February 27, 2025
Mrs. Harold B. Pressman planned to carry her puppy in a knapsack as she made rounds collecting for the Mothers March on Polio in January 1957. The photo was taken to promote the upcoming collection march; 2,250 women were scheduled to knock on doors on Jan. 31 in Lexington and Fayette County. Published in the Lexington Leader on Jan. 29, 1957. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
The president of Embry’s, William R. Embry Jr., helped a customer decide on a fur coat in the second floor Crystal Room, which provided seclusion for those wishing to view furs. The photo ran with a story about the grand reopening of Embry’s remodeled downtown store, at 141 East Main Street, in December 1966. Read the story here. Embry’s, known as Kentucky’s premier fur and fashion boutique, opened in 1904, specializing in hats and the “finest ladies fashions.” Today, the business is in the Lansdowne Shoppes. Published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Dec. 4, 1966. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Construction of the University of Kentucky’s chemistry-physics building at Rose Street and Funkhouser Drive, August 1961. The six million dollar building, on the site of the president’s garden and tennis courts, was completed in 1962. It tripled the amount of space the two departments previously had. Just behind and to right of the construction is Kinkead Hall, which was built in 1930 as a dormitory and now contains offices. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Children shopped for Valentines at the S.S. Kresge & Co. store at 250 West Main Street in Lexington, February 1951. From left are Sara Smith, Paul Leonard and Shirley McQueen. The chain store opened in 1912 in Lexington and was a favorite venue of thrifty shoppers. After it expanded and reopened in 1947, The Lexington Leader credited the store with changing Lexingtonians’ attitudes toward chain stores. The store closed in 1967 and is now the site of the Lexington Financial Center, more commonly known as the “Big Blue Building.” The S.S. Kresge Co. was renamed Kmart Corp. in 1977. Published Feb. 8, 1951, in the Lexington Leader. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
Brian Lane, then an assistant basketball coach at South Carolina, guarded player Brad Hinson during practice before the SEC Tournament on March 10, 1993, at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Lane has been the coach at Transylvania University in Lexington since 2001. The Lexington native was an assistant at Transy under his college coach and father, Don Lane, during the 1990-91 season. For the next 10 years, Lane was an assistant at five Division I schools, including the one year at South Carolina. While coaching at Transy, he is the only coach in league history to win HCAC coach of the year four times and reached 200 wins faster than any coach in the school’s history. Lane has led the Pioneers to 20 or more wins four times, and they have qualified for the NCAA National Tournament five times. Photo by Frank Anderson | Staff
Lafayette High School’s Jeff Mullins took a shot as Hartford’s Chip Combs tried to block it on Jan. 24,1959. The Generals, playing on their home court, won 85-65. Mullins, a junior forward, and senior guard Jon Speaks paced the Generals with 24 points apiece. Published Jan. 25, 1959. Lafayette plays Trinity on Friday night in Louisville. Herald-Leader Archive Photo
First-year University of Kentucky football coach Bill Curry unveiled new uniforms a week before his freshmen reported for pre-season practice, July 27, 1990. A pair of mannequins were on hand, sporting the Wildcats’ new less-means- more uniforms, complete with the player-popular black footwear. Curry said there was no major significance in the new coach’s decision to place his first Kentucky team in a set of subtly different duds. And no, Curry said, he didn’t try to pattern UK’s new attire after any particular team, except maybe his old Baltimore Colts. “I think the uniforms look good, and that’s all we need,” he said. Basics remain: white helmets with a blue K on the side, blue jerseys, white pants. Gone are the two blue stripes down the center of the helmet, replaced by a single stripe. Gone are the blue pants. The Cats will wear white trousers home and away. Gone are stripes on jersey sleeves, replaced by a single patch commemorating the school’s centennial football season. Gone, too, are white shoes, replaced by your basic black models. “The players like the black shoes,” Curry said. On Feb. 5, 2016, UK unveiled new football uniforms and a special-occasion basketball uniform. Photo by Charles Bertram | Staff
Construction of the wooden playground structure at Jacobson Park in Lexington, Oct. 11, 1993. The popular maze-like playground at the Richmond Road park was Lexington’s third creative playground. Picadome Elementary School playground was the first, followed by the Shillito Park project. About 2,500 volunteers helped complete the playground. When it opened about two weeks later, it was the largest playground in Kentucky, featuring 30,000 square feet of slides, swings, turrets, bridges and hiding nooks. Temporary lights were strung around the playground, allowing the volunteers and city park employees to work after dark. A new Jacobson Park playground, which is bigger and includes a musical public arts project, opened Aug. 2, 2016. Photo by Mark Cornelison | Staff