NELSON COUNTY FAIR

County will miss one of fair board’s initial leaders

By The Kentucky Standard Editorial Board

Thursday, June 2, 2011 at 5:13 pm

The mosaic that makes up Bardstown has been diminished by the passing of Cornelius Hickman, who died Wednesday.

Hickman, 85, grew up in the difficult era of Jim Crow segregation and the depression. When World War II broke out he enlisted in the Navy, served honorably and then returned to his hometown to find employment and raise his family.

After retiring as a longtime employee of the U.S. Postal Service, Hickman found what turned into almost a second career as one of the founding members of the Nelson County Fair Board. He and the late Steve Samuels were key members of the original board and their quiet contributions helped to establish the fair as one of the best in the commonwealth. Neither Hickman or Samuels made any big deal out of being the first two black men to serve on the fair board but it was a big deal.

In the late ’60s and early ’70s when the fair was revived and land was purchased south of Bardstown off New Haven Road, black people were just starting to be represented on boards such as the fair board.

The two men, through their hard work and dedication to making the fair a success, set the bar high for all volunteers. Hickman was always available for fair business year round and during the fair he could be found sitting at Floral Hall (later named Samuels Hall in honor of Steve Samuels) to answer questions about the displays and keeping his eye on the entries.

Hickman was also active in his church, St, Monica Catholic Church. He and his wife of 43 years, Martha, were fixtures.

The tag “The Greatest Generation” has been given to Hickman’s era and rightfully so. The desire to give back to a community is turning into a lost attribute among all of our citizens and the question is begged, “Who will take their place?” We need more dedicated board members like Hickman. His death is the community’s loss. 

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