I was born November 19, 1945, at Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, NJ. The family lived in Hackensack, NJ. We lived in the same home for all the years I grew up. The address was 448 Colonial Terrace. We lived in a nice but modest home with a nice backyard. My first memory is of a swing set in the yard and Mom hanging laundry outside. I have a faint memory of my grandparents visiting the home. I went to first grade at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic school in 1951. As previously mentioned, I was taught by very strict Nuns. Some grades would be taught by lay teachers. We wore uniforms and were well taught in all subjects. My main activities were Little League baseball in Hackensack and Boy Scouts associated with my school. I went to two summer camps with the scouts which I enjoyed immensely. After grade school I attended one year of Junior High at State Street Junior High and then to Hackensack High School. My high school was staffed with a roster of truly great teachers. I played varsity Soccer and Tennis in High School and started as midfielder in Soccer. We played in the NJ State Tournament and lost in the second round. I was not a good tennis player, but lettered nevertheless. I did well enough in school to score high in the SAT and got accepted by the University of Vermont, U Maine and later Notre Dame. I enrolled at UVM. In the fall of 1963, I moved into the freshman dorm at UVM, Burlington, VT. While at school I played Varsity Soccer and lettered in 1964, which was Vermont’s first Varsity team. Sixty years later they became National Champs! It being 2025, I am glad I got to see that happen! I was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and received a Second Lieutenant Commission upon graduating in 1967. I participated as a Kake Walker in UVM Winter Carnival. I graduated in 1867 with a BA in Political Science with a minors in History and Sociology. My college years were filled with good times and memories and I applied to several law schools in the South. The area was attractive to me and I gave it a shot. I got on the waiting lost a William and Mary Law School and was accepted at the University of Kentucky School of Law. I obtained a graduate school deferment from the U.S. Army, which required me to go into the service after law school. In 1970, shortly after I graduated from law school, I received an option letter whereby I could do Army Reserve duty for six years after graduating from Armor School at Fort Knox KY. I chose to do that and after fulfilling my reserve duty I received my honorable discharge from the military. My mother passed away in 1970 while I was attending law school. She died from breast cancer. Her death affected my sister and me greatly. She came to the U.S. with nothing and worked hard. She dedicated her life to her family and was a kind a person as you could ever meet. She met Charlotte shortly before she passed and said she was beautiful, which she was and still is! I met Charlotte on a blind date. My good friend Larry Webster and his girlfriend, Cheryl Davidson, knew Charlotte. Charlotte and Cheryl lived in Hamilton House, a co-op living house on UK campus. Charlotte and I went to see a Steve McQueen movie, “Bullitt” and continued dating thereafter. The year was 1969. We were engaged in 1970 and married July 10, 1971. Charlotte is a daughter of the American Revolution and has documented her own family history. Charlotte and I were blessed with to have three children: John Clay (1972), William Danile (1974), and Sarah Allene (1977). My first job as a lawyer on the legal staff of the Kentucky Department of Revenue in 1971. Then a worked as a staff attorney for the City of Lexington. That year, I made a major decision to move the family to Frenchburg, Ky, Charlotte’s hometown. I engaged in private practice there and in 1981 was elected Menifee County Attorney. I held the position until 2006. I enjoyed the community and coached baseball and soccer for many years. I was a member of the Frenchburg Lions Club and served as its President for a year. Charlotte worked as a first-grade teacher and later a Reading Recovery teacher for 27 years. She retired in 2009. I engaged in private practice from 2006 until a retired again in 2016. It would take many pages to relate my time as county attorney! A novel could be written about that experience. I can only say I learned much about human nature and strived to do the best I could to keep the people of my county safe. Hopefully, my contributions to county government and community development had some value. coaching the youth of the county was also immensely rewarding. The contributions made by Charlotte as an educator were also of great value to the community. She gave equal attention to all of her students regardless of economic or social status. Many of her students achieved great success in later life. This is enough to be said for family history.
