ers, Richmond also was a controversial figure in NASCAR. On Aug. 13, 1989, Richmond died of complications brought on by AIDS when he was 34 years old. ESPN aired a story about his life in 2010 titled “Tim Richmond: To the Limit” as part of its “30 for 30” documentary series. “He was an outsider to the NASCAR world who stood out for his natural talent, charisma and emergence in 1986 as a star and rival to Dale Earnhardt,” ESPN Film executive producer John Dahl wrote in an e-mail to the Times-Gazette in 2010 before airing of the “30 for 30” documentary. “But before Magic Johnson, Arthur Ashe and others, he became a face of the devastation of HIV and AIDS. In his short NASCAR career, Richmond won 13 Winston Cup races. Bush visits day before 1988 election Maybe the most memorable event may have been George H.W. Bush’s visit to the city on the eve of his election as president on Nov. 6, 1988. Bush, who would defeat Michael Dukakis the next day to become the 41st president of the United States, spoke to a crowd of 4,500 at Ashland College. College officials said there probably were another 4,000 who couldn’t get into to hear the speech. Last-minute scheduling Sunday brought Bush, who was the vice president at the time, to the key state of Ohio on that Monday before the election. But why Ashland? According to the Times-Gazette article on the event, north-central Ohio’s Republican clout led by former state Sen. Tom Van Meter and others was some of the reason for the stop on Ashland. Van Meter was chairman of the Ohio Steering Committee for Bush and a member of the national steering committee at the time, and recommended Ashland College for a final Ohio stop in Bush’s campaign.
All available police officers were called to special duty that morning to help with crowd and traffic control. Kates Gymnasium had all the flavor of a national political showdown with signs, banners and balloons. A large crowd waited outside the gym to wave goodbye as a 20-car caravan drove from the college parking lot toward Mansfield Lahm Airport for his next campaign stop. It would be his third-to-last rally of his 1988 campaign. He took the stage at Ashland College at 11:14 a.m., finished at 11:28 a.m. and then was quickly whisked off to Texas for more campaigning. He was accompanied by his wife, Barbara, and introduced by AC student Stephanie Van Meter. Likely the main reason things went so smoothly for the visit was that Bush had tentatively been scheduled to visit AC during an Ohio tour on Oct. 26. He also had spoken at the college in 1984 for its Ashbrook Memorial Dinner. ‘Shawshank Redemption’ films some scenes in town Ashland was back in the national spotlight when parts of the movie “Shawshank Redemption” was filmed in the city in 1993. The movie was released in 1994. When it was being filmed in 1993, the T-G reported at least 100 people pulled up chairs for a rare opportunity to watch the film crews work on a major motion picture in Ashland. Parts of Main and Orange streets were blocked off while police officers kept non-actors away from the former Huntington National Bank building, where a scene was being shot. The film’s publicist refused to disclose to a reporter the significance of the bank scene when Andy Dufresne withdraws the money he has laundered for the warden. Revival’s 2 Thrift Store also was used in the movie for a train station scene. One local man, Dale LaRue, even
played a short, but significant role in the movie. LaRue was a 38-year-old sergeant with the Ashland post of the State Highway Patrol in 1993 when “Shawshank” was filming at the Ohio State Reformatory. One day, a movie representative stopped in the patrol office and asked if anyone was interested in being in the film. LaRue and his fellow officers drove to Mansfield, received special haircuts to fit the movie’s time period and were dressed as Maine state troopers before finally reaching the set. That day, the filming schedule called for capturing the scene where officers search a creek for evidence of Dufresne’s escape from prison. LaRue’s famous screentime comes when a photographer snaps a black-andwhite photograph of LaRue holding up the rock hammer Dufresne used to escape. People still visit Ashland to see where these scenes were filmed during “Shawshank Redemption” anniversary celebrations. Ashland County Community Foundation established The decade ended with the start of arguably one of the most significant creations in the community — Ashland County Community Foundation, which was certified by the state as a public charity in fall 1995. “The planning process actually started about two years before that,” said Lucille Ford, president of the organization until a few years ago when she became the president emerita. “It started with a small group of volunteers. “We realized philanthropic dollars in the community were going to national organizations, which was fine, but we wanted to keep more of those dollars in the community,” Ford added. That group of volunteers was an Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce stra-
Ashland native Tim Richmond was the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year in 1980 before moving to race the stock cars of NASCAR. In 1986, he was named NASCAR Driver of the Year after winning seven races. He died from complications from AIDs in 1989 at the age of 34. From the Times-Gazette / Steve Stokes.
tegic planning committee. With a lot of volunteer help, Ashland County Community Foundation not only was established but eventually was able to raise enough money to move into its current location at 300 College Ave., Ford said. Since its inception, more than $7 million has been returned to the area via 294 donor-established funds. More than 6,000 donors have made current and deferred gifts totaling more than $26 million. Ford said one of the many highlights during the foundation’s 20 years was being involved in helping bring the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center to town. “The community was so responsive to the concept of creating a substantial opportunity with choices for those who have philanthropic goals,” Ford said. “It has been a pile of fun, a pile of challenges and a pile of community support.
Hospice of North Central Ohio - Established 1989
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