The city of Hopkinsville put on a little ceremony Wednesday to honor Pam Rudd for 50 years as a recreation employee, and she came away with three things — a key to the city, a proclamation and a crown.
Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tab Brockman, who nicknamed Rudd the office “queen” when he moved to Hopkinsville five years ago, concluded the honors by placing a crown on her head as she stood on Rudd Court in the local sportsplex.
Rudd said she appreciated the honors, and being called a queen. But she made clear she’s not finished with her reign.
“It’s been a great 50 years, and I look forward to several more,” she said. “I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”
Rudd began working part-time for the city’s recreation department on Jan. 2, 1971. She became a full-time employee after retiring in 1997 from her first career as a physical education teacher in local public schools. As a program coordinator, she helped organize dozens of events, including the Christmas parade, the old Little River Days, Pennyrile Senior Games and summer camps for children.
Two years ago, Rudd was inducted into the Kentucky Parks and Recreation Society Hall of Fame.
Mayor Wendell Lynch said he first met Rudd about 50 years ago and recalled that she drove an orange and black car as proof that she was a diehard Hopkinsville Tiger fan.
“Young people that are now grown up and have kids and grandkids of their own remember Miss Rudd,” the mayor said.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the ceremony honoring Rudd was small. A livestream was shown on Facebook.
If it had been safe to have a reception, Brockman said he had no doubt that hundreds of people would have turned out to congratulate Rudd.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
