May 17, 2024
Muzzle-loading champion, 1949
Mrs. J. Campbell Thompson, wife of Kentucky’s expert muzzle-loading rifle maker, Dr. J. C. Thompson held one of her husband’s rifles in August 1949. Mrs. Thompson won first prize in a shooting contest at Catlettsburg’s centennial observation the previous week. In the competition that included men, she won first prize shooting at 25, 50 and 100 yards, shooting rifles her husband had made. She started shooting years prior so she would know what her husband was talking about when he discussed muzzle loaders. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
First Leader female newspaper carrier, 1945
Geneva Bishop, left, first female to carry a regular Lexington Leader route, delivered the afternoon paper to Mrs. Ruby Collins, 922 Manchester Street in January 1945. Bishop, a student at Lexington Junior High School, lived on Perry Street and delivered papers in the area near her home. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Wildcats in Final Four, 1978
Kentucky forward James Lee put up a shot against Arkansas in the opening round of the 1978 NCAA Final Four in St. Louis, March 25, 1978. The Wildcats defeated the Razorbacks 64-59 and went on to defeat Duke 94-88 in the championship game. UK, under coach Joe B. Hall finished the season 30-2, winning the SEC and bringing home the school’s fifth NCAA championship. The 1978 National Championship team will be honored at tonight’s game vs Missouri as UK continues to honor elite teams of the past. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
Kentucky’s Joe Crawford in action, 2008
Kentucky’s Joe Crawford drove to the basket between Georgia’s Dave Bliss, left, and Billy Humphrey in the second half of the Georgia game in Rupp Arena February 19, 2008. Kentucky won 61-55. UK, under coach Billy Gillispie, finished the season 18-13 and Crawford led the team in scoring with 17.9 points a game. On Wednesday the SEC named Crawford as one of their 2018 Allstate SEC Basketball Legends. One past member from each SEC team will be honored at the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in St. Louis next month. Photo by David Stephenson | Staff
Billy Graham’s Lexington’s crusade, 1971
Evangelist Billy Graham speaks to a crowd of 13,000 at UK’s Stoll Field shortly before the opening of his four-day Central Kentucky Crusade, April 25, 1971. The crowd was overflow from Memorial Coliseum, where Graham was about to deliver a sermon. Minutes prior to his coliseum appearance, Graham told the sun-drenched crowd “This is the first time I’ve preached to an inside audience where the outside crowd was larger than the one inside.” Photo by David Perry | staff
A capacity crowd of 13,500 filled UK’s Memorial Coliseum April 25, 1971 during the opening day of evangelist Billy Graham’s four-day Central Kentucky Crusade. “Jesus Christ is the truth personified and if you will follow Him and believe Him He will set you free!” Graham told the crowd. For four days Graham filled Memorial Coliseum to capacity, including some overflow into the stands at Stoll Field for an estimated total of 77,500 people. Graham, who counseled presidents and whose crusades altered lives, died Wednesday at 99. Photo by David Perry | staff
Kentucky’s Cliff Hagan’s iconic hook shot, 1954
The University of Kentucky’s Cliff Hagan puts up a hook shot over a Georgia player during the No. 1 ranked Wildcats 106-55 win, Feb. 4, 1954 at Memorial Coliseum. Hagan, an Owensboro native who is currently 17th on the school’s all-time scoring list despite playing only three seasons, was known for his accuracy with the hook shot. His success with the shot is said to have helped inspire Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s “skyhook.” Today he has a definite theory on why the shot that helped make him a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer has faded from modern basketball. Herald-Leader archive photo
Clarinetist Herbert Couf, 1949
In February 1949 the Lexington Leader featured a photo of Herbert Couf, a former student at Transylvania College, who was then on tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony orchestra as bass clarinetist. At Transylvania Couf was clarinet soloist with the symphony orchestra and band. He left school to enter military service. He was later the principal clarinetist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra until he retired to open Royal Music Center north of Detroit. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Presidents’ Day program at Glendover Elementary, 2000
First and second graders from Glendover Elementary School presented a combination Valentine’s Day and President’s Day performance to residents at the Mayfair Village Retirement Center on Friday February 11, 2000. Aaron Davidson performed as Abraham Lincoln as he read during the performance. Today is President’s Day, celebrated on the third Monday in February. It was originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff
St. Tammany meeting house, 1947
The Lexington Leader ran a photo of this building, which had just turned 150 years old, at the southeast corner of Vine and Upper Streets, in October 1947, to mark the meeting location of the Lexington chapter of The Society of St. Tammany, or Columbian Order. The society was a political organization founded in New York City in 1786. Known as the “widow Thomas house”, shown here facing Vine Street, which ran right to left in the photo. The house was built in 1797 and at a later date encased in brick to improve it’s appearance and strengthen the structure. At the time of this photo was taken the ground floor was occupied by the Lincoln Restaurant. Photo by Ralph Looney | Staff
Kentucky-Alabama basketball game, 1951
The University of Kentucky’s Shelby Linville (11) tried to intercept a pass during the Wildcats Jan. 13, 1951 win against Alabama. No. 3 Kentucky won the game 65-48, before a sold-out 10,000 fans at Lexington’s Memorial Coliseum. It was UK’s seventh game at their new arena. Other players shown are Bill Spivey (77) and Frank Ramsey (30) of Kentucky and Paul Sullivan (25) of Alabama. Two months later under coach Adolp Rupp, the Cats would win their third national title, beating Kansas State 68-58 in the championship game. Published in the Jan. 14, 1951 Sunday Herald-Leader. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
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