The BEACON Feb. 2020

Page 2A THE BEACON February 2020
By
Tamara
Taylor
Oh the Things
One Can Learn...
For those of you who don’t
know me personally, let me
assure you that I am not shy.
This gift has opened so many
doors and provided such
exciting opportunities over
the years. Recently I accompanied
a dear friend to lunch
in Covington. The restaurant
was located in an up-andcoming
neighborhood filled
with restoration, renovation,
and new businesses. As we
enjoyed a wonderful lunch,
a stately gentleman sat at
the table near us. He was so
composed as he sat and read a
newspaper that I was immediately
curious about his profession
and what brought him
to this eclectic part of Covington.
Of course, the urge to
find out got the better of me,
and I introduced myself to
the gentleman. Never in my
wildest dreams would I have
ever imagined that he was
none other than the mayor of
Covington, KY! Wow.
Mayor Meyer was gracious
enough to chat with me about
the struggles and accomplishments
that Covington is experiencing,
many of which were
remarkably similar to those
in our community- especially
concerning the development
of new housing for all ages. I
thanked Mayor Meyer for his
time. I walked away, wondering
how much we could learn
from each other if the cities,
while different in many ways,
shared the trials and successes
that have been experienced
in their respective communities.
With knowledge comes
power.
The moral of the story- do
not hesitate to say hello or to
compliment someone. You
will certainly make that person’s
day and may even have
an unexpected brush with
greatness.
Years ago, I was blessed
with becoming friends with
Carolyn Sutton who lived on
Sutton Hill in Aurora. She
was a very kind, calm woman
around whom you just had to
smile. She had a BEAUTI-
FUL collie who “introduced”
Carolyn to me during her
jaunts through downtown
Aurora. Carolyn and I shared
many delightful conversations
throughout the years, thanks
to that collie!
Imagine how thrilled I was
to learn that my caption for
the painting of the star on Sutton
Hill was erroneous in the
last issue. The painting was
actually done by Tom Ward,
another wonderful member of
our community. He had presented
it as a gift to Carolyn!
I had no idea since I had only
seen its likeness on the front
of Mayor Hasting’s Christmas
card a few years before. The
realization of my error led to
remember so many wonderful
times with both Carolyn and
Mr. Ward.
Neighborhoods change,
families grow, and community
members leave their
marks. But one thing remains
constant- the good intentions
of those in our community. I
have heard about one such individual
who can be found every
morning picking up refuse
in Lesko Park. While I don’t
know this woman well, I am
confident she is one to whom
to say hello. Mrs. Ray’s dedication
to the beautification of
Aurora has been mentioned to
me on numerous occasions.
Her volunteer efforts have
Each day, Nancy Ray, Aurora,
can be found picking
up garbage from the streets
and parks in downtown
Aurora.
been the topic of conversation
at town meetings and holiday
events from Aurora to as far
as Ohio County. While Nancy
is the type of person who
would never dream of receiving
accolades for her efforts,
she certainly deserves a big
thank you for all that she does
for the community.
Mrs. Ray is the daughter
of the late Luther Rice. She
graduated from Aurora High
School in 1973 and has kept
Aurora near to her heart ever
since. Nancy and her husband
Ken now reside in the family
home on Fifth Street that
overlooks the Ohio River and
Lesko Park.
Nancy is involved in several
groups in Aurora. She is a
member of the Riverview
Cemetery Board, a cemetery
designed by the famous
architect William Tinsley, and
established in 1869. She is
also involved in Main Street
Aurora and spends countless
hours fulfilling whatever tasks
need to be completed for the
promotion of the river town.
When the LST recently
graced the banks of the Ohio
in Aurora, both Nancy and
her husband, Ken, were right
there volunteering in every
way to ensure that the event
went smoothly. They both
graciously took on the responsibility
of selling bricks
for the Veterans’ memorial at
Lesko Park. The task required
a great effort to spread the
word about availability and
A painting of Sutton Hill
was done in 2009 by Tom
Ward and was presented to
homeowner Carolyn Sutton.
to handle all of the sales.
Naturally, when the LST left
the banks of the Ohio and
glided smoothly to its next
destination, Nancy stepped
up once again and agreed to
continue handling the sale of
the bricks. She has expanded
her role by overseeing the
placement of the bricks and
working with Fred Lester to
get them installed.
Keeping a town beautiful
is a lot of work. As with any
city or town, trash seems to
accumulate out of nowhere.
But in Aurora, Nancy and Ken
work diligently to stay on top
of it. They can be found every
day in the park and streets
of Aurora, picking up trash
and cleaning up alleyways.
An endless task, but one we
should all thank them for doing.
Nancy Turner, the director
of Main Street Aurora,
described Nancy Ray as a
fantastic volunteer. “She is
always there, helping with
whatever needs to be done.
You can always count on
Nancy and Ken to come
through.” As a side note,
when this comment was
made, Nancy Ray was elbow
deep in pancakes and syrup
as she volunteered at the sixth
breakfast with Santa for the
year!
Thank you, Nancy Ray, for
all that you do for Aurora and
our community. Your efforts
are an inspiration to all of us.
Note
Last month’s Winter Wonderland photo was of Bailey Whitelock,
not Brady Budenburg. We apologize for any confusion.
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