LIGHT UP KENTON COUNTY B1
COMMUNITY
RECORDER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011
Pack up the kids and go see Christmas lights in Kenton County. The Recorder shares photos and locations.
Juvenile brawl turns brutal Law enforcement and school officials are concerned about a playground feud that turned brutal. After a victim was beaten up by a teen suspect, the attack was videotaped and released on the Internet. Story, A3
Photos: The year in sports The year 2011 was a great one for sports in the Community Recorder coverage area. Here are some of the best images from 2011. Sports, A7
Teachers are board certified Seven Kenton County teachers have earned the country’s highest teaching credential by achieving National Board Certification. Schools, A5
Ideas are split about banning cellphones Unless it’s an emergency, the National Transportation Safety Board doesn’t want drivers using portable electronic devices while behind the wheel. Reaction is mixed locally. Story, A4
Gifts from the kitchen Rita Heikenfeld shares an apple cake recipe by a German immigrant who keeps her heritage alive. Story, B3
Contact us
News .........................283-0404 Retail advertising .......513-768-8196 Classified advertising ........283-7290 Delivery .......................781-4421 See page A2 for additional information
Vol. 16 No. 7 © 2011 The Community Recorder ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Your Community Recorder newspaper serving Northern Kenton County
50¢
BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS
Lohre painting celebrates Mary Middleton’s joy “She was eternally happy,” artist says
By Nancy Daly ndaly@nky.com
Many people have been inspired by Mary Middleton, the Fort Mitchell community leader who died Nov. 22 after an accident in front of her home. While some have taken to ringing bells for the Salvation Army in her memory, a local artist honored Middleton the way he knows best, through his art. Tom Lohre, a Park Hills native now living in Clifton, said it was apropos to paint Middleton in his new portrait style and auction it off at The Point’s major fundraiser. The Point, a favorite of Lohre’s, supplies group homes for the disabled. “She was vivacious and addictive to her causes, Salvation Army and Northern Kentucky Symphony,” Lohre said. “Thrifty, she loved to ask the question about her latest fashion statement, ‘Look at this, how much do you think it cost? One dollar!’” Lohre recalled. A graduate of Covington Catholic, Lohre returned to the Cincinnati area in the 1990s after studying and practicing his painting in New York City, Palm Beach and Nantucket. He and his wife, Irene, have a daughter, Helen. His brother Steve and sister Mary still live in Park Hills. Lohre is a fine artist who paints portraits, commissions, landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes. He credits the late Jane Berning of Park Hills with introducing him to Northern Kentucky society. Lohre, who often donates paintings for charity, attends many social events and came to know Middleton, who along with her husband, the former judgeexecutive Clyde Middleton, regularly attended galas and fundraisers. “She was like a newscaster, always able to talk about a topic with meaning and content,” Lohre said of Middleton, who was 83 when she died. The painting was created over one week using a robotic process that merges the technique of pointillism with modern technology. Using 10 colors, “You have to really simplify,” he said. “It’s a distillation of the process of painting,” Lohre said at his Clifton home. “People love to fill in the blanks.”
Tom Lohre, a Park Hills native now living in Clifton, is shown by several paintings similar in style to his portrait of Mary Middleton of Fort Mitchell, who died Nov. 22. The Middleton portrait was auctioned at The Point's "Joy to the World" fundraiser on Dec. 2. NANCY DALY/THE COMMUNITY RECORDER
Tom Lohre's painting of Mary Middleton, who died Nov. 22, was done in a style called "the instant portrait" which Lohre has been developing for several years. THANKS TO TOM LOHRE Lohre hoped the joy of Middleton’s personality comes across. “She was eternally hap-
py,” he said. A close friend of Middleton was pleased with Lohre’s paint-
ing. “I thought it was a very fun, creative and whimsical type of painting and it really represented Mary well,” said Shawn Baker of Crestview Hills. At first Baker thought the contemporary style was a bit out of sync because “I think of her as a traditional person.” But the more she looked at the painting she realized it was on target. “She really was a contemporary person because she was so ahead of her time in the things that she did,” said Baker, who dined at Skyline with Middleton every Monday night. For instance, Middleton ran for office in the1950s when it was rare for a woman to do so, Baker said. She was also involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s and launched many civic groups. “It really does represent that whole side of her really well that she was ahead of her time,” Baker said.
Erlanger mayor to head bar group By Libby Cunningham Lcunningham@nky.com
ERLANGER — In less than two years the face of the Kentucky Bar Association will be familiar to Erlanger residents. That’s because the face belongs to their current mayor, Tom Rouse. Starting in 2013 and running through 2014, he will be in charge of 18,000 people across Kentucky when he serves a term as president of the Kentucky Bar Association. He announced his position at
the December City Council meeting. “I’ve served on the board for the past six-and-ahalf years,” Rouse said. “And this year I’m the Rouse vice president.” Next year Rouse, who ran unopposed, will be president-elect and the year after, the chief executive of the organization. The Kentucky Bar Association is responsible for keeping all of the state’s attorneys, who must
be members, in check. “Just getting the bad eggs, exposing them and having them face the music,” Rouse said. “The thing of it is is that less than 1 percent of Kentucky lawyers ever have a finding that they violated the rules.” Rouse has been involved with different bar associations in the state over the years, and was a founding member of the Northern Kentucky Bar Association, he said. When it comes to law, he has much experience in bodily injury, domestic and ethics cases, he
said. The state of Kentucky does not permit attorneys to specialize in certain fields. “I know the ethics rules inside and out,” he said. He chose to run for the position because he has always been involved in bar activities. “I was interested in getting involved in leadership,” he said. For more about your community, visit www.NKY.com/erlanger.