"We are all haunted. Not by unexplained rappings or spectral auras, much less headless horsemen and weeping queens - real ghosts pace the battlements of memory, endlessly whispering, Remember me."
- Jennifer Lee Carrell, from Interred With Their Bones, Penquin Publishing, 2007
- Jennifer Lee Carrell, from Interred With Their Bones, Penquin Publishing, 2007
Double click the images below to enlarge.
Billy was a farm boy; just another kid who grew up with a subsistence-based family in a rural county in Kentucky. Billy was one of 14 children born to William Clay Hedrick, Sr. and Emma Manley Hedrick at 57 Harrison Avenue, Mount Sterling in Montgomery County, Kentucky. Many of his older siblings were born in Wyoming, Bath County, KY. By the time he was 7 years old, his parents divorced. That same year, in 1926, his father remarried and moved to Linden Avenue in Winchester, Kentucky with his new wife. Lillie Osborne became his step-mother and the second Mrs. William Clay Hedrick. Emma moved to Mount Sterling and according to family sources sold bootleg whiskey to support herself between 1926 and 1932. Billy and some of his siblings under the age of 16 went to live with his father and step-mother in Winchester until 1932 when Emma married farmer John S. Wilson. The kids went back to live with their mother and step-father on a farm in Mount Sterling, Kentucky. He graduated from Mount Sterling City High School there in 1936, a proud Trojan all the way. From stories told to me by a distant cousin who knew Billy, I learned he grew close to Mr. Wilson. John Wilson kept books in his home and Billy was encouraged to read them. He absorbed words off the page as a sponge takes in water, and according to his sister Stella, loved languages and taught himself to speak many without formal instruction.
Born February 12th, 1919 (headstone above is incorrect; I have Billy's birth certificate) he was baby number 12. In order came John, Irvin, a baby boy who died at birth, Lillie Pearl, Elmore, Charles (my grandfather), Ruth, Naomi (Nero), Pauline (died age 14 of leukemia) and twin brother William who died at birth, Gano, and Lillian (Toots), Billy, then after him came Stella Mae and Frances, known as Fannie. With dark blonde hair and blue eyes, he was known as an honest boy with a depth of intellect that amazed, a big heart and a seriously over-developed sense of imagination and creativity. He attended the local schools in Clark and Montgomery Counties, and graduated in the spring of 1936 from the Mount Sterling City High School, the home of the Mighty Trojans. He was awarded a full scholarship to Transylvania University in Lexington, and was a dedicated honor student there between 1936 to 1940.
There are two special ladies within the family who have memories of Billy, his sister Stella Merlin and a cousin Betty Reed. Billy loved to write poetry and make up stories off the top of his head. Stella told me about some poems he had written, and wished she had some idea of what happened to them. I got lucky a few years ago when a cousin of my father's, Jim Ansley, offered to give me some items they found in their mother’s closet after her death. Among the items were 4 hand-written poems, precious to have. Stella had passed by that time. I hope some way she knows that they were found, and are being taken care of.
I have collected some stories and anecdotal information from family members and friends. There are a few sweet stories that can be told. Betty Reed was the daughter of Billy’s sister Ruth, so his niece. Ruth married Russell Amyx and proceeded to set up housekeeping and raising her family in Mount Sterling. When Betty was about 10 or 11 years of age, she fell ill and had to be bed bound for about a month. Billy was working as a teacher at his alma mater, the Mt. Sterling City High School at the time. Each evening after school however, Billy would stop by to visit with little Betty before going home. He would have his dinner with her at her bed side, prepared by her mother Ruth. Billy was finicky about his food touching, a trait that I have not seen in any other family member, other quirks yes, but not this one. Ruth would put each serving of his food in individual bowls on a plate and this is how he would eat each evening, sitting and talking with Betty. He would often bring student papers that needed grading and enlist her help to take care of this business. Other days he would bring her a new set of paper dolls and painstakingly help her cut out the dolls and their clothing to keep her entertained. These are memories she cherished all her life, and I appreciate that I was able to have her share them. Not long after I first met Betty, she called me and told me she had found something I might like to have. It was an award for the 50th anniversary of World War II citing him as a distinguished veteran and presented to Billy posthumously in 1995 by then Governor of Kentucky Brereton C. Jones, signed by him and MG Robert L. DeZarn, the Adjutant General. I have that now in a binder with Billy's other personal documents. There was also a physics lab workbook he used in high school with notes and scribbles in the margins, along with his signature. Something personal such as this allows me to feel closer to him as a person and to see inside the mind of Billy the high school student.
His little sister Stella was born two years after Billy. Stella was an amazing woman, a true character. Such a person you meet rarely in your life, and when you do you keep them close. We had many wonderful conversations over the years I spent with her. There are two stories in particular that stick with me, one funny and one that brings a tear to the eye. As a teenager one afternoon, Billy was left in charge of Stella and Fannie as the parents ran to town on errands. There was evidently a rather productive strawberry patch that mother Emma was very protective of. He was left with specific instructions to keep the younger kids out of the patch, as Emma had plans for those strawberries. They were no more than down the road when Stella and Fannie took off with strawberry mayhem in mind. Billy runs after them and is in turn tackled to the ground by his two younger sisters who are forcing handfuls of the juicy and ripe berries into his mouth in order to make him their co-conspirator! The devious little girls figured that if Billy also had berry breath, that the parents would fault him and ease up on them, or that if Billy looked guilty he would not tell on them. It didn’t work, he fessed up soon as farmer John and Emma got home. Billy 1, devious little sisters 0.
A few years later when Stella was a young woman of 18 with little of value of her own, Billy showed his love for her by taking one of his good suits to a dressmaker and had it cut and sized and remade into a suit with a jacket and skirt for Stella. His gesture has never been forgotten by her, and she says, “I never felt so rich as I did when I wore that suit.” A wonderful example of a kind brother taking care of his sister, one who once forced handfuls of strawberries into his mouth to incriminate him. When Stella was young, he also used to love to make up stories and she especially loved his scary, spooky stories. As he would make them up off the top of his head, she tells me that sometimes they would get so deep and involved they would just lose her. Unfortunately, no one has copies of any stories, so I’m so grateful to have the poems. I’ve been told that he wrote the words to the school fight song for the Mt. Sterling City High School Trojans. He taught there from 1940-1942, and in that time wrote the fight song for the Trojans of purple and gold that lasted until the school closed in the 1970’s:
(Sung to the tune of Stars and Stripes Forever)
“Hurrah for the purple and gold,
May they wave as our colors forever,
Their glories shall always be told,
They are colors that stand for right, Fight! Fight!
We’ll fight for our colors so dear,
And we’ll win by our mighty endeavor.
We’ll proclaim so all might hear,
And by our right and by our might we’ll win forever.”
A retro football game was played in Mt. Sterling in September of 2007 as a fund-raiser, and this song had one more go-around as alumni and their friends and family celebrated the history of the Mt. Sterling City High School. As of December 2013, the old school building has new life! A hospital and retirement home has been constructed and every time I go to Mt. Sterling I feel so proud on his behalf. The current Sterling Meadows houses a small collection of Trojan memorabilia in honor of the once proud city high school.
He loved classical or “long hair” music, as Betty put it. Stella tells me he loved the piano and taught himself to play. He was fluent in seven languages by the time he graduated from college, most of this self taught as well. At Transylvania University in Lexington, he was a nearly straight A student for his entire 4 years there. He attended Transy from 1936-1940, graduated Magna Cum Laude with distinction. Billy was a member and officer of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and served on the staff of the school yearbook, The Crimson. His senior year, he was Editor in Chief of the publication. As a funny aside, the senior class had little anecdotes about themselves written by their photos and names in the yearbook, and Billy’s anecdote says “Censored by the editor.” He was also member of the Pi Kappa Delta Honorary Forensic Fraternity and Secretary-Treasurer for Sigma Epsilon, an Honorary Literary Fraternity. A short article written about him in the home town Mt. Sterling newspaper gives some insight into his acumen as a student just two years into college, stating, “Possibly the most outstanding college student in Lexington, or in the State of Kentucky is Billy Hedrick….has made a remarkable and most unusual record, both years he has attended the college….getting all A’s in all his classes, and is the only student in the college with such a wonderful record…..He is a deep student, and “burns the midnight oil” much of his time.” After his death in July of 1943, the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity of Transylvania University established the Hedrick Cup, an award given to the fraternity member each year who achieves the highest academic standing. The award of that cup is still a part of Phi Kappa Tau tradition at Transylvania University today.
Update: The memorial plaques were returned to the walls of Old Morrison Hall in December of 2019!!! Read about it here: Memorial Plaques
Tammi Hedrick Johnson
tamber12@aol.com
projectstrongdd467@gmail.com
Born February 12th, 1919 (headstone above is incorrect; I have Billy's birth certificate) he was baby number 12. In order came John, Irvin, a baby boy who died at birth, Lillie Pearl, Elmore, Charles (my grandfather), Ruth, Naomi (Nero), Pauline (died age 14 of leukemia) and twin brother William who died at birth, Gano, and Lillian (Toots), Billy, then after him came Stella Mae and Frances, known as Fannie. With dark blonde hair and blue eyes, he was known as an honest boy with a depth of intellect that amazed, a big heart and a seriously over-developed sense of imagination and creativity. He attended the local schools in Clark and Montgomery Counties, and graduated in the spring of 1936 from the Mount Sterling City High School, the home of the Mighty Trojans. He was awarded a full scholarship to Transylvania University in Lexington, and was a dedicated honor student there between 1936 to 1940.
There are two special ladies within the family who have memories of Billy, his sister Stella Merlin and a cousin Betty Reed. Billy loved to write poetry and make up stories off the top of his head. Stella told me about some poems he had written, and wished she had some idea of what happened to them. I got lucky a few years ago when a cousin of my father's, Jim Ansley, offered to give me some items they found in their mother’s closet after her death. Among the items were 4 hand-written poems, precious to have. Stella had passed by that time. I hope some way she knows that they were found, and are being taken care of.
I have collected some stories and anecdotal information from family members and friends. There are a few sweet stories that can be told. Betty Reed was the daughter of Billy’s sister Ruth, so his niece. Ruth married Russell Amyx and proceeded to set up housekeeping and raising her family in Mount Sterling. When Betty was about 10 or 11 years of age, she fell ill and had to be bed bound for about a month. Billy was working as a teacher at his alma mater, the Mt. Sterling City High School at the time. Each evening after school however, Billy would stop by to visit with little Betty before going home. He would have his dinner with her at her bed side, prepared by her mother Ruth. Billy was finicky about his food touching, a trait that I have not seen in any other family member, other quirks yes, but not this one. Ruth would put each serving of his food in individual bowls on a plate and this is how he would eat each evening, sitting and talking with Betty. He would often bring student papers that needed grading and enlist her help to take care of this business. Other days he would bring her a new set of paper dolls and painstakingly help her cut out the dolls and their clothing to keep her entertained. These are memories she cherished all her life, and I appreciate that I was able to have her share them. Not long after I first met Betty, she called me and told me she had found something I might like to have. It was an award for the 50th anniversary of World War II citing him as a distinguished veteran and presented to Billy posthumously in 1995 by then Governor of Kentucky Brereton C. Jones, signed by him and MG Robert L. DeZarn, the Adjutant General. I have that now in a binder with Billy's other personal documents. There was also a physics lab workbook he used in high school with notes and scribbles in the margins, along with his signature. Something personal such as this allows me to feel closer to him as a person and to see inside the mind of Billy the high school student.
His little sister Stella was born two years after Billy. Stella was an amazing woman, a true character. Such a person you meet rarely in your life, and when you do you keep them close. We had many wonderful conversations over the years I spent with her. There are two stories in particular that stick with me, one funny and one that brings a tear to the eye. As a teenager one afternoon, Billy was left in charge of Stella and Fannie as the parents ran to town on errands. There was evidently a rather productive strawberry patch that mother Emma was very protective of. He was left with specific instructions to keep the younger kids out of the patch, as Emma had plans for those strawberries. They were no more than down the road when Stella and Fannie took off with strawberry mayhem in mind. Billy runs after them and is in turn tackled to the ground by his two younger sisters who are forcing handfuls of the juicy and ripe berries into his mouth in order to make him their co-conspirator! The devious little girls figured that if Billy also had berry breath, that the parents would fault him and ease up on them, or that if Billy looked guilty he would not tell on them. It didn’t work, he fessed up soon as farmer John and Emma got home. Billy 1, devious little sisters 0.
A few years later when Stella was a young woman of 18 with little of value of her own, Billy showed his love for her by taking one of his good suits to a dressmaker and had it cut and sized and remade into a suit with a jacket and skirt for Stella. His gesture has never been forgotten by her, and she says, “I never felt so rich as I did when I wore that suit.” A wonderful example of a kind brother taking care of his sister, one who once forced handfuls of strawberries into his mouth to incriminate him. When Stella was young, he also used to love to make up stories and she especially loved his scary, spooky stories. As he would make them up off the top of his head, she tells me that sometimes they would get so deep and involved they would just lose her. Unfortunately, no one has copies of any stories, so I’m so grateful to have the poems. I’ve been told that he wrote the words to the school fight song for the Mt. Sterling City High School Trojans. He taught there from 1940-1942, and in that time wrote the fight song for the Trojans of purple and gold that lasted until the school closed in the 1970’s:
(Sung to the tune of Stars and Stripes Forever)
“Hurrah for the purple and gold,
May they wave as our colors forever,
Their glories shall always be told,
They are colors that stand for right, Fight! Fight!
We’ll fight for our colors so dear,
And we’ll win by our mighty endeavor.
We’ll proclaim so all might hear,
And by our right and by our might we’ll win forever.”
A retro football game was played in Mt. Sterling in September of 2007 as a fund-raiser, and this song had one more go-around as alumni and their friends and family celebrated the history of the Mt. Sterling City High School. As of December 2013, the old school building has new life! A hospital and retirement home has been constructed and every time I go to Mt. Sterling I feel so proud on his behalf. The current Sterling Meadows houses a small collection of Trojan memorabilia in honor of the once proud city high school.
He loved classical or “long hair” music, as Betty put it. Stella tells me he loved the piano and taught himself to play. He was fluent in seven languages by the time he graduated from college, most of this self taught as well. At Transylvania University in Lexington, he was a nearly straight A student for his entire 4 years there. He attended Transy from 1936-1940, graduated Magna Cum Laude with distinction. Billy was a member and officer of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity and served on the staff of the school yearbook, The Crimson. His senior year, he was Editor in Chief of the publication. As a funny aside, the senior class had little anecdotes about themselves written by their photos and names in the yearbook, and Billy’s anecdote says “Censored by the editor.” He was also member of the Pi Kappa Delta Honorary Forensic Fraternity and Secretary-Treasurer for Sigma Epsilon, an Honorary Literary Fraternity. A short article written about him in the home town Mt. Sterling newspaper gives some insight into his acumen as a student just two years into college, stating, “Possibly the most outstanding college student in Lexington, or in the State of Kentucky is Billy Hedrick….has made a remarkable and most unusual record, both years he has attended the college….getting all A’s in all his classes, and is the only student in the college with such a wonderful record…..He is a deep student, and “burns the midnight oil” much of his time.” After his death in July of 1943, the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity of Transylvania University established the Hedrick Cup, an award given to the fraternity member each year who achieves the highest academic standing. The award of that cup is still a part of Phi Kappa Tau tradition at Transylvania University today.
Update: The memorial plaques were returned to the walls of Old Morrison Hall in December of 2019!!! Read about it here: Memorial Plaques
Tammi Hedrick Johnson
tamber12@aol.com
projectstrongdd467@gmail.com