Bio
Profile written by Wayne King.
Diane and I are both from the southwestern Jefferson County community of Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP), Kentucky where we met while attending PRP High School. Married in 1968, we celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary on Aug. 2, 2024. We currently reside near Shelbyville, Shelby Co., KY.
Our two adult children have both done well in life. Our son, Brian (52), worked as the "computer person" for many years but grew tired of "the machine" and decided to pursue his other main interest, truck farming. By the age of 50 , he (and his wife, Heather) had paid off their 25 acre farm. Also, Brian had built his own home as well as needed barns, sheds, greenhouses, etc. They live just inside Jefferson County (KY) near the county boundary lines with Bullitt and Spencer Counties. He and Heather do not have any children.
Our daughter. Carrie (45), is highly thought of as a nurse. She works in nursing homes on weekends and due to her expertise (and the nursing shortage) she has had no trouble finding good paying jobs. Both of our children seem to enjoy their chosen profession.
All four of our grandchildren (Carrie's children) are doing quite well in their academics. The oldest, Reagan (22) graduated (college prep) from Shelby Co. HS with a 3.7+ GPA. She was in college part-time while working a job full time and studying to be a nurse like her mother. However, working in a nursing home (nurse's assistant, residents described her as a "Sweetheart") she eventually realized that nursing was not what she really wanted to do with her life. Like her mother and grandmother she is very artistic. She is now pursuing a degree where she can use her artistic ability to help troubled children.
Ella (18) graduated from Shelby Co. HS (6th of 200+ students) taking college credit courses her last two years. The school is located next to a state community college and qualified SCHS students are allowed to take courses there for both high school and college credit. Ella was one of only two students to graduate from SCHS in 2024 with both a High School Diploma AND an Associate of Arts Degree. She has entered the University of the Cumberlands as a junior.
Despite her tough academic schedule, Ella was still involved in several school activities (choir, plays, Student Council, etc,) and holding down a part-time job at the local local Walgreens Drug Store, she still managed a 4.3+ GPA . She has entered college (University on an academic scholarship, turning down several scholarships from other schools. Ella currently wants to be a Christian family lawyer and is majoring in pre-law.
Ella's older sister (Reagan, 22) took her to Williamsburg, KY for a visit. Ella really liked the school and consequently decided to attend Cumberland instead of Murray State University. Reagan liked the school too, so well that she decided to change her major and attend the university as well. They currently room together on campus.
The youngest two, Carter (14) and Piper (13), are currently being home schooled. They too, are doing quite well academically and are way above the average for their counterparts in the public schools.
As you can see, my wife and I have been very blessed to have such wonderful children and grand-children . Needless to say, we are very proud of them.
Diane and I are both retired educators. Diane was a church preschool director for 17 years and prior to that was a daycare director. Though the years have been busy ones for her, she has always managed to find the time to be a wonderful Christian wife, mother and grandmother. The nicknames that our grandchildren have given us are "Mo Mo" and "Po Po", now shortened to "Mo" and "Po".
Raised in Jefferson Co., KY (Garvin Place in Louisville, Wilshire Ave. in Riverside Gardens, Ralph Avenue in Louisville & Greenwood Rd in PRP), I was truly blessed to have wonderful, Godly parents (Mitchell R. King and Dorothy Boyles King). They were strict, yet loving. They "took" my siblings and myself to church "every time the doors were open". Both were active in church activities with my dad being a deacon as well as a Sunday School Superintendent and teacher at various times. During my teenage years my Mom and I sang in the church choir while my sister, Cheryl, played the church piano. Her piano teacher and good friend, Judy Hudson, played the church organ. Judy later graduated from Kentucky Southern College and became a music teacher in the Jefferson Co. Public School System.
Schooling was also a point of emphasis while growing up but we were never pressured. We were expected to attend school every day unless "deathly ill", to behave ourselves in the classroom and to do as well as we could in our studies. If we stayed home sick, which was seldom, we had to stay in bed all day.
Cane Run Elementary School (grades 1-4, older building, now raised) was the first school I attended. Later there was Alice Waller Ele. School (2nd half of 1st grade, now raised) and Greenwood Rd Ele. School (new building, grades 5-6). I was blessed with caring teachers who had high expectations in both academics and behavior. My wife, Diane, attended St. Helen Catholic School (grades 1-5) in Shively (KY), St. Paul Catholic School (grades (6-8) and then Pleasure Ridge Park High School (9-12).
I was blessed by being well prepared for college by PRP HS, taking advanced and superior courses managing a 3.2+ GPA while playing basketball. After graduation (1965) I attended Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY for one year and then transferred to Kentucky Southern College (KSC), in Louisville, KY. I graduated from KSC with a 3.2+ GPA in 1969 receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as Kentucky Teacher Certification (social studies, psychology, health and PE). I wanted to start teaching and coaching basketball immediately so I turned down an opportunity to attend graduate school on a graduate assistant ship.
At both schools (Lees and KY Southern) I was fortunate to be a scholarship member of the basketball team. Once again I was truly blessed, having my college education paid for while being provided the opportunity to play a game that I truly loved and would later coach. I was also the college sports editor (KSC) my last two years there.
The junior high school, high school and college basketball coaches that I had for ten years (1959-69) had a profound effect on my life. They were Gary Young (PRP JHS), Bill Waddell (PRP HS), Gary Schaffer (PRP HS), Edgar Raleigh (Lees JC) and Gippy "Gip" Graham (KSC). I will always be thankful to each of them. Also, I am thankful for the wonderful teammates I had during those years, years that passed by all too quickly. Many of my teammates are now deceased.
Gary Young, 4 years older that myself, played basketball and baseball at PRP while I was in junior high school. He was the first "older player" at PRP (baseball and basketball) that I truly admired. Gary was my 7th and 8th grade coach in Optimist Leagues in both baseball and basketball. Coach Waddell (HS freshman coach) gave me some much needed basketball encouragement and the opportunity to be "on the team" during my first year (9th grade) in high school. I had failed to make PRP's 7th and 8th grade teams and I must say, rightfully so. The truth is that I had yet to develop physically and was undersized and really not very good.
Coach Gary Schaffer (PRP JV and later Varsity) also gave me much needed encouragement and showed unwavering faith in me during the three years (grades 10-12) that I played for him at PRP. I went from probably being the worse player on the freshman team to leading the varsity team in scoring and rebounding my senior year. At the end of my senior season I was named the team's MVP and All-District, accepting a basketball scholarship to Lees Junior College (Jackson, KY). I had received the Most Improved Player Award my junior year. Again, Coach Schaffer played a great part in my development both as an athlete and a person.
Coach Edgar Raleigh offered me a basketball scholarship at Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY, thus the chance to play my college basketball in state, something for which I will always be grateful. He is now in his late 80s and we remain good friends.
KSC Coach Gippy Graham was like a second father to me (strict, yet caring) during my three years at Ky Southern College (KSC). After coaching he became a KY state legislator and later the Mayor of Frankfort (KY), his hometown. He is now 95! We also remain good friends and meet several times a year for lunch in Frankfort with other former KSC teammates.
As mentioned earlier, I am also thankful for the outstanding teammates that I had during my high school and college years. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with many of them and several of them have passed away. At 78 years of age I still have the opportunity to meet with some of my former coaches and teammates several times a year.
At KSC I obtained teaching certification in Social Studies, Special Education, Health & Physical Education and Psychology. Most of my graduate study was done at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY, the school from which I earned my Masters Degree (MS) and later my Rank I and administration certification. I also attended graduate classes at Western Kentucky University and Georgetown College, obtaining certification in special education, counseling and as a Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP). I have a total of 99 graduate hours with a 3.9+ GPA.
Following graduation from college I was privileged to serve 35+ years as a teacher and administrator in the public school system, mostly in the Anderson County School System in Lawrenceburg, KY. During those years I had the opportunity to work with many wonderful fellow educators and to come in contact with thousands of students.
My career in education started at Butler High School in Louisville, KY as a special education (EMH) teacher. I was also an assistant basketball coach for three years at Butler working with head coach, Lonnie Willoughby. During that three year period we had outstanding teams. Lonnie was not only an excellent basketball coaching mentor but also a good friend. He was a very caring person.
At age 25, I was offered the opportunity to become an assistant basketball coach in college. Diane and I moved to Charleston, SC where I coached the freshman team and assisted with the varsity at Charleston Southern University. It took only one year to realize that being an assistant in college was not all that it was cracked up to be. Being on the road much of the time (scouting and recruiting) while also coaching the freshman/JV team, being in charge of recruiting and assisting with the varsity kept me quite busy. Fortunately, I was not required to teach classes.
My experience at Charleston Southern was definitely beneficial in several ways. Most of all, it helped me realize that I was an incurable homebody and that Diane & I both missed our home state of Kentucky.
At age 26, I returned to Kentucky, accepting the head coaching position for boys basketball at Anderson Co. High School (ACHS) in Lawrenceburg. There I taught both Health and Physical Education. During my second year there I became the assistant principal.
My wife, Diane, got saved (accepted Jesus as her Savior) at age 26. At the same time I rededicated by life to Jesus and we joined the First Baptist Church of Lawenceburg. Rev. Bob Jones was our Pastor (wonderful man). I had his two children in school.
In my first year at ACHS we had only a 5'8 part time starter returning from the previous year, however, we had a good JV team to compliment him. To everyone's surprise (including my own) we won both the district and regional basketball tournaments that first year and represented the 8th Region in the Kentucky State Basketball Tournament.
The next year, at age 27, I became an assistant principal at ACHS while still coaching a basketball team that ranked in the top 15. Being an assistant principal, teaching four classes, attending graduate school and coaching basketball (won 24 games) made for a very busy year. At age 28, I gave up my head coaching position when I was offered the position of head principal at Anderson Co. High School.
After four years as the high school (ACHS) principal the middle school (AMS) job came open. I requested the move to the open principal's position at Anderson Middle, a position that I would hold for 12 years.
I then moved to the Board of Education as Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP) for 14 years, working for Ronald "Sonny" Fentress, one of the all-time great school superintendents in the state of Kentucky and I might add, a good friend. During that time I started coaching again, helping a former ACHS athlete (Tony Kays), coaching the girls basketball program at both the middle school ("fall ball") and the high school (FR, later JV) as well as assisting with our outstanding varsity teams. I enjoyed my years as as assistant and had no ambition, whatsoever, of becoming a girls head varsity coach.
After retiring in 2005 at age 58, I worked part-time in the Anderson School System as a substitute teacher, primarily at the high school and the alternative school, and even filled in as DPP (my old job) for Anderson County twice, once for a full year and once for a spring. The same position (DPP) was also offered (and accepted) to me for one year in the Woodford Co. School System in Versailles, Kentucky.
Though officially retired I eventually continued to coach basketball, helping ACHS's highly successful head coach, Tony Kays, with the girls HS basketball team. We were blessed to win 20+ games (34-2 one year!) eight years in a row and make it to the State Tournament several times. After eight 20 win seasons our string was broken by a team that won only 19 games. When our head coach gave up coaching basketball (retired) in 2014, I did likewise.
That pretty much concludes all you "never wanted to know" about my life on this earth, a life that has been truly blessed.
Diane (my # 1 supporter) and I are now both 78 years of age. Although blessed with reasonably good health, we realize that our time on this earth is fast running out. Someday soon our souls will be moving on to Heaven to be with Jesus as well as our Christian relatives and friends. My question to you is this: Where will you be spending eternity?
One of our hobbies is the history/genealogy of our families. Consequently, most of the memorials we have created and/or maintain on Find-a-Grave are family. We are always glad to get corrections and/or additional information in regard to the members of our families who came before us.
Diane and I are both from the southwestern Jefferson County community of Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP), Kentucky where we met while attending PRP High School. Married in 1968, we celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary on Aug. 2, 2024. We currently reside near Shelbyville, Shelby Co., KY.
Our two adult children have both done well in life. Our son, Brian (52), worked as the "computer person" for many years but grew tired of "the machine" and decided to pursue his other main interest, truck farming. By the age of 50 , he (and his wife, Heather) had paid off their 25 acre farm. Also, Brian had built his own home as well as needed barns, sheds, greenhouses, etc. They live just inside Jefferson County (KY) near the county boundary lines with Bullitt and Spencer Counties. He and Heather do not have any children.
Our daughter. Carrie (45), is highly thought of as a nurse. She works in nursing homes on weekends and due to her expertise (and the nursing shortage) she has had no trouble finding good paying jobs. Both of our children seem to enjoy their chosen profession.
All four of our grandchildren (Carrie's children) are doing quite well in their academics. The oldest, Reagan (22) graduated (college prep) from Shelby Co. HS with a 3.7+ GPA. She was in college part-time while working a job full time and studying to be a nurse like her mother. However, working in a nursing home (nurse's assistant, residents described her as a "Sweetheart") she eventually realized that nursing was not what she really wanted to do with her life. Like her mother and grandmother she is very artistic. She is now pursuing a degree where she can use her artistic ability to help troubled children.
Ella (18) graduated from Shelby Co. HS (6th of 200+ students) taking college credit courses her last two years. The school is located next to a state community college and qualified SCHS students are allowed to take courses there for both high school and college credit. Ella was one of only two students to graduate from SCHS in 2024 with both a High School Diploma AND an Associate of Arts Degree. She has entered the University of the Cumberlands as a junior.
Despite her tough academic schedule, Ella was still involved in several school activities (choir, plays, Student Council, etc,) and holding down a part-time job at the local local Walgreens Drug Store, she still managed a 4.3+ GPA . She has entered college (University on an academic scholarship, turning down several scholarships from other schools. Ella currently wants to be a Christian family lawyer and is majoring in pre-law.
Ella's older sister (Reagan, 22) took her to Williamsburg, KY for a visit. Ella really liked the school and consequently decided to attend Cumberland instead of Murray State University. Reagan liked the school too, so well that she decided to change her major and attend the university as well. They currently room together on campus.
The youngest two, Carter (14) and Piper (13), are currently being home schooled. They too, are doing quite well academically and are way above the average for their counterparts in the public schools.
As you can see, my wife and I have been very blessed to have such wonderful children and grand-children . Needless to say, we are very proud of them.
Diane and I are both retired educators. Diane was a church preschool director for 17 years and prior to that was a daycare director. Though the years have been busy ones for her, she has always managed to find the time to be a wonderful Christian wife, mother and grandmother. The nicknames that our grandchildren have given us are "Mo Mo" and "Po Po", now shortened to "Mo" and "Po".
Raised in Jefferson Co., KY (Garvin Place in Louisville, Wilshire Ave. in Riverside Gardens, Ralph Avenue in Louisville & Greenwood Rd in PRP), I was truly blessed to have wonderful, Godly parents (Mitchell R. King and Dorothy Boyles King). They were strict, yet loving. They "took" my siblings and myself to church "every time the doors were open". Both were active in church activities with my dad being a deacon as well as a Sunday School Superintendent and teacher at various times. During my teenage years my Mom and I sang in the church choir while my sister, Cheryl, played the church piano. Her piano teacher and good friend, Judy Hudson, played the church organ. Judy later graduated from Kentucky Southern College and became a music teacher in the Jefferson Co. Public School System.
Schooling was also a point of emphasis while growing up but we were never pressured. We were expected to attend school every day unless "deathly ill", to behave ourselves in the classroom and to do as well as we could in our studies. If we stayed home sick, which was seldom, we had to stay in bed all day.
Cane Run Elementary School (grades 1-4, older building, now raised) was the first school I attended. Later there was Alice Waller Ele. School (2nd half of 1st grade, now raised) and Greenwood Rd Ele. School (new building, grades 5-6). I was blessed with caring teachers who had high expectations in both academics and behavior. My wife, Diane, attended St. Helen Catholic School (grades 1-5) in Shively (KY), St. Paul Catholic School (grades (6-8) and then Pleasure Ridge Park High School (9-12).
I was blessed by being well prepared for college by PRP HS, taking advanced and superior courses managing a 3.2+ GPA while playing basketball. After graduation (1965) I attended Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY for one year and then transferred to Kentucky Southern College (KSC), in Louisville, KY. I graduated from KSC with a 3.2+ GPA in 1969 receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as Kentucky Teacher Certification (social studies, psychology, health and PE). I wanted to start teaching and coaching basketball immediately so I turned down an opportunity to attend graduate school on a graduate assistant ship.
At both schools (Lees and KY Southern) I was fortunate to be a scholarship member of the basketball team. Once again I was truly blessed, having my college education paid for while being provided the opportunity to play a game that I truly loved and would later coach. I was also the college sports editor (KSC) my last two years there.
The junior high school, high school and college basketball coaches that I had for ten years (1959-69) had a profound effect on my life. They were Gary Young (PRP JHS), Bill Waddell (PRP HS), Gary Schaffer (PRP HS), Edgar Raleigh (Lees JC) and Gippy "Gip" Graham (KSC). I will always be thankful to each of them. Also, I am thankful for the wonderful teammates I had during those years, years that passed by all too quickly. Many of my teammates are now deceased.
Gary Young, 4 years older that myself, played basketball and baseball at PRP while I was in junior high school. He was the first "older player" at PRP (baseball and basketball) that I truly admired. Gary was my 7th and 8th grade coach in Optimist Leagues in both baseball and basketball. Coach Waddell (HS freshman coach) gave me some much needed basketball encouragement and the opportunity to be "on the team" during my first year (9th grade) in high school. I had failed to make PRP's 7th and 8th grade teams and I must say, rightfully so. The truth is that I had yet to develop physically and was undersized and really not very good.
Coach Gary Schaffer (PRP JV and later Varsity) also gave me much needed encouragement and showed unwavering faith in me during the three years (grades 10-12) that I played for him at PRP. I went from probably being the worse player on the freshman team to leading the varsity team in scoring and rebounding my senior year. At the end of my senior season I was named the team's MVP and All-District, accepting a basketball scholarship to Lees Junior College (Jackson, KY). I had received the Most Improved Player Award my junior year. Again, Coach Schaffer played a great part in my development both as an athlete and a person.
Coach Edgar Raleigh offered me a basketball scholarship at Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY, thus the chance to play my college basketball in state, something for which I will always be grateful. He is now in his late 80s and we remain good friends.
KSC Coach Gippy Graham was like a second father to me (strict, yet caring) during my three years at Ky Southern College (KSC). After coaching he became a KY state legislator and later the Mayor of Frankfort (KY), his hometown. He is now 95! We also remain good friends and meet several times a year for lunch in Frankfort with other former KSC teammates.
As mentioned earlier, I am also thankful for the outstanding teammates that I had during my high school and college years. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with many of them and several of them have passed away. At 78 years of age I still have the opportunity to meet with some of my former coaches and teammates several times a year.
At KSC I obtained teaching certification in Social Studies, Special Education, Health & Physical Education and Psychology. Most of my graduate study was done at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY, the school from which I earned my Masters Degree (MS) and later my Rank I and administration certification. I also attended graduate classes at Western Kentucky University and Georgetown College, obtaining certification in special education, counseling and as a Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP). I have a total of 99 graduate hours with a 3.9+ GPA.
Following graduation from college I was privileged to serve 35+ years as a teacher and administrator in the public school system, mostly in the Anderson County School System in Lawrenceburg, KY. During those years I had the opportunity to work with many wonderful fellow educators and to come in contact with thousands of students.
My career in education started at Butler High School in Louisville, KY as a special education (EMH) teacher. I was also an assistant basketball coach for three years at Butler working with head coach, Lonnie Willoughby. During that three year period we had outstanding teams. Lonnie was not only an excellent basketball coaching mentor but also a good friend. He was a very caring person.
At age 25, I was offered the opportunity to become an assistant basketball coach in college. Diane and I moved to Charleston, SC where I coached the freshman team and assisted with the varsity at Charleston Southern University. It took only one year to realize that being an assistant in college was not all that it was cracked up to be. Being on the road much of the time (scouting and recruiting) while also coaching the freshman/JV team, being in charge of recruiting and assisting with the varsity kept me quite busy. Fortunately, I was not required to teach classes.
My experience at Charleston Southern was definitely beneficial in several ways. Most of all, it helped me realize that I was an incurable homebody and that Diane & I both missed our home state of Kentucky.
At age 26, I returned to Kentucky, accepting the head coaching position for boys basketball at Anderson Co. High School (ACHS) in Lawrenceburg. There I taught both Health and Physical Education. During my second year there I became the assistant principal.
My wife, Diane, got saved (accepted Jesus as her Savior) at age 26. At the same time I rededicated by life to Jesus and we joined the First Baptist Church of Lawenceburg. Rev. Bob Jones was our Pastor (wonderful man). I had his two children in school.
In my first year at ACHS we had only a 5'8 part time starter returning from the previous year, however, we had a good JV team to compliment him. To everyone's surprise (including my own) we won both the district and regional basketball tournaments that first year and represented the 8th Region in the Kentucky State Basketball Tournament.
The next year, at age 27, I became an assistant principal at ACHS while still coaching a basketball team that ranked in the top 15. Being an assistant principal, teaching four classes, attending graduate school and coaching basketball (won 24 games) made for a very busy year. At age 28, I gave up my head coaching position when I was offered the position of head principal at Anderson Co. High School.
After four years as the high school (ACHS) principal the middle school (AMS) job came open. I requested the move to the open principal's position at Anderson Middle, a position that I would hold for 12 years.
I then moved to the Board of Education as Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP) for 14 years, working for Ronald "Sonny" Fentress, one of the all-time great school superintendents in the state of Kentucky and I might add, a good friend. During that time I started coaching again, helping a former ACHS athlete (Tony Kays), coaching the girls basketball program at both the middle school ("fall ball") and the high school (FR, later JV) as well as assisting with our outstanding varsity teams. I enjoyed my years as as assistant and had no ambition, whatsoever, of becoming a girls head varsity coach.
After retiring in 2005 at age 58, I worked part-time in the Anderson School System as a substitute teacher, primarily at the high school and the alternative school, and even filled in as DPP (my old job) for Anderson County twice, once for a full year and once for a spring. The same position (DPP) was also offered (and accepted) to me for one year in the Woodford Co. School System in Versailles, Kentucky.
Though officially retired I eventually continued to coach basketball, helping ACHS's highly successful head coach, Tony Kays, with the girls HS basketball team. We were blessed to win 20+ games (34-2 one year!) eight years in a row and make it to the State Tournament several times. After eight 20 win seasons our string was broken by a team that won only 19 games. When our head coach gave up coaching basketball (retired) in 2014, I did likewise.
That pretty much concludes all you "never wanted to know" about my life on this earth, a life that has been truly blessed.
Diane (my # 1 supporter) and I are now both 78 years of age. Although blessed with reasonably good health, we realize that our time on this earth is fast running out. Someday soon our souls will be moving on to Heaven to be with Jesus as well as our Christian relatives and friends. My question to you is this: Where will you be spending eternity?
One of our hobbies is the history/genealogy of our families. Consequently, most of the memorials we have created and/or maintain on Find-a-Grave are family. We are always glad to get corrections and/or additional information in regard to the members of our families who came before us.
Profile written by Wayne King.
Diane and I are both from the southwestern Jefferson County community of Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP), Kentucky where we met while attending PRP High School. Married in 1968, we celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary on Aug. 2, 2024. We currently reside near Shelbyville, Shelby Co., KY.
Our two adult children have both done well in life. Our son, Brian (52), worked as the "computer person" for many years but grew tired of "the machine" and decided to pursue his other main interest, truck farming. By the age of 50 , he (and his wife, Heather) had paid off their 25 acre farm. Also, Brian had built his own home as well as needed barns, sheds, greenhouses, etc. They live just inside Jefferson County (KY) near the county boundary lines with Bullitt and Spencer Counties. He and Heather do not have any children.
Our daughter. Carrie (45), is highly thought of as a nurse. She works in nursing homes on weekends and due to her expertise (and the nursing shortage) she has had no trouble finding good paying jobs. Both of our children seem to enjoy their chosen profession.
All four of our grandchildren (Carrie's children) are doing quite well in their academics. The oldest, Reagan (22) graduated (college prep) from Shelby Co. HS with a 3.7+ GPA. She was in college part-time while working a job full time and studying to be a nurse like her mother. However, working in a nursing home (nurse's assistant, residents described her as a "Sweetheart") she eventually realized that nursing was not what she really wanted to do with her life. Like her mother and grandmother she is very artistic. She is now pursuing a degree where she can use her artistic ability to help troubled children.
Ella (18) graduated from Shelby Co. HS (6th of 200+ students) taking college credit courses her last two years. The school is located next to a state community college and qualified SCHS students are allowed to take courses there for both high school and college credit. Ella was one of only two students to graduate from SCHS in 2024 with both a High School Diploma AND an Associate of Arts Degree. She has entered the University of the Cumberlands as a junior.
Despite her tough academic schedule, Ella was still involved in several school activities (choir, plays, Student Council, etc,) and holding down a part-time job at the local local Walgreens Drug Store, she still managed a 4.3+ GPA . She has entered college (University on an academic scholarship, turning down several scholarships from other schools. Ella currently wants to be a Christian family lawyer and is majoring in pre-law.
Ella's older sister (Reagan, 22) took her to Williamsburg, KY for a visit. Ella really liked the school and consequently decided to attend Cumberland instead of Murray State University. Reagan liked the school too, so well that she decided to change her major and attend the university as well. They currently room together on campus.
The youngest two, Carter (14) and Piper (13), are currently being home schooled. They too, are doing quite well academically and are way above the average for their counterparts in the public schools.
As you can see, my wife and I have been very blessed to have such wonderful children and grand-children . Needless to say, we are very proud of them.
Diane and I are both retired educators. Diane was a church preschool director for 17 years and prior to that was a daycare director. Though the years have been busy ones for her, she has always managed to find the time to be a wonderful Christian wife, mother and grandmother. The nicknames that our grandchildren have given us are "Mo Mo" and "Po Po", now shortened to "Mo" and "Po".
Raised in Jefferson Co., KY (Garvin Place in Louisville, Wilshire Ave. in Riverside Gardens, Ralph Avenue in Louisville & Greenwood Rd in PRP), I was truly blessed to have wonderful, Godly parents (Mitchell R. King and Dorothy Boyles King). They were strict, yet loving. They "took" my siblings and myself to church "every time the doors were open". Both were active in church activities with my dad being a deacon as well as a Sunday School Superintendent and teacher at various times. During my teenage years my Mom and I sang in the church choir while my sister, Cheryl, played the church piano. Her piano teacher and good friend, Judy Hudson, played the church organ. Judy later graduated from Kentucky Southern College and became a music teacher in the Jefferson Co. Public School System.
Schooling was also a point of emphasis while growing up but we were never pressured. We were expected to attend school every day unless "deathly ill", to behave ourselves in the classroom and to do as well as we could in our studies. If we stayed home sick, which was seldom, we had to stay in bed all day.
Cane Run Elementary School (grades 1-4, older building, now raised) was the first school I attended. Later there was Alice Waller Ele. School (2nd half of 1st grade, now raised) and Greenwood Rd Ele. School (new building, grades 5-6). I was blessed with caring teachers who had high expectations in both academics and behavior. My wife, Diane, attended St. Helen Catholic School (grades 1-5) in Shively (KY), St. Paul Catholic School (grades (6-8) and then Pleasure Ridge Park High School (9-12).
I was blessed by being well prepared for college by PRP HS, taking advanced and superior courses managing a 3.2+ GPA while playing basketball. After graduation (1965) I attended Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY for one year and then transferred to Kentucky Southern College (KSC), in Louisville, KY. I graduated from KSC with a 3.2+ GPA in 1969 receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as Kentucky Teacher Certification (social studies, psychology, health and PE). I wanted to start teaching and coaching basketball immediately so I turned down an opportunity to attend graduate school on a graduate assistant ship.
At both schools (Lees and KY Southern) I was fortunate to be a scholarship member of the basketball team. Once again I was truly blessed, having my college education paid for while being provided the opportunity to play a game that I truly loved and would later coach. I was also the college sports editor (KSC) my last two years there.
The junior high school, high school and college basketball coaches that I had for ten years (1959-69) had a profound effect on my life. They were Gary Young (PRP JHS), Bill Waddell (PRP HS), Gary Schaffer (PRP HS), Edgar Raleigh (Lees JC) and Gippy "Gip" Graham (KSC). I will always be thankful to each of them. Also, I am thankful for the wonderful teammates I had during those years, years that passed by all too quickly. Many of my teammates are now deceased.
Gary Young, 4 years older that myself, played basketball and baseball at PRP while I was in junior high school. He was the first "older player" at PRP (baseball and basketball) that I truly admired. Gary was my 7th and 8th grade coach in Optimist Leagues in both baseball and basketball. Coach Waddell (HS freshman coach) gave me some much needed basketball encouragement and the opportunity to be "on the team" during my first year (9th grade) in high school. I had failed to make PRP's 7th and 8th grade teams and I must say, rightfully so. The truth is that I had yet to develop physically and was undersized and really not very good.
Coach Gary Schaffer (PRP JV and later Varsity) also gave me much needed encouragement and showed unwavering faith in me during the three years (grades 10-12) that I played for him at PRP. I went from probably being the worse player on the freshman team to leading the varsity team in scoring and rebounding my senior year. At the end of my senior season I was named the team's MVP and All-District, accepting a basketball scholarship to Lees Junior College (Jackson, KY). I had received the Most Improved Player Award my junior year. Again, Coach Schaffer played a great part in my development both as an athlete and a person.
Coach Edgar Raleigh offered me a basketball scholarship at Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY, thus the chance to play my college basketball in state, something for which I will always be grateful. He is now in his late 80s and we remain good friends.
KSC Coach Gippy Graham was like a second father to me (strict, yet caring) during my three years at Ky Southern College (KSC). After coaching he became a KY state legislator and later the Mayor of Frankfort (KY), his hometown. He is now 95! We also remain good friends and meet several times a year for lunch in Frankfort with other former KSC teammates.
As mentioned earlier, I am also thankful for the outstanding teammates that I had during my high school and college years. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with many of them and several of them have passed away. At 78 years of age I still have the opportunity to meet with some of my former coaches and teammates several times a year.
At KSC I obtained teaching certification in Social Studies, Special Education, Health & Physical Education and Psychology. Most of my graduate study was done at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY, the school from which I earned my Masters Degree (MS) and later my Rank I and administration certification. I also attended graduate classes at Western Kentucky University and Georgetown College, obtaining certification in special education, counseling and as a Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP). I have a total of 99 graduate hours with a 3.9+ GPA.
Following graduation from college I was privileged to serve 35+ years as a teacher and administrator in the public school system, mostly in the Anderson County School System in Lawrenceburg, KY. During those years I had the opportunity to work with many wonderful fellow educators and to come in contact with thousands of students.
My career in education started at Butler High School in Louisville, KY as a special education (EMH) teacher. I was also an assistant basketball coach for three years at Butler working with head coach, Lonnie Willoughby. During that three year period we had outstanding teams. Lonnie was not only an excellent basketball coaching mentor but also a good friend. He was a very caring person.
At age 25, I was offered the opportunity to become an assistant basketball coach in college. Diane and I moved to Charleston, SC where I coached the freshman team and assisted with the varsity at Charleston Southern University. It took only one year to realize that being an assistant in college was not all that it was cracked up to be. Being on the road much of the time (scouting and recruiting) while also coaching the freshman/JV team, being in charge of recruiting and assisting with the varsity kept me quite busy. Fortunately, I was not required to teach classes.
My experience at Charleston Southern was definitely beneficial in several ways. Most of all, it helped me realize that I was an incurable homebody and that Diane & I both missed our home state of Kentucky.
At age 26, I returned to Kentucky, accepting the head coaching position for boys basketball at Anderson Co. High School (ACHS) in Lawrenceburg. There I taught both Health and Physical Education. During my second year there I became the assistant principal.
My wife, Diane, got saved (accepted Jesus as her Savior) at age 26. At the same time I rededicated by life to Jesus and we joined the First Baptist Church of Lawenceburg. Rev. Bob Jones was our Pastor (wonderful man). I had his two children in school.
In my first year at ACHS we had only a 5'8 part time starter returning from the previous year, however, we had a good JV team to compliment him. To everyone's surprise (including my own) we won both the district and regional basketball tournaments that first year and represented the 8th Region in the Kentucky State Basketball Tournament.
The next year, at age 27, I became an assistant principal at ACHS while still coaching a basketball team that ranked in the top 15. Being an assistant principal, teaching four classes, attending graduate school and coaching basketball (won 24 games) made for a very busy year. At age 28, I gave up my head coaching position when I was offered the position of head principal at Anderson Co. High School.
After four years as the high school (ACHS) principal the middle school (AMS) job came open. I requested the move to the open principal's position at Anderson Middle, a position that I would hold for 12 years.
I then moved to the Board of Education as Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP) for 14 years, working for Ronald "Sonny" Fentress, one of the all-time great school superintendents in the state of Kentucky and I might add, a good friend. During that time I started coaching again, helping a former ACHS athlete (Tony Kays), coaching the girls basketball program at both the middle school ("fall ball") and the high school (FR, later JV) as well as assisting with our outstanding varsity teams. I enjoyed my years as as assistant and had no ambition, whatsoever, of becoming a girls head varsity coach.
After retiring in 2005 at age 58, I worked part-time in the Anderson School System as a substitute teacher, primarily at the high school and the alternative school, and even filled in as DPP (my old job) for Anderson County twice, once for a full year and once for a spring. The same position (DPP) was also offered (and accepted) to me for one year in the Woodford Co. School System in Versailles, Kentucky.
Though officially retired I eventually continued to coach basketball, helping ACHS's highly successful head coach, Tony Kays, with the girls HS basketball team. We were blessed to win 20+ games (34-2 one year!) eight years in a row and make it to the State Tournament several times. After eight 20 win seasons our string was broken by a team that won only 19 games. When our head coach gave up coaching basketball (retired) in 2014, I did likewise.
That pretty much concludes all you "never wanted to know" about my life on this earth, a life that has been truly blessed.
Diane (my # 1 supporter) and I are now both 78 years of age. Although blessed with reasonably good health, we realize that our time on this earth is fast running out. Someday soon our souls will be moving on to Heaven to be with Jesus as well as our Christian relatives and friends. My question to you is this: Where will you be spending eternity?
One of our hobbies is the history/genealogy of our families. Consequently, most of the memorials we have created and/or maintain on Find-a-Grave are family. We are always glad to get corrections and/or additional information in regard to the members of our families who came before us.
Diane and I are both from the southwestern Jefferson County community of Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP), Kentucky where we met while attending PRP High School. Married in 1968, we celebrated our 56th wedding anniversary on Aug. 2, 2024. We currently reside near Shelbyville, Shelby Co., KY.
Our two adult children have both done well in life. Our son, Brian (52), worked as the "computer person" for many years but grew tired of "the machine" and decided to pursue his other main interest, truck farming. By the age of 50 , he (and his wife, Heather) had paid off their 25 acre farm. Also, Brian had built his own home as well as needed barns, sheds, greenhouses, etc. They live just inside Jefferson County (KY) near the county boundary lines with Bullitt and Spencer Counties. He and Heather do not have any children.
Our daughter. Carrie (45), is highly thought of as a nurse. She works in nursing homes on weekends and due to her expertise (and the nursing shortage) she has had no trouble finding good paying jobs. Both of our children seem to enjoy their chosen profession.
All four of our grandchildren (Carrie's children) are doing quite well in their academics. The oldest, Reagan (22) graduated (college prep) from Shelby Co. HS with a 3.7+ GPA. She was in college part-time while working a job full time and studying to be a nurse like her mother. However, working in a nursing home (nurse's assistant, residents described her as a "Sweetheart") she eventually realized that nursing was not what she really wanted to do with her life. Like her mother and grandmother she is very artistic. She is now pursuing a degree where she can use her artistic ability to help troubled children.
Ella (18) graduated from Shelby Co. HS (6th of 200+ students) taking college credit courses her last two years. The school is located next to a state community college and qualified SCHS students are allowed to take courses there for both high school and college credit. Ella was one of only two students to graduate from SCHS in 2024 with both a High School Diploma AND an Associate of Arts Degree. She has entered the University of the Cumberlands as a junior.
Despite her tough academic schedule, Ella was still involved in several school activities (choir, plays, Student Council, etc,) and holding down a part-time job at the local local Walgreens Drug Store, she still managed a 4.3+ GPA . She has entered college (University on an academic scholarship, turning down several scholarships from other schools. Ella currently wants to be a Christian family lawyer and is majoring in pre-law.
Ella's older sister (Reagan, 22) took her to Williamsburg, KY for a visit. Ella really liked the school and consequently decided to attend Cumberland instead of Murray State University. Reagan liked the school too, so well that she decided to change her major and attend the university as well. They currently room together on campus.
The youngest two, Carter (14) and Piper (13), are currently being home schooled. They too, are doing quite well academically and are way above the average for their counterparts in the public schools.
As you can see, my wife and I have been very blessed to have such wonderful children and grand-children . Needless to say, we are very proud of them.
Diane and I are both retired educators. Diane was a church preschool director for 17 years and prior to that was a daycare director. Though the years have been busy ones for her, she has always managed to find the time to be a wonderful Christian wife, mother and grandmother. The nicknames that our grandchildren have given us are "Mo Mo" and "Po Po", now shortened to "Mo" and "Po".
Raised in Jefferson Co., KY (Garvin Place in Louisville, Wilshire Ave. in Riverside Gardens, Ralph Avenue in Louisville & Greenwood Rd in PRP), I was truly blessed to have wonderful, Godly parents (Mitchell R. King and Dorothy Boyles King). They were strict, yet loving. They "took" my siblings and myself to church "every time the doors were open". Both were active in church activities with my dad being a deacon as well as a Sunday School Superintendent and teacher at various times. During my teenage years my Mom and I sang in the church choir while my sister, Cheryl, played the church piano. Her piano teacher and good friend, Judy Hudson, played the church organ. Judy later graduated from Kentucky Southern College and became a music teacher in the Jefferson Co. Public School System.
Schooling was also a point of emphasis while growing up but we were never pressured. We were expected to attend school every day unless "deathly ill", to behave ourselves in the classroom and to do as well as we could in our studies. If we stayed home sick, which was seldom, we had to stay in bed all day.
Cane Run Elementary School (grades 1-4, older building, now raised) was the first school I attended. Later there was Alice Waller Ele. School (2nd half of 1st grade, now raised) and Greenwood Rd Ele. School (new building, grades 5-6). I was blessed with caring teachers who had high expectations in both academics and behavior. My wife, Diane, attended St. Helen Catholic School (grades 1-5) in Shively (KY), St. Paul Catholic School (grades (6-8) and then Pleasure Ridge Park High School (9-12).
I was blessed by being well prepared for college by PRP HS, taking advanced and superior courses managing a 3.2+ GPA while playing basketball. After graduation (1965) I attended Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY for one year and then transferred to Kentucky Southern College (KSC), in Louisville, KY. I graduated from KSC with a 3.2+ GPA in 1969 receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree as well as Kentucky Teacher Certification (social studies, psychology, health and PE). I wanted to start teaching and coaching basketball immediately so I turned down an opportunity to attend graduate school on a graduate assistant ship.
At both schools (Lees and KY Southern) I was fortunate to be a scholarship member of the basketball team. Once again I was truly blessed, having my college education paid for while being provided the opportunity to play a game that I truly loved and would later coach. I was also the college sports editor (KSC) my last two years there.
The junior high school, high school and college basketball coaches that I had for ten years (1959-69) had a profound effect on my life. They were Gary Young (PRP JHS), Bill Waddell (PRP HS), Gary Schaffer (PRP HS), Edgar Raleigh (Lees JC) and Gippy "Gip" Graham (KSC). I will always be thankful to each of them. Also, I am thankful for the wonderful teammates I had during those years, years that passed by all too quickly. Many of my teammates are now deceased.
Gary Young, 4 years older that myself, played basketball and baseball at PRP while I was in junior high school. He was the first "older player" at PRP (baseball and basketball) that I truly admired. Gary was my 7th and 8th grade coach in Optimist Leagues in both baseball and basketball. Coach Waddell (HS freshman coach) gave me some much needed basketball encouragement and the opportunity to be "on the team" during my first year (9th grade) in high school. I had failed to make PRP's 7th and 8th grade teams and I must say, rightfully so. The truth is that I had yet to develop physically and was undersized and really not very good.
Coach Gary Schaffer (PRP JV and later Varsity) also gave me much needed encouragement and showed unwavering faith in me during the three years (grades 10-12) that I played for him at PRP. I went from probably being the worse player on the freshman team to leading the varsity team in scoring and rebounding my senior year. At the end of my senior season I was named the team's MVP and All-District, accepting a basketball scholarship to Lees Junior College (Jackson, KY). I had received the Most Improved Player Award my junior year. Again, Coach Schaffer played a great part in my development both as an athlete and a person.
Coach Edgar Raleigh offered me a basketball scholarship at Lees Junior College in Jackson, KY, thus the chance to play my college basketball in state, something for which I will always be grateful. He is now in his late 80s and we remain good friends.
KSC Coach Gippy Graham was like a second father to me (strict, yet caring) during my three years at Ky Southern College (KSC). After coaching he became a KY state legislator and later the Mayor of Frankfort (KY), his hometown. He is now 95! We also remain good friends and meet several times a year for lunch in Frankfort with other former KSC teammates.
As mentioned earlier, I am also thankful for the outstanding teammates that I had during my high school and college years. Unfortunately, I have lost contact with many of them and several of them have passed away. At 78 years of age I still have the opportunity to meet with some of my former coaches and teammates several times a year.
At KSC I obtained teaching certification in Social Studies, Special Education, Health & Physical Education and Psychology. Most of my graduate study was done at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY, the school from which I earned my Masters Degree (MS) and later my Rank I and administration certification. I also attended graduate classes at Western Kentucky University and Georgetown College, obtaining certification in special education, counseling and as a Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP). I have a total of 99 graduate hours with a 3.9+ GPA.
Following graduation from college I was privileged to serve 35+ years as a teacher and administrator in the public school system, mostly in the Anderson County School System in Lawrenceburg, KY. During those years I had the opportunity to work with many wonderful fellow educators and to come in contact with thousands of students.
My career in education started at Butler High School in Louisville, KY as a special education (EMH) teacher. I was also an assistant basketball coach for three years at Butler working with head coach, Lonnie Willoughby. During that three year period we had outstanding teams. Lonnie was not only an excellent basketball coaching mentor but also a good friend. He was a very caring person.
At age 25, I was offered the opportunity to become an assistant basketball coach in college. Diane and I moved to Charleston, SC where I coached the freshman team and assisted with the varsity at Charleston Southern University. It took only one year to realize that being an assistant in college was not all that it was cracked up to be. Being on the road much of the time (scouting and recruiting) while also coaching the freshman/JV team, being in charge of recruiting and assisting with the varsity kept me quite busy. Fortunately, I was not required to teach classes.
My experience at Charleston Southern was definitely beneficial in several ways. Most of all, it helped me realize that I was an incurable homebody and that Diane & I both missed our home state of Kentucky.
At age 26, I returned to Kentucky, accepting the head coaching position for boys basketball at Anderson Co. High School (ACHS) in Lawrenceburg. There I taught both Health and Physical Education. During my second year there I became the assistant principal.
My wife, Diane, got saved (accepted Jesus as her Savior) at age 26. At the same time I rededicated by life to Jesus and we joined the First Baptist Church of Lawenceburg. Rev. Bob Jones was our Pastor (wonderful man). I had his two children in school.
In my first year at ACHS we had only a 5'8 part time starter returning from the previous year, however, we had a good JV team to compliment him. To everyone's surprise (including my own) we won both the district and regional basketball tournaments that first year and represented the 8th Region in the Kentucky State Basketball Tournament.
The next year, at age 27, I became an assistant principal at ACHS while still coaching a basketball team that ranked in the top 15. Being an assistant principal, teaching four classes, attending graduate school and coaching basketball (won 24 games) made for a very busy year. At age 28, I gave up my head coaching position when I was offered the position of head principal at Anderson Co. High School.
After four years as the high school (ACHS) principal the middle school (AMS) job came open. I requested the move to the open principal's position at Anderson Middle, a position that I would hold for 12 years.
I then moved to the Board of Education as Director of Pupil Personnel (DPP) for 14 years, working for Ronald "Sonny" Fentress, one of the all-time great school superintendents in the state of Kentucky and I might add, a good friend. During that time I started coaching again, helping a former ACHS athlete (Tony Kays), coaching the girls basketball program at both the middle school ("fall ball") and the high school (FR, later JV) as well as assisting with our outstanding varsity teams. I enjoyed my years as as assistant and had no ambition, whatsoever, of becoming a girls head varsity coach.
After retiring in 2005 at age 58, I worked part-time in the Anderson School System as a substitute teacher, primarily at the high school and the alternative school, and even filled in as DPP (my old job) for Anderson County twice, once for a full year and once for a spring. The same position (DPP) was also offered (and accepted) to me for one year in the Woodford Co. School System in Versailles, Kentucky.
Though officially retired I eventually continued to coach basketball, helping ACHS's highly successful head coach, Tony Kays, with the girls HS basketball team. We were blessed to win 20+ games (34-2 one year!) eight years in a row and make it to the State Tournament several times. After eight 20 win seasons our string was broken by a team that won only 19 games. When our head coach gave up coaching basketball (retired) in 2014, I did likewise.
That pretty much concludes all you "never wanted to know" about my life on this earth, a life that has been truly blessed.
Diane (my # 1 supporter) and I are now both 78 years of age. Although blessed with reasonably good health, we realize that our time on this earth is fast running out. Someday soon our souls will be moving on to Heaven to be with Jesus as well as our Christian relatives and friends. My question to you is this: Where will you be spending eternity?
One of our hobbies is the history/genealogy of our families. Consequently, most of the memorials we have created and/or maintain on Find-a-Grave are family. We are always glad to get corrections and/or additional information in regard to the members of our families who came before us.
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