At Bat for Ashley Rountree: Don Tharpe

KET recently ran “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross,” a six-part series on African Americans in America. This series covered events from the first entry of Africans to America until the civil rights era. This made an impact on me because it contained factual details relative to events and people, all affecting Black Americans. I came away from watching this series saying, “Why, as an educated American, did I not know that?”

Maui, Hawaii has by far been my favorite travel destination. Maui is not heaven, but boy, it is close. My wife and I enjoy the beach and the weather, which seems to always be great. My wife can spend all day on the beach enjoying those colorful tropical drinks. And I can’t get enough of those helicopter rides over the volcanoes. We also enjoy going out on the largest sailboat we can find. That is a bit different from a bass boat on Kentucky Lake!

My dream destination is 100% different from Maui: Telluride, Colorado, in the middle of ski season. I do not ski, so I admit it’s strange that with that much snow and that many ski lodges that one would not take advantage of the facilities. But I would like to spend my time on a snowmobile, sitting in the lodge watching the skiers, and at the bar with a warm drink. Riding the ski lifts would be a great way to view the area.

I subscribe to Inside Higher Education magazine and follow The New York Times Education section. This country must begin to address the issue of early childhood education. Millions of young people are entering public school systems without the basic skills that equip them to learn in a competitive environment and are behind before they start.

One thing I keep track of is climate change – not global warming, but the issue of the change to climate all over the world. We have moved from speaking about 100-year floods to 1,000-year floods; there is record-breaking heat and cold; tornadoes are more frequent and stronger; wildfires are burning; and earthquakes and hurricanes are stronger. There is a lot of debate as to whether they are manmade events or the product of nature. I don’t like getting into that fight, so I focus on reading and following the discussion on how countries, particularly the United States, will be prepared to address these events when they occur.

I am a bit of a futurist and enjoy reading and following well-crafted conversations about “the future.” It is so interesting to think about what America will look like 200 years from now. I believe rapidly changing technology will cause more unemployment than any other event, and there will be a need to find employment for the public in ways that we can’t conceive. I also think the number of unemployed, underemployed, unbanked, poor, and working poor will continue to grow, due in part to the population growth in the U.S. and the number of fringe communities made up of these demographics.

From Nicholasville, where I live now, we’d drive four and a half hours to my hometown of Mayfield, Kentucky. First on the itinerary would be the site of Mayfield Hospital, where I was born, then to the location of the segregated grade school where I attended first through fourth grades. The building was demolished more than 20 years ago but is commemorated with a plaque. We’d move on to “The Hill” where, as kids, we slid down the grass on cardboard boxes – there was never enough snow in southwest Kentucky for us to sled in the traditional sense!

I’d take you to the now-vacant lot that once was the drive-in movie theater, then off to what was once Lover’s Lane which is now the Walmart parking lot. The next stop would be my former front yard where I once planted a twig; it’s now a 40-foot oak tree. The final stop would be the cemetery where six generations of Tharpes are buried.

“When the horse dies, dismount!” In other words, after the group has debated an issue and come to a decision, yet the debate is continuing, stop it. When the conversation is over, it is over.

I am a very accomplished woodworker. I have built several pieces for friends and family and also won design awards for my work. I wish I had time to do more woodworking, but it is a very time-consuming craft and takes up a lot of space as well.

“I am just an old country boy from Graves County, Kentucky.”

• French fry dipping sauce: Ketchup
• Cards or Cats: Neither; Murray State Racers
• Dogs or cats: Dogs
• Comfort food: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cornbread
• Favorite holiday: Christmas
• Favorite season: Fall