glad to be part of this.
“It’s the people you meet,” Jones said, remembering such an encounter during
the state event in Paducah last year. “There was a couple, one was 91, the
other 92, that came all the way to Paducah from the Appalachian Mountain area
of the state, which is a very long way. Well, I was helping out over with basketball
and other competitions and we got to becoming quite familiar with each
other. By the end of the event, it was to the point that the husband (the 92-year
old) said, ‘You know, if you’re ever in our neck of the woods, just stop by our
place. She makes the best country ham and biscuits in the world.’
“That’s what you get with this, and you meet so many others like that.”
Jones is extra excited about the 2012 state games because they will happen
for the second straight year in his hometown. The Games are scheduled for Oct.
3-7, a circumstance decided after a bidding battle that Stephanie Butler, director
of marketing and communications for the Murray Convention and Visitor’s
Bureau, remembers well.
“We were bidding with Frankfort to host it, and the state games board came
here to see what we could offer, compared to Frankfort, and we were just trying
to put together the best possible package for them,” Butler said. “We were all
very excited when they awarded it to us, and that went for many, many places
in Murray that helped with putting our bid together - the chamber, the university,
the city, the county. All kinds of people came together for that.
“One thing that definitely has helped us I think is that Paducah hosted the
state games in 2009 and 2010 and that gave us a chance to see how these things
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
■ By John Wright
are run. Plus, with it being so close, we didn’t have to go to the other side of the
state for that.”
Butler described the 2011 state games in Murray as a “fun year,” being that
the various events - 17 of them - were strictly for the sake of competition and
camaraderie. Come October, though, the stakes will be a bit higher as those state
games are classified as a “qualifying” year, as in for the national games slated
July 21-Aug. 1, 2013, in Cleveland, Ohio.
“That means those athletes finishing first, second or third in Murray will be
qualifying for Cleveland and that’s exciting for our Kentucky athletes because
it is so much closer to here than, say, California or Texas,” she said, noting that
her first year of watching the state games left an indelible impression. “It’s
unbelievable. So many people think of them as ‘old,’ but many of them are in
better shape than I am (and she’s just 26). You watch them in swimming, bicycling,
track and field, they really compete hard and I think it also gives you
hope, too. They’ve had a lifetime of fitness so you figure maybe you have a
chance to be like they are at that age.”
Murray’s Gene McDougal, who has participated in senior games the past 10
years, said these events give him a chance to perhaps get something back from
earlier years.
“I didn’t really play sports in school (at the Murray Training School). I was
on a team or two, but I just occasionally got into games,” said McDougal, 76,
who has won numerous medals over the years, like his buddy, Jones.
“This kind of thing makes you feel good about yourself. It’s good to get out
and compete. It is enjoyable. I’m retired so I guess I needed to find something
to do,” he added with a bit of a laugh.
Top left, Gene McDougal gets
set to send his patented hook
shot toward the hoop during a
basketball outing at the
George Weaks Community
Center. Top right, Brownie
Jones prepares to let fly with a
jump shot. Far left, Brownie
Jones displays several
brochures and news articles
he has collected over the
years pertaining to both the
Purchase Area and Kentucky
State Senior Games. Left,
Carlos Youngblood, pictured
on right, sends his disc toward
the target as Brice Ratterree,
also of Murray, watches the
shot as they play shuffleboard
at the George Weaks
Community Center in Murray.
(All Photos by JOHN
WRIGHT / Ledger & Times)
59

60 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
61

Pictured is a blue crowned mot-mot, and pictured in the bottom
inset is the MV Sea Lion, the ship the Littles took to Costa Rica.
(Photos by Terry Little)
Terry and Judi Little are pictured in the top inset photo.
(Photo provided)
■ By Angie Hatton
Nature photography requires patience, dedication and skill, as Murray couple
Terry and Judi Little know first hand. The two recently got a chance
to explore the passion of photography with National Geographic photographers
and expert naturalists on a cruise expedition to Costa Rica and Panama.
The Lindblad Expedition the Littles went on is a partnership with National
Geographic and is one of the few photography cruise expeditions Lindblad
offers, with guided tours focused on nature photography and education on the
local wildlife. The couple were two of 65 passengers. Terry Little said every
Lindblad Expedition has a photographer on board who is trained by National
Geographic, but on this particular tour, the Littles were fortunate because they
had two photographers on board who are both internationally known and
whose work has appeared in National Geographic. Ralph Lee Hopkin’s work
regularly appears in the magazine. His images have also been exhibited
around the world, and he is the author of several books about photography.
Richard Maack is also an author and former photography editor, whose work
has appeared in several publications.
The first sign for the Littles that this would not be like a regular cruise was
when they encountered the special camera room. The boat had a screened-in
area in the main corridor for housing cameras outside the air-conditioned cabins
in order to prevent lenses from fogging over in the transition from inside
to outside. When tour groups got ready to take one of the ship’s expedition
rafts to a photography site, they grabbed their cameras on the way out, the
couple said.
“It just was so different,” said Judi Little. “Another thing was there were no
keys to the cabins. When you get inside, you can lock the door, but all the cabins
are open, because you’re not really worried. Where’s the thief going to
go?”
The Littles said most of the people on the tour were photographers wanting
to learn more about their craft, though a few were simply on the cruise for the
fun of it, the couple said.
“There were about 20 on the cruise who you’d call serious photographers,”
Terry Little said. “They were the ones with $20,000 to $30,000 of camera
equipment.”
Nature photography is Terry Little’s passion. He said he got involved in it
when the couple were active campers.
“I used to do a lot of photography and we used to do a lot of camping, and
so I started taking pictures while I was out hiking around. And when you start
taking a lot of pictures of birds, you’ve got to figure out what they are, and so
62 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012

Pictured, at top, are Lindblad Expedition members taking pictures from
different angles. Pictured below is the alter of the Church of San Pedro.
(Photos by Terry Little)
I started to learn more and more about bird watching. So one fed off the other,
I suppose,” he said.
Terry said he has documented 68 species of birds in his own backyard in
New Concord in the eight
years he and Judi have lived
there. Being in Costa Rica and
the surrounding region was a
treat for him, he said.
“The first day we went to a
place where we saw eight varieties
of hummingbirds in 10
minutes,” he said. “When
you’re from Murray, Ky., you
get to see only one kind of
hummingbird, our lovely rubythroated
ones. But these things
were magnificent.”
The couple got to see
species of bird and other animals
that had never heard of.
Being surrounded by such variety
is something Terry Little said “made his heart go pitty-pat.”
“The wildlife in Costa Rica is amazing for color. Central America is full of
brightly-colored things,” he said.
Terry Little’s only regret of the tour was that he did not have more time at
each location to photograph a subject.
“Even though this was focused on photography and everybody had cameras,
there is still an agenda, and places to go,” Judi Little said.
Judi has always appreciated photography, but it’s not been “her thing,” she
A special publication of the Murray Ledger & Times
said. She has worked in art with patterns, kaleidoscopes, quilt blocks and
stained glass. She joked that she told Terry she would always support his photographic
interests, but she was not going to be a “sherpa” and carry his camera
bags for him. Recently, and partly because she knew she was going on this
trip, she said her views have changed and she has taken up the lens.
“When I realized that I could probably take some ‘artsy’ kind of pictures,
then I thought maybe
I should learn to do
more than just point
and shoot a camera,”
she said.
Judi said she and
Terry have very different
ideas of composition.
“Judi calls me a
nose hair photographer.
I wanted to be as
close to things as I
can get. That’s why I
have long lenses,” he
said.
“And he wants to
crop it all out,” she
added. “He wants to
take that bird and fill
that frame with that
bird and get it as
sharp and tight as you possible can, whereas I either want to get the scenery
or I want the bird to be a part of the picture, not the only thing in the picture.”
Terry Little said one of the lessons the trip taught him most clearly was perspective.
“You can take a bunch of people
with cameras, and take them to the
same place under the same conditions,
and you let them all take pictures,
and then you compare the
pictures and you find out how differently
people see things,” he said.
“I think that’s one of the great
things about photography - capturing
it in your own way.”
He added that the biggest
difference he noticed between the amateurs and professionals Maack and
Hopkins was in the volume of pictures they took.
“I thought that I took a lot of pictures,” he said. “But John Maack and
Richard Lee Hopkins, they were always taking pictures, just constantly. ...
And they discard as many as I do.”
Photography is a special kind of art because it can trigger memories, said
Terry Little.
“Photography is a way to capture a moment,” he said. “You can go back in
that shoe box in the closet and get out the pictures from the 60s and 70s, and
in my case much older than that, and you take any picture out, and there’s a
good chance you remember exactly
what was going on when that
picture was taken. ... It’s a way to
bring back good thoughts.”
Pictured, at left, is a green
mountain gem hummingbird.
At right is a coatimurdi
(a relative of the raccoon),
at top is a white faced
capuehin monkey, and below
that is pictured a
red capped mannequin.
(Photos by Terry Little)
63

64 In Our Backyard ~ Summer 2012