Ray Ligon, Sgt, U. S. Army
Now that we’re into the New Year I’ve started back photographing veterans for what will be a photographic exhibit at the Glema Mahr Center for the Arts in the Anne P. Baker Gallery. I worked on the project during one of the month-long photographic challenges I did last year that many of you may have seen.
I have been thinking of doing a project like this ever since I retired from the Air Force back in 1995 and after I retired from the newspaper game I decided that I wanted to move forward with the project.
I’m centering my subjects on Hopkins County, Kentucky, the county I live in, because otherwise the project could go on forever. As it is there’s no way I could photograph all the veterans in even Hopkins County, so I’m trying to limit the project to 100 veterans that served during World War II, Korean War or Viet Nam. I know there’s many more veterans out there that are worthy of highlighting for their service to our country, but I have to make the project manageable.
I’m also looking for any veterans from Hopkins County that have received the Silver Star and I’ve got the names of several and if you know how I could get in touch with any of them or their descendents please send me an email.
They are: Barney Q. Hopkins, Arthur M. Yarbrough, John B. Kiskaden, Russell Cornell, James B. Cunningham, Walter W. Fitch, Roy L. Greenfeather or Billy R. Qualls. There may be more and these may not all be from Hopkins County. The names are from a Star Night Gala program that was presented by American Legion Post 6 in 1990.
I also want to include as many POW’s from these wars and so if you know of any in Hopkins County that would be willing to allow me the honor of photographing them as part of this project please let me know.
The exhibit is scheduled to open around Memorial Day of this year and currently I’ve got about 35 portraits so far.
Contact me at: jim@jimpearsonphotography.com