February 25, 2025
Douglass High School honor students, 1958
Top honor seniors gathered after presenting Douglass High School with a $200 gift of lettering identifying the school on May 26, 1958, at Class Night exercises. Honor seniors who presented the name marker over the school’s front doors were, from left, Charlesanna Brown, Randolph Stewart, Lonny Demaree, James Barlow Jr., June Taylor and Carolyn Dawson. The name marker was installed with neon lighting. Douglass High was closed in 1963. On Monday, the Fayette County school board voted to name a new high school after abolitionist Frederick Douglass, in part to honor the former high school.
Herald-Leader Archive Photo
San Diego Chicken and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, 1983
The San Diego Chicken with wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler before the A.W.A Southern Heavyweight Championship match on Oct. 6, 1983, at Rupp Arena. Tickets were $7 for ringside seats and$6 for general admission to see the famous mascot as Lawler’s manager. The wrestling legend was facing another legend, Jesse “The Body” Ventura, who was managed by Jimmy Hart. Lawler won, and as part of a bet, Hart had to wear a chicken suit. After putting on the suit, The Chicken hit him with a flying drop kick that made his feathers fly. Eight days later, The Chicken — one of the most influential mascot in sports history — appeared at a University of Kentucky volleyball game. At 9 p.m. Oct. 14, a record 7,830 fans paid $1 to see No. 5 UK lose to No. 1 Hawaii in Memorial Coliseum. Three hours later, Wildcats men’s basketball coach Joe B. Hall held the second ever Midnight Madness, the first basketball practice of the season. Click here to read a 1983 Herald-Leader story on the mascot’s visit. Photo by Tom Woods.
Christian Church, Cynthiana, 1951
The Christian Church at Main and Mill streets in Cynthiana was one of several buildings featured in a Jan. 7, 1951, article by J. Frank Adams in the Herald-Leader. The story was the seventh in a series on Bluegrass communities and touted the growth of the Harrison County seat, which was founded in 1793 and was named for two daughters, Cynthia and Anna, of its first settler, blacksmith Robert Harrison. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Commonwealth Stadium construction, 1972
Construction on what would become Commonwealth Stadium, home field of University of Kentucky football games, in mid-December 1972. When construction was completed in 1973, Commonwealth Stadium had a capacity of 57,800. It was built at a cost of $12 million by the firm of Huber, Hunt and Nichols. The stadium and parking areas rest on an 86-acre plot that was once part of the UK Experimental Station Farm Grounds. The stadium was opened on Sept. 15, 1973, as the Wildcats moved into their new home after spending 48 years at Stoll Field/McLean Stadium across from Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky defeated Virginia Tech in the stadium opener, 31-26, as quarterback Ernie Lewis ran for two touchdowns and threw for another TD to lead the Wildcats. Nov. 19 is the last home game for the 2016 Wildcats. Click here to see other Commonwealth Stadium photos from our archives. Published in the Lexington Herald on Dec. 14, 1972. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Harry Sykes sworn in as a city commissioner, 1966
Three Lexington city commissioners were sworn in by County Judge Joseph E. Johnson III (with his back to the camera) on Jan. 3, 1966. The commissioners were, from, left Charles Wylie, Harry Sykes and Fred Keller. Sykes, who died in 2012, was Lexington’s first black city commissioner, mayor pro tem and vice mayor. Current Mayor Jim Gray, with the support of 11th District Council member Peggy Henson, has asked the Urban County Council to pass a resolution renaming Red Mile Place for Sykes. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Mitch McConnell announces Senate run, 1984
Jefferson County Judge-Executive Mitch McConnell announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate during a news conference Jan. 17, 1984, at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington. McConnell went on to defeat incumbent Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston for the seat. Senate Republicans re-elected McConnell, 74, on Wednesday to be majority leader next year. McConnell was Senate minority leader for eight years before becoming majority leader when the GOP took control in 2015. He is the longest-serving U.S. senator in Kentucky history. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
Gratz Park Inn site, 1982
The building that was to become Gratz Park Inn on North Upper Street sat empty in this Nov. 22, 1982 photo. Developers were proposing to build a luxury hotel in what was then known as the Fuller Building. Before that it was the original location of the Lexington Clinic, which was founded in 1920. After the clinic moved to Harrodsburg Road in 1958, the Fuller Engineering firm occupied the building. The firm moved out in 1976, and the building sat empty until the 44-room hotel opened in July 1987. Click on the image to enlarge it. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
LaRosa’s restaurant, 1975
Lexington’s second LaRosa’s restaurant opened in the Coliseum Plaza, at Rose Street and Euclid Avenue, in early February 1975. The popular Cincinnati-based pizzeria featured big-backed booths and stucco walls. Preparing to serve customers were, from left, Diana Cagle, manager Jim Hoff, and co-owners Lance Churchill and Kirk Seeberger. The first Lexington LaRosa’s opened in 1974 in Woodhill Shopping Center. Both restaurants were closed before 1979. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
Eddie Rickenbacker in Lexington, 1946
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, center, the president and CEO of Eastern Airlines, attended the dedication of Blue Grass Field in 1946. Rickenbacker attended the CAP-AFF Air Show in association with the unveiling of the T. Ward Havely Memorial. Rickenbacker was an ace fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient. With 26 aerial victories, he was America’s most successful fighter ace in the war. He also was a race car driver and an automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines. Published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Nov. 10, 1946. Click here to see other photos from our archives of Blue Grass Field.
Lexington new-wave band The Thrusters, 1981
The Thrusters, the Lexington new-wave band, with singer and dancer Becky Sturdivant, left, and and lead singer Bradley Picklesimer in February 1981. In the background are the Mystery Girls, Audrey, Trixie and Chris, the band’s go-go dancers. In the 1980s, Picklesimer was Lexington’s premiere drag queen and performed at a variety of downtown bars and nightclubs, including two he owned, Club au Go Go and Cafe LMNOP. In 1991, he moved to Hollywood and became a successful event planner. He has recently moved back to Kentucky to his family home in Johnson County and was featured in an article in Saturday’s Herald-Leader. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff
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