Mayor Gerry Montgomery

by D ARLENE M AZZONE

Paducah’s Grand Dame of Devotions to a City Held Close to Her Heart

FORMER MAYOR GERRY MONTGOMERY GREW UP IN Paducah and activated her affection for her hometown by ultimately providing leadership for its future by being elected mayor in 1988.

After high school at Paducah Tilghman, Gerry graduated Summa Cum Laude from Georgetown College with a major in mathematics and a minor in history and chemistry. In 1960 she completed work towards a Masters Degree in chemistry, then worked toward an MBA at Paducah Community College in 1978. In 1991 Georgetown bestowed upon Mayor Montgomery its Honorary Doctor of Laws.

Gerry’s parents owned and operated a local grocery for many years in Paducah. In the late 70s Gerry’s father, James, was shot locking up Biggs Grocery one evening as he left the establishment. Mr. Biggs never fully recovered, and due to his poor health, Gerry took over management of the grocery. In 1986 Gerry sold the store and building at her father’s request.

That left Gerry open to possibilities—the most pivotal being a run for mayor of Paducah in 1988. Gerry Montgomery became only the second woman mayor of the city until the current mayor, Brandi Harless.

At the time of Gerry’s tenure, Paducah’s downtown was in a cultural decline, like many small towns around the country. Suburban sprawl and outlying malls drained historic downtowns of their commerce and cultural significance. But that began to change when Mayor Montgomery put her voice and vitality into the reclamation of what was once western Kentucky’s municipal mecca.

Within her towering resume Gerry wrote this of her time as Paducah’s premier patriot. “We led in developing public/private partnerships with the Riverfront/Downtown revitalization, the Information Age Park, and the 800 MHZ systems. We started the city/county meetings on a regular basis, which led to solid waste agreements and a model E-911 system. We initiated a strategic planning process for city government to define a mission, vision, and to set goals to provide city departments with a Management Action Plan. We led the city in a commitment to build, rebuild, and maintain the entire infrastructure of our community.”

These were significant achievements, but what Mayor Montgomery humbly left unsaid was that she initiated the true beginning of Paducah’s renaissance from its downward spiral. It was during her reign that the virtual lifeblood of Paducah’s historic district began to flow once more as it had in previous generations. It was her perspective of the future that ultimately brought the city to its current unique posture among national and international peers.

Mayor Montgomery’s complete biography would require the remaining pages of this edition of Paducah Life Magazine. So we’ve plucked a few momentous accomplishments from her legacy of leadership to share with you here as we salute Mayor Gerry Montgomery’s lifelong body of work on behalf of the city she loves.

Governor’s Task Force On Education Steering Committee

Paducah Community College Board of Directors

Paducah Area Transit System Charter Member

The Kentucky Bicentennial Commission

Urban Affairs Council

Kentucky League of Cities Board of Directors

Leadership Kentucky

Paducah Day Nursery Board of Directors

Kentucky Arts Coucil

Kentucky Artisans Center at Berea Board of Directors

Paducah Cable Authority

Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Board/Summit Award

Leadership Paducah

Rotary Board of Directors/Paul Harris Fellow

National Quilt Museum Board of Directors

Community Foundation of West Kentucky

Founder and Board of Directors

River Heritage Board of Directors

Paducah Ambassadors

Kentucky Woman of Achievement

The holiday issue was WONDERFUL! I always love how you bring Paducah history to LIFE. The ads are so tastefully done. They never detract from the beauty of the magazine. And my girlfriends and I have already explored all the fabulous new bars in town per your features! PADUCAH LIFE is one of the few publications I read COVER to COVER. Another job well done!”

Claudia Meeks, Assistant City Clerk

FEBRUARY 8

7:30 p.m. at the

Get tickets at artsinfocus.org or 270-534-3212

The soulful songs of the Gullah culture are brought to life by this band of native South Carolinians who mix the low country traditions with large doses of jazz, gospel, funk, and R&B. “Gullah” comes from West African language and means “a people blessed by God.” “Ranky Tanky” translates loosely as “Work It,” or “Get Funky!” In this spirit this Charleston, S.C. - based quintet performs timeless music of Gullah culture.

In 1998, Mayor Gerry Montgomery wrote a visionary essay looking to the future of what was possible two decades hence for the city that she loved. It’s an eye-opening review of the developments she envisioned as the river city moved into the 21st century. We are so happy that we can share it with you here as a tribute to the legendary leadership of Mayor Gerry Montgomery.