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Panthers swamp Augusta

Fleming Co. 104
Augusta 55

Augusta
13
17
12
13
55

Fleming Co.
20
33
21
30
104

Augusta (??) -- J. Kelsch 11, Fraysure 8, Moore 8, Ruf 8, Gibbs 6, Hamilton 6, Thorpe 4, Halawani 4.

Fleming Co. (7-4) -- Gray 32, Dugan 20, Clark 9, Taylor 8, Jolly 8, Gooding 6, Duncan 5, Gibbs 5, Rigdon 4, Brooks 3, Hicks 2, Kinder 2.

Mrs. Thomas

Oleta Craycraft Thomas, 96, of Flemingsburg died Monday, Jan. 11, 2010, at Fleming County Hospital.

She was a homemaker and a member of Mount Carmel United Methodist Church.

Mrs. Thomas was born Dec. 7, 1913, in Lewis County, the daughter of the late Scott and Annalee Ferguson Craycraft.

She was the widow of William Edman Thomas.

Survivors include her children, Billy C, Thomas and wife, Gloria of Poplar Grove, Shelby J. Wallingford of Stanton, and Winnie Bigelow and husband, Tom of Poplar Grove; grandchildren, Debbie White and husband, Sam, Tommy Bigelow and wife, Amanda, Jackie Lowe and husband, Jerry, Kelly Wallingford, Teresa Arrasmith and husband, Greg, Tim Wallingford and wife, Teena, Cathy Adams and husband, Stevie and Bill Richard Thomas; eight great-grandchildren; and sisters, Clark Stanfield of Mason County, Leona Lanthorn of Tollesboro, and Bernice Cropper of Ft. Mitchell.

She was preceded in death by brothers, Thomas Ray Craycraft and Glenn Craycraft.

Services are 1 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010, at Barbour and Son Funeral Home.

Burial will follow in the Mount Carmel Cemetery with Bill Richard Thomas, Kelly Wallingford, Tim Wallingford, Tommy Bigelow, Sam White, Greg Arrasmith, Jerry Lowe and Stevie Adams as pallbearers.

Visitation is 5-8 p.m., today, Jan. 13, at the funeral home.

Mrs. Campbell

Beulah Hunt Campbell 89, of Ewing passed this life, Jan. 11, 2010, at the Robertson County Health Care in Mount Olivet.

Beulah was preceded in death by her husband, Luther Campbell.

She was born in Fleming County, Feb. 14, 1920, to Barbee Ellen Harding and Frank Hunt.

Beulah is survived by two sons, Jackie (Barb) Campbell and Ricky Campbell of Ewing; two daughters, Linda (Paul) Blankenship of Paris and Pearl Campbell of Carlisle; three grandchildren, Jeff and Mike Blankenship and Crystal Mason Gray; five great-grandchildren; and one sister, Alletha (James) Reynolds of Flemingsburg.

Preceding her in death were four brothers and three sisters.

Services will be at 1 p.m., Thursday, at Price Bros. Funeral Home in Elizaville. Rev. Greg Grimes will officiate.

Burial will follow in the Mount Tabor Cemetery.

Visitation is 5-8 p.m., today, Wed., at the funeral home.

Folk art promoter John Irvin

John Irvin, a retired banker, arts promoter and practical joker — a people person, according to his friends — died Sunday at his home in Lexington after a brief illness. He was 85.

Mr. Irvin handled the displays at Central Bank & Trust Co.'s art gallery. And it was Mr. Irvin who persuaded University of Kentucky officials to include folk art displays in the school's hospital now under construction. He was a former resident and frequent visitor to Fleming County, and was a close friend to Rosemary Clooney.

Mr. Irvin, a founding member and former chairman of the board of the Kentucky Folk Art Center at Morehead State University, took busloads to people to the A Day in the Country folk art show at the center. He began the show years earlier when the event was in Elliott County.

John Irvin in his condo on Redding Rd. in Lexington, KY on May 28, 2004. Photo by Matt Goins

• Several times he dressed up like an artichoke to entertain guests at the Lexington Council of the Arts' annual Arts, Folks & Artichokes event.

"I think he's irreplaceable in terms of being a promoter of local artists and championing Kentucky as a creative place," LexArts president and chief executive officer Jim Clark said.

"He was a great ambassador for Kentucky folk art. He talked about folk art with everyone he met, especially people from out of state," said Matt Collinsworth, director of the folk art center.

"John was the type of fellow ... he knew a little something about everything," said Luther Deaton, president and chief executive officer of Central Bank, where Mr. Irvin had been a senior vice president. "I called him a walking computer."

Aside from being "just a riot" in his artichoke suit and "quite the good old boy in the best sense of the word," Mr. Irvin was a most sophisticated and cultured man who knew a lot about many kinds of art, said Dee Fizdale, former executive director of the Lexington Council of the Arts.

Mr. Irvin, a Nicholas County native, attended Transylvania College and graduated from UK after a stint in the Army in the Pacific Theater during World War II. (He wrote a book, The History of the 389th Infantry Regiment in World War II.)

He was involved in civic affairs in Central and Eastern Kentucky for decades.

After the war, he was publicity director for the old Joyland Park in Lexington, booking many famous bands. He also served on the Mountain Laurel Festival board and was involved in Fourth of July celebrations in Lexington.

One of his favorite practical jokes was to pull a phone out of his pocket and tell whoever was nearby, "It's for you." He once caused a traffic jam in front of Flocoe Drugs in Pineville, owned by a friend, artist Mason Combs, by twirling a baton in the middle of the street. And Mr. Irvin, on one occasion, got himself and several friends into a crowded popular restaurant in another state by indicating to the maitre d' that he was a U.S. senator.

Although the walls and tabletops of his Lexington home were filled with art, the creators of that art held just as much of his interest as their work.

"He loved going to visit the artists, spending time with them and seeing what they were doing, more so than just purchasing and having their art in his house," Collinsworth said.

Mr. Irvin is survived by two sons, John G. Irvin Jr. and Andrew Haliday Irvin; four grandchildren; and a stepsister.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home on Main Street. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Mr. Durham

Roy E. Durham, 77, formerly of Flemingsburg, died Monday, Jan. 11, 2010.
He was born in Lewis County, Aug. 20, 1932, to the late Walter T. and Lizzie Hartley Durham.
He is survived by four daughters, Rosa Hedges of Flemingsburg, Patricia Hickerson of Flemingsburg, Dovey Hamilton of West Union, Ohio and Rhonda Godbey of Grayson; and one son, Charles Durham of Lewis County; three step-children, Harold Rickett of West Union, Ohio, Elsie Middleton of Lewis County, and Evelyn Powers of Carter City; one sister, Carrie Wells of Shelby, Ohio; 15 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by a grandson, Jonathon Allen Hickerson; and several brothers and sisters.
Services will be at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2010, at the Boone-Nickell Funeral Home with Pastor William J. Hardy officiating.
Burial will follow in the Fleming County Cemetery.
Visitation at the Boone-Nickell Funeral Home from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., Wednesday.

Mrs. Cooper

Rosa (Rosie) Myrtle Cooper, 72, of Nepton Road in Flemingsburg died Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010, at her home.
Mrs. Cooper was born in Lewis County on Saturday, May 22, 1937, to the late Frank Wallingford and Sarah Bessie Mason.
Mrs. Cooper was a homemaker and widow of Gordon Cooper.
Survivors include sons, Freddie (Connie) Cooper of Hillsboro, Danny (Kathryn) Cooper of Paris and Frankie (Patricia) Cooper of Flemingsburg; two daughters, Rosetta (George) Cooper and Leona Cooper, both of Nepton; four brothers, Eddie (Judy) Wallingford of Nepton, Ernie (Francis) Wallingford of Cherry Fork, Ohio, Harry (Tiny) Wallingford of Lewis County and Walter (Carlene) Wallingford of Lewis County; one sister, Ada Haywood of Nepton; 10 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and several step grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Preceding her in death was one brother, Tony Cooper; and three sisters, Goldie Black, Carrie Margaret Gee and Alice Staggs.
Services are 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, at Denton-Workman Funeral Home in Flemingsburg. Interment will follow in Wedonia Cemetery.
Visitation is after 5 p.m. today at the funeral home.