obituary
Berea debater, advocate for women coal miners, Betty Jean Hall dies at 78
Betty Jean Hall, the young attorney who overcame coal company resistance to hiring women miners in the 1970s and went on to become an important federal administrative law judge overseeing decisions on appeals of workers’ compensation claims, has died.? She was 78 years old. Hall attended Buckhorn School in Perry County in southeastern Kentucky and […]
‘The love of my life:’ Congressman Thomas Massie announces wife’s death
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky announced his wife, Rhonda, has died.? In a Friday morning social media post on X, the congressman expressed thanks for “prayers for our family in this difficult time.”? “Yesterday my high school sweetheart, the love of my life for over 35 years, the loving mother of our 4 children, […]
‘Larger than life’ sociologist who broke down racial barriers at University of Kentucky dies at 88
Doris Y. Wilkinson, a University of Kentucky sociologist and part of its first class of Black undergraduates, died June 23. She was 88.? Wilkinson entered UK in 1954, the year a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawed racial segregation in public education and the first year that Kentucky’s flagship public university accepted Black undergraduates. She had […]
Dr. Wendell Kingsolver, advocate for family medicine and rural health, dies at 95
Dr. Wendell Roy Kingsolver, a longtime physician and advocate for family medicine and public health, especially in rural Kentucky, died Thursday, May 30. He was 95 and lived in Nicholasville. After graduation from the University of Kentucky and an internship and residency, Kingsolver set up a family practice at Carlisle in his home Nicholas County. […]
Bettye Lee Mastin, journalist who championed historic preservation, dies at 97
Bettye Lee Mastin, a member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame and champion of historic preservation in the Bluegrass, died May 8. She was 97. Mastin said her mother encouraged her to write every day and that when she graduated from high school in Jessamine County she wanted to be a poet. A professor […]
George Atkins, former Kentucky auditor and Hopkinsville mayor, dies
George L. Atkins Jr., 82, a Hopkinsville native and former mayor, died Sunday, April 14. Atkins was born July 10, 1941, the son of George L. Atkins Sr. and Frances Shaver Atkins. His family owned and ran Atkins Dairy next door to their Walnut Street residence and across the street from the old Hopkinsville High […]
Charlotte Henson, producer and president of Pioneer Playhouse, dies at 93
Charlotte Hutchison Henson, the matriarch of the historic Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, has died. She was 93. Charlotte Henson, with her late husband, Col. Eben Henson, brought Broadway to the Bluegrass by establishing what is now Kentucky’s oldest outdoor theater. It has attracted hundreds of young actors over the years, including John Travolta, Lee Majors, […]
Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones dies at 84
Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones has died.? Jones, a Democrat, served one term as governor from 1991 to 1995. He was also lieutenant governor from 1987 to 1991.? Jones was 84.? Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed his death on social media Monday afternoon. In addition to his political career, Jones and his wife Elizabeth Lloyd “Libby” […]
‘A hard person not to like.’ Kentuckians remember Gov. Brereton Jones.
Former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones, who emphasized health care reform and government ethics in his administration from 1991 to 1995 and who was a major figure in the state’s horse industry, has died at 84. Gov. Andy Beshear announced the death late Monday on social media. “I was sad to learn that former Governor and […]
Joe Wright, a leader in Kentucky legislative independence movement, dies at 82
Former state Sen. Joe Wright, a leader in the Kentucky General Assembly’s fight to become independent from the control of the governor more than four decades ago, died Saturday at Louisville’s Baptist East Hospital. He was 82. Joseph “Joe” Richard Wright of Breckinridge County served in the state Senate from 1976 to 1992. From 1981 […]
Celebration of life for Virginia Moore June 11
A “Celebration of Life” for Kentucky’s Virginia Moore is set for June 11 at the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville.? The service will be from 1 p.m. to 5 ?p.m. that day, a Sunday, in View Pointe Hall on the top level of the Ali Center at 144 North Sixth Street in Louisville.? Moore, 61, […]
‘Practice tolerance and grace’: Kentucky senator says her transgender son has died
This article mentions suicide. The number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. A Kentucky state senator announced Tuesday her transgender son, who fought for LGBTQ rights, has died by suicide.? Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville, in a statement?shared on social media by Kentucky Senate Democrats, said 24-year-old Henry Berg-Bousseau was “a beloved son, brother, […]