Our Fellow Kentuckians: Rascals, Heroes and Just Plain Uncommon Folk

In this one-of-a-kind collection, Dr. James C. Claypool, professor emeritus at Northern Kentucky University, rolls out the red carpet for thirty-nine of the most fascinating characters with ties to the commonwealth. From intrepid pioneers to noble statesmen, legendary athletes, inventors, entrepreneurs, war heroes and a couple of men named Cassius Clay, this is a comprehensive and highly entertaining volume that no true Kentuckian should be without. Some will make you proud, others may leave you in shame, but good or bad, noble or vile, they are still our fellow Kentuckians.

James C. Claypool, professor emeritus of history at Northern Kentucky University, holds a PhD in European history from the University of Kentucky. He taught history in Kentucky for thirty-six years, first at Murray State University (1966, 70) and then at Northern Kentucky University (1970, 2002), where he was both its first employee and a dean. A well-known public speaker in Kentucky, he has been a featured speaker with the Kentucky Humanities Council for fifteen years. He is a nationally recognized authority on thoroughbred racing, especially the Kentucky Derby, and on Kentucky music and is published in both fields. He worked as the Smithsonian's Kentucky Derby expert in 1995 and in 2008 as the state coordinator in Kentucky of the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit on the roots of American music. Television and radio programs he has hosted and produced have won a number of regional awards. He has helped edit, coauthored or authored six books and one encyclopedia as well as published articles and encyclopedia entries on art, culture, politics and military history. He and his wife Sharon reside in Park Hills, Kentucky.