PROGRESSIVE BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION
He recorded nearly two dozen long-play albums. His first hit was “Somebody Told Mary/White Silver Sands” in the early 1960s. His first song that made the top 10 on the country chart was “Walking on New Grass” in 1966, and later that same year he charted in the top 10 country with “Happy Tracks.” From the late 1960s through the 1970s, additional hits by Price included “My Goal for Today,” “California Women,” “Turn on Your Light (and Let It Shine),” “Let’s Truck Together,” “Easy Look,” “Too Big a Price to Pay,” and “Biloxi.” Price’s top 10 country hit “The Sheriff of Boone County” crossed over to the pop charts with the famous lyric “You’re in a heap of trouble now, boy.” It was about this time when he gained national popularity as a regular cast member on Hee Haw. Price also made a few guest appearances on the Grand Old Opry and performed at hundreds of live concerts around the nation. “She’s Leavin’ (And I’m Almost Gone)” was his last chart single, recorded in 1980. From his fi rst public per for mance at Florence Elementary School through his comedic antics for Hee Haw, Kenny Price was a true musician fi rst; he appreciated all kinds of music, from folk and classical to country and rock. He is generally remembered for his genuine warmth and smiling face. He never turned away from a handshake or an autograph request, and he always found time to spend a few minutes with his fans, treating them as if they were his neighbors or friends. During his days at WLW television in Cincinnati, fans frequently greeted him on the outdoor steps of Crosley Square, the studio of the Midwestern Hayride. Price died in Florence in 1987 at age 56 and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Erlanger. He was survived by his wife Donna and their three children, Kenny Jr., Chris, and Jennifer. Clarke, Donald, ed., The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. New York: Viking, 1989. Feiertag, Joe. “Friend Saw Kenny Price as a Happy Family Man,” Boone County Recorder, August 13, 1987, 1. “Kenny Price: The ‘Mound of Sound,’ ” KP Weekend, March 30, 1974, 1–4. Kreimer, Peggy. “Kenny Price, a County Boy Who Never Wanted to Lose Country,” KP, August 8, 1987, 1K–2K. Sandhage, Doug. “Kenny Price Down Home,” CE Magazine, November 27, 1983, 6–10. ———. “A Legendary Music Man with a Common Man’s Touch,” KP, March 29, 1982, 8K. Williams, Joel. “Popu lar Star Just a Country Boy from Florence,” Boone County Recorder, November 19, 1981, 6. Workum, Bertram. “ ‘Hee Haw’ Star Kenny Price Dies,” KP, August 5, 1987, 1K–2K.
John Schlipp
PRINCE OF PEACE LUTHERAN CHURCH. In January 1892, a small group of Bellevue residents persuaded Dr. E. K. Bell, pastor of the First Lutheran Church in Cincinnati, to begin holding church ser vices in their city. The group
met at the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church building on Sunday afternoons. The Board of Missions of the Lutheran General Synod agreed to assist the new congregation financially. On April 1, 1892, the church hired its first pastor, Rev. George G. Clark. Trinity Lutheran Church was officially organized on April 19, 1892, with 51 charter members present. For the next year, the church held services in the Balke Opera House, at the corner of Berry and Fairfield Aves. in Bellevue. In July 1892, the church took an option to purchase property at the southeast corner of Taylor Ave. and Center St. The General Synod granted an interest-free loan to the church to purchase the site. The cornerstone for a new building was laid on November 13, 1892, and it was dedicated on May 14, 1893. Growth of the congregation was slow, but under the leadership of Rev. John M. Bramkamp, the church reached a membership of 100 by 1902. A parsonage was built on a lot behind the church in 1916. Rev. C. Myron Danford became pastor of Trinity in 1936, and during his eight years there, church attendance nearly tripled. The church that had struggled financially for many years was now in an improved financial condition, which permitted them to remodel the facility, increase the pastor’s salary, and become self-supporting. In 1950 Trinity added an educational wing and new artglass windows and had the entire church rewired. In 1957 Col. Harry T. Klein donated about $100,000 worth of Texas Oil Company stock to the church. The congregation used the gift to purchase a duplex next to the church, which was demolished to enlarge the educational wing. Improvements were also made to the parsonage and the pastor’s study. The congregation held their 75th-anniversary celebration in November 1967; a former pastor, Rev. Charles Masheck, served as the featured speaker. Special ser vices were held in July 1970, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the City of Bellevue. On that occasion, the popu lar former pastor Rev. Danford delivered the sermon. By 1971 the church reached its peak membership of 258. Trinity suffered the same plight as several other urban churches, with attendance falling dramatically as members moved to the suburbs. To help solve this problem, Trinity and St. Mark Lutheran Church of Newport (at Seventh and Monroe) merged their congregations in 1978 and adopted the name Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. The Newport location was to be vacated and combined ser vices were to be held in Bellevue. Within a short time, however, friction developed between the two groups, especially over a decision to sell the Newport church building. As a result of this dispute, the merger was rescinded. Newport members reopened the St. Mark Church, and the Bellevue church continued using the new name, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. In August 2004, Dr. Timothy Hungler was hired as interim pastor of Prince of Peace. He had been raised Catholic but later embraced the Lutheran Church and became a Lutheran pastor. He was well educated and an excellent speaker and
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soon became immensely popu lar with the congregation. There was renewed enthusiasm within the church, and the future appeared bright, but tragedy soon struck. After returning from church on February 12, 2006, Rev. Hungler suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, from which he died several days later. The church was devastated but began the search for a new leader. A pastor from Lexington, Rev. Jerry Cantrell, served as interim pastor. Today, the church has 94 members, dedicated to continuing the work begun so many years ago as Trinity Lutheran Church. The congregation is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Davis, Alan Dawson. “A History of Trinity Lutheran Church,” 1962, Trinity Lutheran Church, Bellevue, Ky. Veatch, Norman, and Monika Veatch. Interview by Jack Wessling, Bellevue, Ky., August 6, 2006. Waltmann, Henry, ed. History of the IndianaKentucky Synod of the Lutheran Church of America: Its Development, Congregations, and Institutions. Indianapolis, Ind.: Central, 1971.
Jack Wessling
PROGRESSIVE BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION. The Progressive Building and Loan Association, a creation of the African American community of Covington, was formed to provide otherwise scarce home financing and business loans for that community. The association submitted its articles of incorporation to the Kenton Co. clerk’s office in June 1906. The new corporation’s officers were F. L. Williams, principal of Covington’s Lincoln- Grant School, president, and Wallace A. Gaines, a funeral director, secretary. The board of directors included Charles E. Jones, a funeral director, and Lawson Thompson, the owner of Steam Carpet Cleaners. The other incorporators were James C. Campbell, a laborer; Charles Carson, a janitor; Nathan A. Fleming, a teacher at Lincoln- Grant School; Ollie B. Havelow, pastor at Lane Chapel C.M.E. Church; and Robert P. Johnson, the principal of the Latonia Colored School. The corporation’s capital stock of $50,000 was divided into four classes of shares: $400 shares required payments of 80 cents per week, $200 shares required payments of 40 cents per week, $100 shares required payments of 20 cents per week, and $50 shares required payments of 10 cents per week. Indebtedness of the firm was capped at $20,000. The office was located at the corner of Seventh and Scott Sts., adjacent to the W. A. Gaines Funeral Home. The Progressive Building and Loan Association was a milestone for the African American community of Covington. The association drew its leaders from all walks of life, and many of them remained in business locally for three or four decades. The distinguished educators and religious leaders who served with the association were consistently chosen for both their abilities and their dedicated ser vice within Covington’s African