March 11, 2025
Lafayette, Vernon Hatton win Sweet Sixteen, 1953
Lafayette star Vernon Hatton held the boys state championship trophy with General coach Ralph Carlisle after defeating Paducah Tilghman, 84-53 March 21, 1953 in Lexington’s Memorial Coliseum. The Generals won their third title – and second in four years – before a standing-room crowd of nearly 13,000 at the 36th annual state tournament. A record 95,000 fans attended the four-day tournament and the Generals themselves broke four tourney marks. Hatton was named to the all tournament team, averaging 19.2 ppg. Afterwards, UK basketball coach Adolph Rupp praised the 6-foot-3 junior guard as a great college prospect. Three nights later the team was honored with a parade, riding through downtown on two city fire wagons. The next year Hatton was named Kentucky’s first high school player of the year, today known as Mr. Basketball. Hatton went on to play for Rupp at UK, earning All-American honors in 1958 while leading the team in scoring. He scored 30 points in the NCAA title game win against Seattle. His No. 52 jersey is retired and a banner in his honor is hanging in Rupp Arena. Herald-Leader file photo
Dr. Pearse Lyons, Grand Marshal, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, 2001
Dr. Pearse Lyons, Grand Marshal of Lexington’s 2001 St. Patrick’s Day parade, waved to the crowd along Vine Street. Lyons, the Irish-born Kentucky billionaire who founded the international agribusiness and beverage giant Alltech, died last Thursday at the age of 73. Today’s 39th annual Alltech Lexington St. Patrick’s parade is dedicated to Lyons and will begin with a tribute the longtime Bluegrass Irish Society supporter. Photo by Joseph Rey Au
Gennaro Galtieri, owner Lexitalia Ristorante, 1983
Gennaro Galtieri, owner of Lexitalia Ristorante, in his home kitchen preparing an Italian meal for his family on November 1983. A menu reminiscent of Lexitalia Ristorante will be featured at an Icons dinner at Azur that celebrates long-gone Lexington restaurants on March 28. Lexitalia became one of the most notorious restaurants in town after owner Gennaro “Jerry” Galtieri was arrested by the FBI in the Pizza Connection II heroin case in 1988. Galtieri was convicted and sentenced to 13 years in prison. The restaurant stayed open for a while but closed after a few years. Photo by John C. Wyatt | Staff
Kentucky first round NCAA win, 1999
Kentucky’s Scott Padgett, left, laughed with Wayne Turner as Padgett went to the free-throw line with less than a second in overtime of UK’s match with Kansas in the NCAA First and Second Round in New Orleans, March 14, 1999. Kentucky won 92-88 advancing to play Miami (Ohio) in the Regional in St. Louis, which they won 58-43. Kentucky could not advance past Michigan State in the second regional game, losing 66-73, finishing the season under Tubby Smith at 28-9. UK opens NCAA Tournament play tonight against Davidson in Boise, ID. Photo by Mark Cornelison | Staff
John Pelphrey in the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen, 1987
Paintsville’s John Pelphrey went over, under and through the Owensboro defense during the second round of the Kentucky Boys’ Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament, March 27, 1987 in Lexington’s Rupp Arena. Pelphrey, a 6-foot-7 all-state senior forward and a Mr. Basketball candidate, scored 24 points, leading Paintsville past No. 1-ranked Owensboro, 58-52. Unfortunately the Tigers lost the next day in the semifinals to Ballard, 61-54. Pelphrey, who would go on to play college basketball at UK, averaged 21 points during his three games in the tourney and was named was named to the all-tournament team. He was named to the honorary squad along with two other future Wildcats, Deron Feldhaus and Richie Farmer. Farmer led his Clay County team to the state title. The three would later become part of Kentucky’s 1991-92 senior class, also known as “The Unforgettables” – four UK seniors that went through tough times when UK was on probation but hung around long enough to see the program resurrected. Pelphrey’s No. 34 jersey is retired and he is one of 42 former UK players, coaches, and contributors honored in Rupp Arena with a banner hanging from the rafters. He is in his second year as the associate head men’s basketball coach at the University of Alabama. The 2018 Boys’ Sweet Sixteen begins today at Rupp Arena. Photo by Ron Garrison | staff
Dunbar High home economics students, 1954
Six Dunbar High school “home economics” students tried out the new home economics training units that were to be dedicated to their use, along with other new facilities, at dedicatory services at 3 p.m. Sunday January 10, 1954 in the new Dunbar gymnasium. The students are Fannie Taylor, Helen Garnett, Sarah Davis, Corliss Pollock, Mary Miller and Anna Long. The modern home economics department is part of a $551,571 construction and remodeling project undertaken through the city school $1,200,000 bond issue. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Snowstorm shuts down interstates, 1993
Southbound traffic on I-75 waited March 14, 1993 for the road to be opened on Jellico Mountain near Williamsburg. The road was closed from Lexington to the Tennessee border because one of the strongest storms of the century brought 6 to 30 inches of snow to eastern and southeastern Kentucky during the prior two days. I-64 was closed from Lexington to the West Virginia border. Between 3,000 and 4,000 motorists were stranded along both highways, causing emergency shelters to be set up. Strong winds accompanied the snow, resulting in blizzard conditions and snow drifts of six to 10 feet. In Whitley County, a man froze to death when he tried to walk from his home into Corbin. Perry County reported 30 inches of snow, Pikeville had 24 and Ashland had 22. At Hazard, the 24 hour snowfall record for the state of Kentucky was set as 25 inches fell. In the higher terrain of Harlan County, 4 to 5 feet of snow was reported. Lexington and other Central Kentucky communities got 6.5 inches of snow. Photo by Ron Garrison | staff
Capital Plaza Tower, 1978
The 28-story Capital Plaza Tower in downtown Frankfort as seen on June 19, 1978. The tower, Frankfort’s tallest building, was completed in 1972 and served as a state office building until 2016. The tower is scheduled to be imploded this afternoon at 1:30pm. Lexington developer-contractor team CRM/D.W. Wilburn began work on Capital Plaza redevelopment in December when they won a “built-to-suit” contract from the state. Under the contract the company will level the area and build a 5-story 385,500 square-foot replacement state office building. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
Chuck Norris at Kentucky Derby party, 1984
From left, martial artist and film star Chuck Norris, Anita Madden and Ed Podolak, former Kansas City Chiefs football star at Preston and Anita Madden’s Kentucky Derby Eve Party, May 4, 1984. About 1,300 guests paid either $160 or $250 for tickets to the gala at Madden’s Hamburg Place Farm in Lexington, whose theme was “A Day at the Races.” Norris, star of numerous martial arts movies said he was enjoying his first trip to Kentucky. He and his wife, Diane, arrived in town from Las Vegas with Dan Chandler, son of former governor A.B. “Happy” Chandler, and Podolak. When asked who would win the Kentucky Derby the next day he said, “I just want a female horse so I can give her a big kiss.” The then-44-year-old actor wasn’t as well-known as he is today. Norris strolled through the party tent with impunity. But his black belt skills had nothing to do with it – most people in the crowd simply didn’t recognize him. The minor-league movie star then told about the very first scene from his latest film, “Missing in Action,” which he just finished filming three weeks ago in Mexico. “The Viet Cong were supposed to be chasing me,” he laughed. “I had to run down a road and get across a narrow canal. There was a tree there – so I decided to swing over the water like Tarzan. The tree popped off and hit me in the face. Then I fell in the canal – five feet of water – and the tree fell on top of me. I was there under the water,” he continued. “Any second, I thought the crew would rescue me – after all, I was the star of the movie. But nobody came. I almost drowned.” When he finally got out of the canal by himself, said Norris, “Nobody had even noticed me. I was bleeding. Finally, somebody said: O’Oh. Are you hurt?'” Among the other guests at the party were actors William Shatner, Jim Varney and Dennis Cole; singer and movie star Olivia Newton-John; Las Vegas dress designer Suzy Creamcheese and astronauts F. Story Musgrave and Sally Ride. Norris is one of the marquee guests attending the 2018 Lexington Comic & Toy Con. Photo by Charles Bertram | staff
Kentucky wins SEC Tournament, 1988
Ed Davender, left, held the trophy as University of Kentucky coach Eddie Sutton, Rex Chapman and Winston Bennett celebrated after the team won the SEC Tournament, March 13, 1988 in Baton Rouge, La. No. 6 Kentucky, the regular-season champion, beat Georgia 62-57, giving the Cats their 17th conference tournament title. However as part of NCAA sanctions imposed upon the program in 1989, the presidents of the SEC schools voted to strip Kentucky of its regular season and tournament championships. Kentucky opens play in the 2018 SEC Tournament today. Photo by Charles Bertram | staff
University of Kentucky guard Rex Chapman got a boost from teammates Richard Madison, left, and Winston Bennett as he cut down a net after Kentucky captured the SEC Tournament title, March 13, 1988 in Baton Rouge, La. Chapman, the tournament’s most valuable player, finished with 23 points and twice hit both ends of the bonus in the last 16 seconds to clinch the victory. The win extended UK’s steak to seven. During that winning streak, the sophomore was nothing short of phenomenal. He hit 58.9 percent of his shots. He hit 56.3 percent (18 of 32) of his three-pointers. He averaged 19.5 points and 3.3 assists. UK ended the year at 27-6, losing to Villanova in the Southeast Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. However as part of sanctions imposed upon the program in 1989, the NCAA ordered UK to erase it’s three tournament games from the record, thus changing their official record to 25-5. Photo by Stephen Castleberry | staff
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