Here of late, one seldom has a day that something about the efforts of UNITE are not in the news. For the good of us today as well as future generations, I am happy that UNITE is making all the efforts they are to “clean up” many of our fellow citizens. Again, those of us here in Hazard and Perry County should never forget the success that the UNITE Club at Roy G. Eversole has had and continues to have. The efforts of that Club’s advisors and members can be compared to missionary work, because their efforts are bringing about salvation to an untold number of people. Certainly the salvation brought about through the efforts of UNITE is a different salvation than that of the soul, but without the first salvation, it is highly unlikely one would see the second.

The recent debate aired on KET between Jack Conway and Stan Lee, candidates for Kentucky’s Attorney General was most interesting and enlightening. Conway, the Democrat nominee, was certainly aware of the drug problem we here in Eastern Kentucky have, and in talking about that, he brought up a point that has been “hidden,” and that is Western Kentucky seems to be the “front door” for the drugs coming into Kentucky from Mexico. With that being the case, the efforts should not be hindered in covering that area of the state to put a stop or at least slow down the trafficking of all this dope. To complicate things more, along with the illegal dope, we are confronted with the illegal movement of legal drugs.

I was deeply disappointed in Stan Lee’s constant “pitch” that he was a conservative and Conway was a liberal. Really, what difference does it make? Right is right and wrong is wrong. When Lee slammed Planned Parenthood, he ran up a “red flag” in my opinion. The work of the Planned Parenthood program in our section of the country was tirelessly worked for generations by Dr. Louise Hutchins of Berea. Dr. Hutchins and her husband, Dr. Francis Hutchins, longtime President of Berea College have done more good for their fellowman than will ever be known by many.

I have known Dr. and Mrs. Hutchins as long as I have known about anyone, and I have nothing but the best of memories of those two. Dr. Francis Hutchins and my mother were in high school together at the time his father, Dr. William J. Hutchins, was President of Berea College. When I was in Vietnam, I spent my R & R week with Dr. and Mrs. Hutchins in Hong Kong where they moved when he retired as President of Berea. Dr. Francis Hutchins went to Hong Kong to work with the Yale in China Program, and Dr. Louise Hutchins worked with Planned Parenthood while they were in Hong Kong. Being fully aware of Dr. Louise Hutchins’ work with Planned Parenthood as well as all the good she and her husband brought about wherever they were, it is terribly hard to hear anyone, especially a political candidate like Stan Lee slam such efforts. To me, his remarks simply showed how shallow he is.

After Mom retired from teaching in the state system, Dr. Francis Hutchins hired her to teach remedial and speed reading at Berea College. He and Mrs. Hutchins devoted their lives to the betterment of all, and the students at Berea College were certainly the recipients of their concern. I remember when they came to our house to talk to Mom about going back into teaching, and he said “Audrey, you know that no matter how smart you are, if you cannot read properly, your education is never going to be complete.” With his obvious interest in the betterment of Berea’s students combined with Mom’s long respect for Berea College and the good the school had fostered for generations, she immediately agreed to reenter the classroom.

I can just imagine the great rumble around where Dr. and Mrs. Hutchins are buried, when people like Stan Lee throw off on the efforts of the Planned Parenthood’s work as being liberal. When something is for the good of ones fellowman, what difference does it make if it’s conservative or liberal. As I have already said, right is right and wrong is wrong.

It is my opinion that the good work brought about by the untiring efforts of Dr. and Mrs. Francis Hutchins will be remembered long after the “Stan Lees” of this world are dead and gone, and that is so be it liberal or conservative. This world will be a much better place if all of us concentrate on helping our neighbors, not knocking them as this liberal-conservative drum beat seems to do.

I am sure that such noteworthy people as Alice Lloyd and June Buchanan were thought by many to be odd or liberal, but look at all the good their efforts have brought. Trying to label one can only lead to very narrow thinking, and that is not the kind of person we need in public office.