Saturday, July 16, 2005

Kentucky Memoir #1


kentuckymap
Originally uploaded by Randuwa.
I lived in Kentucky from September of 1979 until July of 1994 (with the exception of the year that I spent in Costa Rica -- 1984). In the autumn of 1979, I arrived in the queer little hamlet of Wilmore to attend college at Asbury College. It is a small, private, liberal arts institution founded in 1890 with a definite perspective toward evangelical, fundamentalist Christianity. Not as wacko as Oral Roberts, Bob Jones, or Regents, but clearly peculiar in the eyes of the secular world. How I ended up there is a story for another time, suffice it to say that that's the reason that found me living in Kentucky. It's a state that I thoroughly love.

This is testified to by the fact that after graduation I chose to make it my home for so many years. After returning from Costa Rica, I obtained employment with the Jessamine County School District. For eight years I taught the 6th grade there, and then was invited to join the Kentucky Department of Education where I worked to develop the state's assessments.

At the risk of being redundant, I love Kentucky. I am so grateful for my time there. It is the place where I met my best and most faithful friends. I look forward to posting stories from my years there.

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