Eva Starr Petrey

Eva Starr Petrey, age 74, of Williamsburg, Kentucky departed this life on May 25, 2024 at the Baptist Health in Corbin, Kentucky. Eva was born on January 17, 1950 in Hamilton, Ohio to Otto Sulfridge and Clara Naomi (Richardson) Sulfridge.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Otto and Naomi (Richardson) Sulfridge; brother, Reese Sulfridge; sister, Vonna Canada; sister-in-law, Dessie Sulfridge; nephew, Jared Lovett; and father of her son, Bobby Joe Petrey.
Eva is survived by her son, Chris Petrey (Tabitha); grandchildren, Cody Petrey, Haley Petrey, Drake Petrey, Trevor Petrey, Camden Petrey, and Kayla Petrey; sisters, Diane Duff (Rob) and Joy Lawson; brother, Lanny Sulfridge; sister-in-law, Mae Sulfridge; brother-in-law, Gene Canada; several nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends to mourn her passing.
Visitation will be from 2:00 PM until the funeral hour on Friday, May 31, at Sanders Creek Church of God, 460 Letha Petrey Road, Williamsburg, Kentucky.
Funeral service will be at 4:00 PM on Friday, May 31, at the Sanders Creek Church of God with Rev. Bill Meadors officiating.
Eva will be laid to rest in the Petrey Cemetery.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

 

 

Roy Delbert Bullock

Roy Delbert Bullock, of Corbin, KY, peacefully passed away on Sunday, May 26, 2024 at the Baptist Health in Corbin, Kentucky.
Born on March 3, 1935, in Whitley County, KY to the late E.H. Bullock and Emma (Jones) Bullock.
He was an active member of Central Baptist Church, a Redhound Varsity Club member, a member of Hugh Harris Masonic Lodge, Corbin Shrine Club. Roy could often be seen at Corbin High Football and Basketball games. He was the proud owner of Bullocks Cycle and Repair of over 50 years.
Along with his parents, Roy was preceded in death by his wife of over 50 years, Bartie (Prewitt) Bullock.
A devoted father to his daughter, Suzanne Bullock Ray (T.G. Shuck) of Lexington, KY. Roy was also a grandfather, to Ramsey Klaire Ray and Karson Ryan Ray both of Lexington, KY. Close extended family members, Pauline Adkins, Troy Prewitt (Donna) Kathy Smith (Danny), Phyllis Monhollen, Sharon White (Jack), Travis Monhollen (Tara), Elizabeth Lambdin (Brandon), Zachary Prewitt (Heather), JT Smith (Bobbie) and Emma Crawford (Chance) all of Corbin, KY; special caregiver, Carol Mathis of London, KY; and a special friend, Tom Kidd of Corbin that he spent many days rocking in the swing on the front porch.
Roy proudly served in the Army and his service to his country was always a source of pride for him. His dedication in everything he did was truly inspiring. A military graveside service with Honors will be conducted by American Legion Post 88 of Corbin.
Roy loved his town of Corbin! He truly had a servant’s heart. From parking cars at football games, selling tickets for basketball games, or giving his time in various ways at Central Baptist Church you could always find him giving the shirt off his back and wanting nothing in return.
Visitation will be from 12:00 PM until 2:00 PM on Friday, May 31, at the Central Baptist Church in Corbin, KY. The funeral service will immediately follow at 2:00 PM with Rev. Josh Pollet officiating.
Roy will be laid to rest in the Worley Cemetery.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

 

Bertha “Pat” Minton

Bertha “Pat” Minton, age 72, of Corbin, Kentucky passed away Monday, May 20, 2024, at her home.
Pat was born March 2, 1952, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, to Bertha (Jones) Lindsey and James Lindsey.
She grew up in Jellico, Tennessee where she met and married Tommy Minton in 1969. They had four children together, Dawn, Stephanie, Ben, and Jason. Pat and Tommy also raised their first grandchild, Trinity Minton (Trinny), who sadly passed away from cancer at the age of 12.
Pat dedicated most of her time as a stay-at-home mom and homemaker. After her children were grown, she entered the workforce and found fulfillment as a teacher’s aide. Tragically, the passing of Trinny in 2003 deeply affected her and she left her job.
Pat had a passion for art and enjoyed drawing and painting. She cherished spending time with her family and friends, especially her grandchildren. In her leisure time, she loved reading, collecting books and porcelain dolls, and playing cards and bingo.
Pat was preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Tommy Minton; her grandson, Trinity Minton; her sister, Margaret Lindsey; her brother, Fred Lindsey; and her parents James and Bertha Lindsey.
She is survived by her daughters, Dawn Minton and Stephanie Garcia; sons, Ben Minton and Jason Minton; seven beautiful grandchildren, Taylor Minton, Turner (Ben) Minton, Tegan Grace Vanover, Brady Minton, Hayden Minton, Nadia Minton, and Dylan Minton; five great-grandchildren, Taiyah, Trinity, Greyson, Hunter, and Novalee. She also leaves behind her brother, Bob Lindsey (Loreen); and sisters, Betty Swabb, Nora Denker, and Bonnie Meadors (Bennie); sister-in-law, Ruth Minton; as well as a large circle of family and friends who will mourn her passing.
Funeral service was Saturday, May 25, at the Harp Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Mark Lawson and family friend Bret Shelton officiating,
Burial followed in the Douglas Cemetery in the Wooldridge Community, Jellico, Tennessee.
Harp Funeral Home of Jellico in charge of arrangements.

 

Peggy June (Terry) Douglas

Peggy June (Terry) Douglas, age 61, of Clairfield, Tennessee passed away Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
She was born June 4, 1962, in Lafollette, Tennessee
Peggy is preceded in death by her father, Eugene Terry; mother, Mildred Fay (Mozingo) Terry; and sister, Sarah Terry Wilburn.
She is survived by her husband, George Lewis Douglas, II; daughter, Megan Douglas; grandson, Keaton Jace Marlow; brother, Mike Terry; sisters, Mary Terry Osborne, Trish Lowe, Susie Hopkins; and a host of nieces, nephews, friends and family to mourn her passing.
No services are planned.
Harp Funeral Home of Jellico in charge of arrangements.

 

Kenneth Wyatt

Kenneth Wyatt, the son of the late Cecil and Velma Wilson Wyatt, was born in Corbin, Kentucky on October 8, 1939.
He departed this life at his home on Monday afternoon, May 20, 2024, at the age of 84.
In addition to his parents, Kenneth was preceded in death by his sister, Pauline Wyatt; his sister-in-law, Georgia Wyatt; his brother-in-law, Larry Ricketts; his nephew, Ralph Wyatt; his great-nephew, Anthony Wyatt; and his great-niece Brittany Wyatt.
Kenneth is survived by his devoted wife of 62 years, Joylene Wyatt; his sons, Jeffery Wyatt and wife, Jennifer of Williamsburg, KY, and Rev. Neal Wyatt and wife, Nancy of Corbin, KY. Kenneth was the proud grandfather of two very special grandsons, Jonathan Wyatt and Cameron Wyatt, both whom he loved dearly. He was the brother of Keith Wyatt and wife Janie of Corbin, KY, Jerry Wyatt and wife, Barbara of Corbin, KY and Joyce Kelton and husband, Gene of Louisville, KY. He was also the brother-in-law, of Harold Romines and wife Donna of Corbin, KY. Kenneth also leaves behind several beloved nieces and nephews, and many friends and loved ones to mourn his passing.
Kenneth loved his family, but he also loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and his church. He was a long-time member of the Oak Grove Baptist Church, where together with Joylene he served and worshiped for more than 50 years. He leaves a lasting legacy as a faithful servant, having served the church in various capacities over the years, including as a deacon, and as the auditorium class Sunday School teacher.
Kenneth also worked to share the gospel as a member of the Gideons International organization for more than 30 years and would faithfully distribute Bibles to anyone who would receive a copy of God’s Word.
He retired from the Whayne Supply Company after 39 years of employment, and after retirement he enjoyed working at Sonshine Christian Bookstore, where he loved fellowshipping with customers as they browsed for books and gifts. Kenneth had a quiet and humble spirit and enjoyed being with God’s people. He especially had a passion for gospel music and loved nothing better than a good gospel quartet song. His one desire was for his family to serve the Lord and that others come to know Jesus Christ, whom he is with today.
Funeral service was Thursday, May 23, at the Oak Grove Baptist Church, with Rev. Vernon Morris and Rev. Michael Mays officiating
Burial followed in the Corinth Cemetery in Corbin, KY.
Harp Funeral Home of Jellico in charge of arrangements.

 

Michael Durham

Michael Durham, 70, a beloved brother, nephew, and uncle.
Born on January 25, 1954, in Vandalia, OH, to the late James Durham and Mary (Teague) Durham.
Michael peacefully departed from this world on May 22, 2024, at the Baptist Health in Corbin, KY.
Along with parents he is preceded in death by his twin brother, David Durham; nephew, Jim Hawk; and brother in law, Ron Hawk.
He leaves behind cherished memories with his sister, Patti Hawk of Vandalia, OH; nephew, Rob Thompson of Vandalia, OH; two aunts and uncle, Tommie Berry (Bill) of Williamsburg, KY, Phyllis Tucker of Williamsburg, KY, and Bob Durham (Ola) of Williamsburg, KY; special aunt, Billie Moses; special friend, Larry Meadows of Williamsburg, KY; special furry friend and longtime companion, Dingges. Michael also leaves several nieces and nephews and a host of other family and friends top mourn his passing. Special thanks to Jill Bryant and Bryant Family Medicine staff.
Fondly remembered for his warm smile and kind heart, Michael touched the lives of those around him. His presence will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
In honor of Michael’s life, a visitation will be at the Croley Funeral Home on Saturday, June 1, at 1:00 pm, followed by a memorial service at 3:00 pm with Rev. Randy Halcomb officiating.
These ceremonies will be moments of remembrance and celebration of a life well-lived. A private family graveside will take place at a later date.
Croley Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.

 

Sylvia Worley

Sylvia Worley, age 87, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 23, 2024, at the Williamsburg Nursing Home.
Sylvia is preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Worley; parents, George and Annie Fuson; brothers, Junior, Bill, Jim and John Fuson; sisters, Mary Hall, Louise Douglas, Margaret Malapelli, and Ruby Draper.
She is survived by sons, Jeff Siler (Pam), and Wade Siler; brother, Robert Fuson; grandchildren, Matthew Siler, Lisa Siler, Melissa Hamby (Paul), Shawn Siler (Mollie), Michelle Siler; one great-granddaughter; and three great-grandsons; and a host of other family and friends to mourn her passing.
Sylvia was a member of the Williamsburg Chapter of the Eastern Star and a longtime member of the Kentucky Hill Baptist Church.
Serving as pallbearers, Paul Hamby, Mike Paul, Rocky Brown, Sam Rose, Matt Siler, and Shawn Siler.
Funeral service was Monday, May 27, at the Llewellyn Funeral Home Chapel in Jellico, TN, with Rev. Woody Jackson officiating.
Interment followed in the Reed Cemetery at Mtn. Ash, Kentucky.
The Llewellyn Funeral Home of Jellico in charge of arrangements.

 

Out & About Kentucky Style: Trips don’t always go as planned

Signs, advertising signs that is, can be somewhat misleading.

I learned my lesson fairly early in life while on a spring break trip to  Fort Lauderdale back in 1965. I had been there before, but this time it was different. This time I was driving my own car… a 1964 white Pontiac LeMans convertible with a baby-blue top.

It didn’t matter that there were six of us jammed into the two-door car. It didn’t matter that each of us was limited to one small suitcase. It didn’t matter either that we would be driving 18-hours with no wiggle and very little room to rest your head.

These things didn’t matter to any of us.

All that mattered was that we were heading to Lauderdale. I knew there wouldn’t be many stops. Maybe and only maybe we might stop to eat. But my game plan was to get there as quickly as possible. The interstate highways were not completed, so I had mapped my route.

I knew how many miles to the gallon I could get. I had even figured that at 29.9¢ per gallon, (Gulftane gas in 1965) how much the trip would cost me.

You see, I was charging my buddies $15 apiece. So by figuring the 2,400 mile roundtrip was going to cost $28.80 for gas. That meant I would have $46.20 for my share of the motel and food for five days.

I was making out like a bandit.

One of the guys thought so, too. It didn’t matter that I was providing him with a convertible to cruise the beach. He couldn’t have been thinking clearly. My car was going to allow him to meet a lot of girls. Once I explained it to him he felt a little better about giving me his three five dollar bills.

Yes, indeed, my new car was providing me with a way to get a free trip to Florida.

Of course my buddies didn’t know that the stops would only be at Gulf gas stations. That 29¢ Gulftane was my ace in the hole.

The plan was gas, restrooms and whatever snacks they sold, all in one stop. We would leave mid-afternoon on Thursday, drive all night and arrive before noon the next day just in time to get a full day on the beach.

Leaving a day early would allow us to beat the mad rush for motel rooms. After all, wouldn’t everyone else in the country be waiting until Friday afternoon to leave their respective colleges?

Our thinking was we’d already have a tan, and our choice of girls by the time the big crowd arrived.

We did decide to stop in Knoxville and see one of our friends from E’town who was playing football for the Big Orange. We couldn’t find him at the football dorm, but did manage to get some of his teammates so riled up enough to chase us out of town.

Finally we were underway.

One of the guys suggested we put the top down just to show off a bit as we were leaving Lexington where we attended the University of Kentucky. It was April and it was cold. We’d put the top down in the morning when we hit the Florida state line.

I had it figured that as the sun came up we should be seeing some palm trees and be somewhere near Lake Okeechobee. One of the guys thought it would be Lake Pontchartrain. He obviously wasn’t a geography major because a couple of us informed him that particular lake was just outside of New Orleans. It didn’t seem to matter to him.

By my calculations we would be 350 to 375 miles closer to Florida before we had to stop for gas… somewhere in Georgia and sometime after night fall.

When the fuel gauge finally did approach the E side I was right on it as to where we would be.

What I wasn’t right on in my plan was where the Gulf stations would be, and when we found them they were closed.

Finally we had no choice. It was a Standard Oil station or run out of gas. I had already pushed an extra 15 miles and my buddies were saying some not-so-buddy-things to me.

The fill-up was at a cost of 39.9¢ a gallon. I had lost a couple of dollars on this one. It was money I couldn’t get back.

That’s pretty much the way it went the rest of the way on gas. Whenever I did find a Gulf station it was more than the 29.9¢ per gallon back in Lexington. I thought all prices would be the same. They weren’t. Another miscalculation.

Finally, we arrived at mid-morning in Fort Lauderdalde. At least I was right about this.

But instead of being the first there for spring break, we soon found out that thousands were already there. Of course, we didn’t have reservations. Guys don’t do it that way. Girls make reservations.

We finally found a motel, not right on the ocean, not even across the street from the ocean, mind you, but nevertheless a couple of blocks anyway. I can’t remember the name of the motel, but I do remember its partially broken sign displaying a seahorse on it.

Two of us went into the small office. Its crank-out windows were open and we could at least smell the ocean from here. This was good.

No loud parties, no more than four in a room, and absolutely no drinking in the rooms. My buddy and I assured him we were not the partying kind. We were there strictly for rest and relaxation. Yes, indeedy, we could make this work.

When we got back in the car and waved the two room keys it was as if they were lottery winnings, and they might as well have been.

In 1965, the $49 room rate was steep, especially for a room that would probably go for $19 except for spring break. I was already behind on my budget. Surely it would get better.

It didn’t.

Three days into Lauderdale and the Elbo Room, we were having fun. Forget the movie “Where the Boys Are,” the girls were there, too. I tried to forget about my finances and my rapidly decreasing funds. Surely the worst was behind me.

It wasn’t.

On the fourth day as we prepared to take my Pontiac LeMans to the beach, disaster struck.

While backing out of my parking space, all of us heard a clanking noise coming from somewhere near the rear of the convertible. I pulled forward and it stopped. Backed up again and there it was. Forward, no, backward, yes.

What was it? We all got out and looked. One of my passengers suggested I only go forward and there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. I looked at him with disgust. Everyone laughed, but me.

I had to find out what was wrong, so I offered to drop them off on the beach while I went looking for a mechanic. Almost in unison they said okay. I don’t know why this didn’t surprise me.

I found a service station quickly. I was told there was a mechanic shop a couple of miles away. I used the phone and called.

“Bring it on over and we’ll take a look,” the voice on the other end said.

After a couple of wrong turns, both of which forced me to have to back up, I finally found the garage. Yes, the clanging was still there.

The mechanic slipped behind the steering wheel, pulled the car forward a bit, slipped the automatic transmission into reverse and backed up. He heard it. I heard it.

“Yep, that’s the universal whatchamacallit,” I remember him saying. “Oh you could drive it.”

“You might be able to make it back to Kentucky,” he said, as he glanced a look at the license plate. “But, if it were me I wouldn’t want to try it.”

That was reassuring.

I had no choice, really.

“How much would it cost,” I asked, really feeling the pressure by now. “I don’t have much money and I’m in a jam.”

After he assured me he could fix it for $35, I gave him the go-ahead and headed for his office to wait for the repair to be completed.

I was glad I had the $35 to pay. After all, it was my car and my problem. My profits and dreams of a free trip to Florida were gone.

I wasn’t sure I could make it home without borrowing money from someone, and  there were two days left.

For a fleeting micro-second, it crossed my mind to tell my buddies I was out of money and it was time to head back to Kentucky. No way. I valued their friendship more than this and I had to just get through it. Food would have to wait.

After seven days of R & R we headed home. We had arrived on a Friday morning and were leaving on a Friday morning.

Fun in the sun was just about over. But not quite. We decided to keep the convertible top down as long as we could in order to capture those last rays. We all had tans, and this would just add to them.

About three hours into the return ride and with everyone’s cash running a little light, we saw the sign.

“All the orange juice you can drink… only 10¢. Next Right.”

I put my turn signal on and eased into the right lane.  I didn’t want to miss this exit. Funds were low and we were thirsty. Finally a deal, finally something we could afford.

We all laughed when someone said, “I hope they’ve squeezed enough oranges.”

Yes, absolutely for sure they were going to have to squeeze a whole lot of oranges for this car load.

There it was, just off the exit, a partially gravel and blacktopped parking area. We were out of the car quicker than you can say, “Another glass, please.”

We plopped our quarters down on the makeshift counter covered by a torn umbrella with faded Sunkist lettering drooping down on the edges.

The man behind the counter raked the change off and dropped them into a carpenters apron around his waist. And almost in the one motion began setting small plastic cups out.

I was thinking how I wished we had a chair, stool, anything to sit on. Even one of those nearby orange crates would do. After all, we were going to be here awhile.

As quickly as he filled one of the cups, one of us grabbed it and in a gulp it was gone. The empties went back down and a couple of us said, “Fill it up.”

“That’ll be 10¢,” he said with a slight grin, that all of us being smart college students quickly realized this might be a scam.

But the sign says…  “All you can Drink for 10¢.”

“That is all you can drink for 10¢,” he said loudly. “So if you want another cup it’ll be 10¢.”

I’m not going to say what or how the following dialogue went, but it was not pleasant. Something tells me the juiceman had had similar conversations like this before.

Although we were six college students, who on occasion did wild and crazy things, for once as a group common sense prevailed. We kicked a little gravel, used some sign language, and as we drove away, peeled a little dust and rocks in the juiceman’s lot.

We all learned a lesson that day, and I got a story that over the years have told at least a 100 times. Truth in advertising – there are laws today that just might cause the juiceman to enter another profession or just advertise, “Orange Juice 10¢.”

Forget the “all you can drink.”

Perhaps our not so flattering remarks to some of the Big Orange football team came back to bite us in another form of oranges.

There’s no excuse, get up, get out and get going! Gary P. West can be reached at westgarypdeb@gmail.com.

 

Introducing color to the pages of this newspaper was a game-changer for all

This is the second in a series of articles I am writing that cover my 37 years as publisher of this newspaper.  Last week I wrote about being hired by Terry Forcht and starting the job with new computers…

We had learned how to make the printer print and now we were in the process of giving the Whitley Republican a new look. It was June 1987 and for the first time the entire paper was prepared on the new MacPlus computers.

I had very little to do with it. Willie Sawyers, our news editor, was the brains behind it all. Willie had been the publisher of this newspaper, and he approached me about joining the staff. He agreed that I would become the publisher and he would become the news editor if I would take the job. He knew that my background was in newspaper advertising and the newspaper’s shortcomings was in ad sales.

We both agreed that if this newspaper was to grow, we would have to have a product that would attract both the Corbin advertisers and its readers in addition to the Williamsburg area subscribers we already had with the Whitley Republican.

Thus, we came up with a new edition of the paper which we would call, Corbin! This Week. I pitched the idea to Terry Forcht, and he gave us his blessing along with his needed financing to make it happen.

Not only did we want a new newspaper, but we also wanted one that was more modern looking than most in the area, one that looked like USA Today, a national publication that was new and had wowed the newspaper industry.

It was June and we set our target date for August. We had to find a printer that could print in full color and the closest one was in Danville. Next, we had to learn how to do full color. For us to print a color picture we had to take the negatives to Lexington and a company would make color separations that could be cut into the page negatives that we took to Danville.

All of this just for a couple of color pictures? Yes, because the technology had not been developed for the way we do things today. But we were determined, and we came through with the first full color newspaper ever published in southeastern Kentucky.

Willie and I took the negatives to Danville to watch the process. When the presses started rolling the pressmen at the plant were as excited as we were. WOW! It was the best-looking newspaper ever. We were jumping with joy.

We loaded the 10,000 copies in the old Dodge pickup truck the paper had at that time and headed back to Williamsburg. But before we had travelled very far, we stopped in Stanford at a pay telephone to call the staff back at the office and tell them how great the newspaper looked.

The first Corbin! This Week had four sections filled with news and advertising. Oh, to have that many advertisers today, but most are gone, falling victim to the big box stores. All section heads had different colors just like the USA folks did theirs.

Not only were we excited, but weeklies throughout the state also picked up on the color idea. At the Kentucky Press Convention held that year in Gatlinburg, I spoke to a group on how we did color.

We mailed the first 10,000 copies of the paper to every home in the greater Corbin area.

We came down from our high soon after we had to start publishing two newspapers at the same time. Our workload had doubled because now we had the Whitley Republican and Corbin! This Week.

Talk about long hours and working hard! Next, I will write about how we did two newspapers at once.

 

Eugene Siler, a life revisited (part 6)

After a successful four-year stint as a congressman in the United States House of Representatives, Williamsburg’s Eugene Siler, Sr. decided to once again run for re-election in 1958. Not content to simply rest on his laurels, though, he continued to work hard on behalf of his district while campaigning to remain in Washington for a third term.

In March of 1958, Siler appealed to President Dwight Eisenhower and Col. Eugene Stann, Army engineer, to urge public works programs to relieve woes related to unemployment in Southeastern Kentucky.

In a letter to the president, Siler proposed the building of roads, trails, parking areas and sanitary, water and fire-control facilities in all national forests. In his letter to Col. Stann, he urged a speed-up of studies on some flood-control projects in the area.

“The economic recession in my congressional district is fast developing into a depression of serious proportions,” Siler wrote to Col. Stann. “With thousands of people out of work and unable to find employment to support themselves and their families.”

Specifically, Siler requested “quick completion” of studies that were being conducted on several flood-control projects on the Cumberland River, including a proposed hydroelectric dam in McCreary County, a project on Lynn Camp Creek in Corbin that would affect Whitley, Knox and Laurel counties, and the Laurel River dam project that would affect Whitley and Laurel counties.

Siler also requested completion of a study being conducted for a potential new floodwall located on Yellow Creek in Middlesboro, and he noted two projects in Harlan County as well.

“I can see nothing in the making at this time that would give employment to my people, unless we can go forward with the construction of all or a substantial number of the flood-control projects,” Siler wrote.

Later that same month, Siler allowed his patriotic colors to proudly shine through when he famously gave a speech before Congress on behalf of the “living unknown soldier.”

In the speech, which was given as a response to proposals to cut or decrease the pensions of United States veterans, Siler said, “Mr. Speaker, over yonder across the river in the Arlington Cemetery is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is of white marble. The inscription says, ‘Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.’”

“No one really knows,” Siler continued. “But he may be white or colored, rich or poor, Catholic, Jew, Protestant or none of these. He may come from Briar Creek in my home county in the mountains of Kentucky or he may come from the great, throbbing city of New York. God only knows.”

“But we do know he is dead, and my present remarks are not about him at all. However, I want to talk a little right now upon the ‘living unknown soldier.’ The one still breathing and keeping house somewhere in our country up at the head of the hollow – the doughboy, the GI, the one Ernie Pyle sometimes referred to as the dogface.”

“My man is still alive. He is still with us. Now the frost of many winters may be upon his head above those stooping shoulders. His cough may be asthmatic. His palsied tremor of hands may be pronounced. His eyes once keen upon a gun barrel may be quite dim in these days of 1958. Yet, he is still around here in our land and he is supremely worthy of our thoughtful consideration in the Congress of the United States as we ponder many grave problems in our present day and age.”

“There has been a considerable amount of callous talk about cutting down or cutting out the pension of that living unknown soldier. And some have even though of economizing on the service connected compensation now provided by laws previously enacted by this body on behalf of that same living unknown soldier.”

“The Bradley Commission has made its report. And some people may be about ready to change the symbolic cognomen of our country from Uncle Sam to Uncle Judas, the ungrateful betrayer for thirty pieces of 1958 economy as the price upon the living unknown soldier – sold out by acceptance of the Bradley report by this Congress. I, for one, refuse. I, for one, feel that this living unknown soldier should keep his benefits until the sun grows cold and as long as the years shall fall like grains of sand through the fingers of God Almighty upon the seashores of time.”

The speech goes on, and while I would like to share it here in its entirety, space limitations simply will not allow. You can get a real sense from the excerpt above, however, just how passionately Siler felt about this particular topic.

After reviewing all of the coverage of Siler’s many exploits while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, this speech stands out as, truly, one of his brightest shining moments. And when considering just how many shining moments the man had, that is saying something.

Siler would go on to successfully complete another re-election bid in 1958, but not before he did much more to make the voices of the people of the Eighth District heard in Washington. More on that in the next installment.

Reminder – After his political career came to an end, Eugene Siler continued to serve the people of Whitley County, using a newspaper column that he titled “Head or Tales” to keep the local citizenry informed of various important topics. He would also often discuss historical matters, offer thoughts on recent events, and more.

To learn how you can read many of these Head or Tales columns for yourself, contact the Whitley County Historical and Genealogical Society at (606) 549-7089.