November 15, 1843, the Campbell-Rice Debate took place in Lexington . This healthy community discussion centered around the differences between Christian and Presbyterian views. Participants included Alexander Campbell, president of Bethany College in West Virginia, who represented Christians, and Reverend Nathan Rice of Paris speaking for the Presbyterian Church. Henry Clay, in between U.S. Senate terms , agreed to be a moderator. J.M. Sandusky, a prominent Missouri lawyer formerly of Lexington, commented at one point, “I should have thought Clay could have made a much better judge of a horse race or good whiskey than a religious debate.”
November 15, 1860, Louisville native Henry Massie Rector became the 6th governor of Arkansas.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Covington native Harry Bartow Hawes , born in 1869. A lawyer, conservationist, and politician who served in the U.S. House and Senate from Missouri. He played a major part in securing land for America from the Philippines and the Republic of Hawaii.
November 15, 1900, Officer John Horan of the Louisville Police Department died instantly when his horse bucked him at the intersection of 30th and Walnut Streets.
November 15, 1907, Patrolman Theodore C. Bossung, Louisville Police Department , died after contracting tetanus due to being dragged by a horse ten days earlier.
On November 15, 1920, Kentucky heard one of the first drunk driving cases after two patrolmen arrested a 40-year-old male on Main Street in Lexington days earlier. The judge ordered him to pay $50 plus court costs. The judge also fined a man $10 for not having a bell on his bicycle after he hit an automobile on the corner of Main and Upper.
November 15, 1926, City Marshal Charlie Wright, Burnside Police Department , died from a gunshot while making a public drunkenness arrest. He received a life sentence, however, Acting Governor A. B. Chandler pardoned him on March 4, 1933.
Localtonians wish a Happy Birthday to Louisville native David Russell “Gus” Bell, Jr. , born in 1928. Bell played MLB from 1950 through 1964 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, and Milwaukee Braves. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed; in a 15-year career, he hit .281 with 206 home runs, and 942 RBIs in 1,741 games. He played nine of his 15 seasons with Cincinnati and was the oldest member of a rare three-generation major league family. His son, Buddy, coached baseball, and both his grandsons, David and Mike, played infielder.
On November 15, 1933, in accordance with his annual custom, Col. Edward Riley Bradley, sportsman and philanthropist, distributed $10,000 to Kentucky orphanages , children’s hospitals, and schools. The money went to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, toys, and other articles of comfort for youngsters. The money amounted to $3.14 for each child.
Standiford Field became Louisville’s commercial airport and opened for passengers on November 15, 1947. American, Eastern, and TWA airlines were transporting more than 1,300 passengers a week. They used the old Consolidated Vultee cafeteria as a temporary terminal. For the first 2 ½ years, the airlines operated out of a World War II vintage barracks on the east side of the field.
November 15, 1948, click to see Levi Willison, left, Bellmount Farm and Earl Elliott, inspected burley tobacco on the floor at Clay Number 1 warehouse .
November 15, 1952, Air Force 1STLT Robert M. Giltner from Eminence in Henry County died fighting in the Korean War.
November 15, 1956, a Kentucky circuit court jury awarded $175,000 in damages to Charles Mann, 7, after a free-rolling railway car cut-off his right arm and right leg in 1952 ; the largest settlement ever returned in a Jefferson Circuit Court.
November 15, 1962, Muhammad Ali (16-0) fought Archie Moore (184-22-11) in Los Angeles Arena . Moore was among the greatest light heavyweights and prolific fighters of all time (219 professional fights), however he was 45 when he fought Clay, and in the 4th round, Clay knocked him down three times and won with a TKO. Moore’s next fight was his last, against wrestler Mike DiBiase in Phoenix. Moore beat up DiBiase and won by TKO in the 3rd round, ending his 27-year career with a victory.
November 15, 1965, Army SGT Paris D. Dusch from Carroll County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
On November 15, 1966, the Gemini program ended when astronauts Lovell, Jr. and Buzz Aldrin splashed down in the icy Atlantic Waters in Gemini 12 after a record-setting adventure. Within 30 minutes, they were picked up by the USS Wasp. The 10 Gemini missions accounted for 1,994 hours in space. The U.S. then turned its full attention to NASA’s Apollo man-to-moon program, which happened on July 20, 1969.
November 15, 1967, Army SP4 Orville Caudill from Laurel County and Army SP4 Jimmy E. Flynn from Pulaski County died fighting in the Vietnam War.
On November 15, 1969, Peter, Paul, and Mary were among 500,000 people who gathered in Washington, D.C. as part of the “Vietnam Moratorium.”
November 15, 1970, former Governor B. Combs told a conservation group that the Kentucky General Assembly’s next session should enact a severance tax on coal . The gubernatorial candidate predicted the coal industry would go along with such a levy if allowed to plan.
On November 15, 1975, the state board of education censored six state employees for selling political tickets to merit employees. The $10 bean supper tickets raised campaign funds for Dr. Graham, who won the election to head the Kentucky Department of Education. The Commonwealth slowly eliminated such restrictions on state employees.
On November 15, 1980, bolstered by a tight economy, Kentucky’s colleges and universities registered their largest enrollment increase since 1975 . Figures showed 135,265 full and part-time students enrolled, a 4.7% increase over the previous year.
November 15, 1986, click to see Marc Logan, on Senior Day, get a ride off the field after UK’s 10-3 victory over Florida at Commonwealth Stadium, snapping a six-game losing streak against the blue and orange. It took 31 years for the Cats to win again. Logan played for ten years in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl with San Francisco in 1995.
November 15, 1990, Pineville dedicated a fortress dam against the Cumberland River . Over one hundred residents from Pineville and Wallsend, many of whom had been victims of past floods, gathered together for the big day. The new dam is supposed to guard against the 100-year flood. The Federal Government paid 74% of the $76 million price tag, and Kentucky paid the remainder. Rep. Hal Rogers secured funding for three similar projects in Kentucky, Pineville being the first.
November 15, 1991, former UK basketball coach Joe B. Hall laughed with ex-UCLA basketball coach John Wooden in Lexington . Wooden was in town for dinner held by the UK’s Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Foundation.
November 15, 1999, Attorney General Ben Chandler told Kentuckians the electorate would decide if gambling (VLTs) would expand in Kentucky .
November 15, 2001, displaying toughness and single-minded determination, Western Kentucky stunned #4 Kentucky 64-52 in Rupp Arena . The unranked Hilltoppers held the Wildcats to 33% shooting from the field, forcing 20 turnovers and winning the battle of the boards 40-38.
November 15, 2003, Army Sgt. Michael D. Acklin II, 25, of Louisville , died fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
On November 15, 2004, tobacco farmers, buyers, agriculture officials, and warehouse men gathered in Lexington to open the last traditional burley auction . President Bush’s $10.14 billion buyout ended the federal government providing guaranteed pricing.
On Saturday, November 15, 2008, the son of former Calumet Farm president J.T. Lundy prepared for his trial on four felony charges of theft by deception. He sold stallion shares he didn’t have. The judge sentenced him to five years probation one year later, but he would have to serve four years in prison if he violated his terms. A civil court found him liable and ordered him to pay $1.5 million.
November 15, 2013, L’Oreal USA welcomed Governor S. Beshear at its Florence Manufacturing Plant for the expansion ceremony.
November 15, 2017, Secretary of State A. Grimes and Rep. J. Sims of Flemingsburg held a press conference to urge Kentuckians to legalize medical marijuana . Grimes stated, “The research is done. The studies have been conducted. It works and it’s time we end our idling and start having conversations to bring medical marijuana to the Commonwealth.”
November 15, 2019, six months after the Kentucky Derby ended , U.S. District Judge Karen E. Caldwell upheld the stewards’ disqualification of the horse that crossed the finish line first. The official winner of the 2019 Derby (145th) was Country House.
Sunday, November 15, 2020, the state continued to break more virus records as more people got tested . The governor reported three new deaths with individuals that died with the virus, ages 84, 85, and 93. Public Health Commissioner, Dr. Steven Stack, “Unless Kentuckians come together, we will continue on this dangerous trajectory with disastrous consequences.”
November 15, 2021, a Connecticut judge found Infowars host Alex Jones liable for damages brought by parents of children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Meanwhile, President J. Biden signed the $1.3 trillion INVEST in America Act, nicknamed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Uniparty leader Mitch M. was the only congressional Republican from Kentucky to vote yes.
On November 15, 2023, Mitch McConnell claimed the Military Industrial Complex (MIC) was not receiving enough taxpayer money to keep up with inflation and China. The dollars spent on the current American wars, one on Russia’s border and the other in the Middle East didn’t satisfy him. The neocon wanted more.
Split Sunrise
