Forcht, Bunning among five to be honored at Lincoln Club Banquet Saturday

Forcht Group of Kentucky founder, Chairman and CEO Terry E. Forcht and U.S. Senator Jim Bunning will be two of the five people honored during the 72nd Annual Fifth District Lincoln Banquet Saturday evening.

This year’s banquet will start at 6 p.m. at the Corbin Technology Center, which is located off Cumberland Falls Highway in Corbin about 1/4 mile east of the Exit 25 interchange.

Forcht, a long-time supporter of the Republican party, came to Whitley County in 1964 as a professor at Cumberland College, which is known today as the University of the Cumberlands.

He and his wife, Marion, came to Williamsburg with four children, one Volkswagen Beetle, and a dog

After teaching business for several years, Forcht became an attorney and opened several businesses that now operate under the umbrella of Forcht Group of Kentucky, which is comprised of 94 separate companies employing more than 2,100 people. Forcht Bank NA, which possesses assets of more than $1 billion, is one of the top 10 banking holding companies in Kentucky.
Bunning of Campbell County was a Hall of Fame major league baseball pitcher before turning to politics.

In 1977, Bunning wanted to give something back to his community. He ran for and won a City Council seat in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. In 1979, he was elected to the Kentucky State Senate and became its Republican Leader. In 1986, Bunning was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the 4th District of Kentucky where he served for 12 years.

In 1998, he was elected to the first of two terms in the U.S. Senate where he is retiring from at the end of the year.

This year’s other inductees are Harlan County’s Liz Hunter, Leslie County’s James Lewis, and Bell County’s James Pursiful.

"We have selected five outstanding Republican leaders who have contributed above and beyond the call of duty to the Republican Party. To honor these outstanding Republicans, we will be inducting them into the Fifth District Hall of Fame," said Publicity Chairman Bob Mitchell.

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell will be the keynote speaker. There will also be special appearances and speaking by

Congressman Hal Rogers, Kentucky Senate President David Williams, and State Representative Jeff Hoover.

The U.S. Senate candidates will each be give five minutes speak during the banquet, including Secretary of State Trey Grayson and Rand Paul.

In addition, several Republican candidates for office from around the region are also expected to attend.

McConnell will be available from 5 – 6p.m. to sign copies of the book "Republican Leader" by John David Dyche. The Tri-County Republican Women’s Forum will have books available for purchase.

The Fifth District Lincoln Club was established in 1938, and is the oldest Lincoln Club in Kentucky.

Tickets for the event are available at the door at a cost of $25 per person. Tables of eight can be reserved by contacting Shannon Rickett at (606) 309-7197 or srickett80@yahoo.com.