By Joan C. McKinney, 
director of university communications

Campbellsville University former baseball and basketball player, Ronnie Hord of Campbellsville, has stepped up to the plate with an athletic building dedicated in honor of him and his employees at H&W Sport Shop in Campbellsville.

Hord is a 1961 graduate of Tollesboro High School.

Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University, thanked Hord in a recent ceremony for his donation to the newly-renovated field house which houses the university's wresting program, locker rooms for opposing football and baseball teams, computers for athletics to use to study and offices.

"This facility is about an alumnus who loves his alma mater," said Carter. "Campbellsville gave Ronnie a chance to grow and mature, and he wants to allow young men and women to have the same opportunity."

Carter said the field house will help the entire student body at CU.

Carter recognized Hord and his wife, Laura, and children, Rhonda, Scott and Shaun.

"Ronnie Hord, a 1967 graduate, and his wife, Laura, stepped forward to help us in our need to meet the Kresge Challenge in part," said Carter. "We so appreciate their efforts."

CU has been awarded a Kresge Foundation grant after having raised $6.7 million. This is the first Kresge Foundation grant received by the university, and CU has secured gifts and pledges of $7.9 million which exceeds the challenged amount.

Carter said the needs of the world are great, and the new facility will add to the support of the students. He said that CU has a great set of coaches also.

"I feel honored to have this building named after me and our 'family' at H&W Sports Shop. I came to CU in 1964 on a basketball scholarship and graduated in 1967.

"I've been associated with four CU presidents and I played three sports. I could not have accomplished what I've done without the people in my business who have helped me and they share a part in the name of the building," said Hord.

"It’s all about the people, and the grace of God," said Hord.

Hord's mother, Emma, and two brothers, Russell and Ricky, attended the ceremony from Tollesboro. Hord also recognized his father, Kenneth, who died in 2001. Hord said he would have liked to have attended.

He also praised Campbellsville University's director of athletics, Rusty Hollingsworth, for the great job he does.

Hollingsworth thanked Hord as a "long-time supporter" of CU athletics and thanked him for his support of all of CU athletics.

He said there was discussion about the building, formerly known as the Athletic Annex, being raised, but Hord stepped up and helped the building be renovated.

"May this field house create an environment where student-athletes develop their heart, mind, soul, and strength and learn the importance of character and the value of Christian service in all endeavors of their life," said Hollingsworth.

Campbellsville University Board of Trustees chair of the athletic committee, Alex Montgomery, said, "On behalf of the CU Board of Trustees we want to thank H&W Sport Shop for their commitment and dedication in all that they do for CU."

Jerry Bennett, chair of the university's Board of Trustees, thanked Hord for his sacrifice and service to CU.

"The name of Ronnie Hord is synonymous with athletics at Campbellsville University," said Bennett.

"On Oct. 13, 1983, Ronnie Hord was elected president of the newly-formed Campbellsville College Tigers Athletics Booster Club," he said. He said there was $1,000 in the treasury at that point.

During the November 1983 Boosters' meeting, Don Bishop, director of athletics at that time, said there was unofficial discussions of football within the college community.

Bennett said it was under Hord's leadership that the Boosters voted February 9, 1984, to endorse a football program. He said Hord led the campaign when $30,000 was raised for equipment, and in 1987, Campbellsville played its first football game for over 50 years under coach Ron Finley.

"Ronnie, you introduced several fundraising programs, among them being the Basketball Jamboree, the Booster discount cards and Boosters capital campaign, among others," he said.

"On behalf of the Trustees, and also on behalf of the Boosters, we say 'thank you' for all you have done for Campbellsville University athletics," Bennett said.

Scott Wigginton, theology professor who is the Tiger football team chaplain, gave a prayer of dedication saying the field house is dedicated to the service of the Lord and he said that athletes will be trained at CU to serve the Lord.

For more information about CU athletics, contact the Office of Athletics at 270-789-5257.

Campbellsville University, founded in 1906, is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention, Campbellsville has an enrollment of 2,197 students who represent 100 Kentucky counties, 32 states and 28 foreign nations. Listed in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" 13 consecutive years as one of the leading Southern master’s colleges and universities, Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, and 80 miles southeast of Louisville. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his seventh year as president.

The annual Church by Candlelight tour was held in downtown Vanceburg on Wednesday night, December 14.

Sponsored by the Vanceburg Renaissance on Main Committee and the Lewis county Ministerial Association, this special Christmas event is becoming a holiday tradition with 150 people taking the tour this year.

Lloyd Spear was the narrator and guide. Kevin and Rayetta Angel, Hannah Ray Jamison and Jennifer Vaden were the hosts for the evening.

Historical churches on the tour were the Vanceburg United Methodist Church, Vanceburg Christian Church and the First Baptist Church, in the Renaissance area of downtown Vanceburg.

Special thanks to the following: Vanceburg Christian Church Bell Choir, Vanceburg United Methodist Church Choir, First Baptist Youth Choir, From the Riverbank, the First Baptist Choir, Ron Mays, Kim Riley and all the ladies from all the downtown churches for the cookies.

More than two dozen people, including elected and appointed county officials as well as interested residents from seven eastern Kentucky counties, gathered recently at the Laurel Gorge Cultural Heritage Center in Sandy Hook to meet with state officials in an effort to create a regional agritourism initiative to benefit seven eastern Kentucky counties.

The effort, informally dubbed "From the Red River Gorge to the Ohio River", looks to create agritourism opportunities for businesses and farmers in Menifee, Wolfe, Morgan, Elliot, Carter, Greenup and Lewis counties. All but Greenup County have been economically designated as "distressed" counties, with Greenup being designated "transitional".

All seven counties regularly show up within the top ten highest unemployment rates in the Commonwealth.

Organizers of the agritourism initiative are looking for grassroots methods to help residents make an economic difference for themselves and their home areas.

This regional effort started earlier with three counties forming the East Kentucky Eco/Agritourism Corporation. A Kentucky Entrepreneurial Coaches Institute (KECI) mini-grant project earlier this year looked to expand that initial three-county effort into a larger eastern Kentucky project to create an agritourism corridor to attract tourists traveling on I-64 by developing attractions in the seven counties.

At last week's meeting, Kentucky State Representative John Will Stacy (D-71st District) said, "I think we need to invest in our people and Kentucky has not been doing that."

Also attending was State Senator Walter Blevins Jr. (D-27th District) who brought regrets from State Representative Rocky Adkins (D-99th District). 

Adkins has been a supporter of this effort since the beginning, especially in encouraging eastern Kentucky residents in development of alternative biofuels.

Attending from Lewis County were Vanceburg Renaissance Director Patty Kennard and KECI fellow Paula Franke, who is a member of the KECI mini-grant project group.

All attending had the opportunity to speak plainly with state officials about concerns that this region has not been receiving the same funding as other parts of the Commonwealth and how to best address those issues.

A timeline for specific actions was detailed, including plans to meet with state tourism officials, writing grant proposals, and developing a new 501c(3) corporation.

Among the grant proposals currently being prepared is one that will financially assist two farms in each of the seven counties in developing new agritourism businesses.

Tony Burnett of Gateway R&CD, assisted by Franke, will be offering a basic grant-writing workshop Wednesday, January 4, at the Laurel Gorge Cultural Heritage Center in Sandy Hook. Anyone interested in taking part in the one-day workshop (date still to be determined) or in the agritourism initiative, may contact Franke at 606-798-2553.

KECI is a University of Kentucky fellowship program developed to train volunteers in 19 tobacco-dependent counties. The volunteers return to their home counties to assist those considering starting a new business as well as exiting businesses that are looking at increasing their profitability or competitiveness.

Franke is a graduate of the first class of KECI fellows. Two Lewis County residents, Jennifer Vaden of Vanceburg and Charlotte Dixon of South Portsmouth, are members of the second class of fellows, currently in training.