When Francene Gilmer moved back to her hometown, she wasn’t necessarily looking to dive into a new job and community service. She had returned to Hopkinsville because she wanted to care for her aging mother.
But soon enough Gilmer had a job as executive director of the Christian County Literacy Council and a growing list of volunteer roles. She got reacquainted with old friends and made new ones.
Now, five years later, the local Human Rights Commission has recognized Gilmer for making a difference in Hopkinsville through a dedication to improving human relations. The commission’s signature honor, the Hal and Bettye Thurmond Award, was presented Thursday during the 50th Unity Breakfast at the James E. Bruce Convention Center.
“Sometimes you don’t know where you need to be, and sometimes if you just follow your heart you will be where you should be,” Gilmer said of her decision to come home after 30 years in higher education, including leadership roles at Vanderbilt, Kentucky State and the University of Kentucky.
Once she joined the literacy council and reconnected with her home church, Virginia Street Baptist, her efforts grew. Gilmer has helped the literacy council expand its offerings and outreach. Her volunteer work includes serving at the Breaking Bread Community Dinner Church and helping the bell hooks Legacy Group.
“There always seems to be a corner of this city that can use help,” she said. “And when you look at our society and the divisiveness that we see, I hope that never comes here. I feel like it could — but I really hope that people see that when you do something for one, it benefits a small segment and it can likely mushroom into something much bigger.”
Gilmer said she’s also learned to appreciate conveniences that make living in Hopkinsville more enjoyable — such as leaving the house 10 minutes before a show at the Alhambra and still making it on time without having to reserve and pay for parking.
“When people say there is nothing to do in Hopkinsville, there is plenty to do in Hopkinsville, “ she said. “Once you open your eyes to what you can do, once you decide your skill, once you decide you are going to do it, then you do it.”
David Thurmond, a Louisville resident who grew up in Hopkinsville, presented to Gilmer the award that is named for his late parents, who were early supporters of civil rights in Hopkinsville. He told the Unity Breakfast audience about a time when his father, a business owner and Chamber of Commerce board chairman, pushed a downtown hotel to integrate its dining room by inviting a white minister and a Black minister to join him for breakfast.
“It wasn’t a sit-in. It was a sit down,” Thurmond said.
The keynote speaker for Thursday’s event was Dr. Raymond Burse, a Hopkinsville native and the current board chairman for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. He served as president of Kentucky State University from July 1982 to April 1989 and again from August 2014 to May 2016.
A Rhodes scholar, he earned his law degree at Harvard University. He is a former vice president and general counsel for GE Appliances and Lighting in Louisville.
Burse urged the audience members to work toward unity in Hopkinsville by setting goals and networking.
He asked, “What is the one thing that you can advance for this community?”
Even people who disagree on some points should find a path to work together on the city’s most pressing needs, whether it is housing or police reform, he suggested.
There are challenges, he said, noting the Hopkinsville’s Human Rights Commission’s funding was cut in the past year.
The state commission that Burse chairs will be returning to Hopkinsville on Nov. 22 for its annual Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It will also conduct a board meeting that day.
Additional awards presented at the Unity Breakfast included:
The Standard of Excellence Award went to Steve Tribble, who served as Christian County judge-executive for 29 years and remains an active participant in community programs. He currently serves on the Jennie Stuart Health Board of Trustees. The award is named for former HRC director Bernard Standard.
Gwenda Motley, a retired educator, received the Mayor’s Unity Award. Motley has been instrumental in promotions that ensure that the legacy of her late sister — Gloria Watkins, known by her pen name bell hooks — is not forgotten in Hopkinsville.
Motley’s efforts led to a street being named bell hooks Way and an outdoor mural being painted at the Christian County Historical Society building. She also helps organize and promote events centered on bell hooks’ literature.
The Judge’s Unity Award, given to an individual or group who contributes to “the spirit of unity, makes deliberate, conscious efforts to unite people and [works] for the betterment of the community,” was presented to Dawn Patricia Thomas in recognition of her impact in Oak Grove. She works through the community outreach program, A Mission of Hope, which expanded from serving 23 families to nearly 200 families in 2023.
The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to the Thomas A. Sims Lodge of Prince Hall Freemasonry in Oak Grove. Established in 1972, the organization is one of the largest Prince Hall lodges in Kentucky. They support youth causes, help families, organize holiday giving and award scholarships.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
