Personalities

Castle, Carmel "Coots" - 12/3/17 - 7/21/88
Coots Castle, Paintsville's first professional baseball player of record, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 1938 and sent to the Reds' Arkansas farm club, where he soon hit his first professional home run.

Castle, Clarence - 12/3/12 - 1/27/73
Clarence, with his wife Cynthia, established a successful retail jewelry business in Paintsville. In addition, Clarence was active in civic affairs and industrial development giving of himself and his resources generously. He was one of those most actively involved in bringing American Standard to Johnson County. Clarence and Cynthia's daughter, Barbara, and her husband Danny Pugh, with their sons Doug, Darrell and David, continue the jewelry business. Danny, his father, Dan Pugh, his uncle, Don Pugh, as well as Danny's sons, were all active in Paintsville High School football and basketball. Danny served several terms on the Paintsville City Council. Doug served several years as Republican County Chairman.

Castle, Dr. W. R. - ??? - 11/29/47
Dr. W. R. Castle attended school at East Point. At the age of 18 he began a teaching career which lasted ten years before he turned to medicine. He received his medical degree in 1908 and, after working as house physician for local coal companies, he opened his private practice in Johnson County. His medical practice so endeared him to the people of Johnson County that a grade school was named in his honor following his death.

Chandler, Escom -
Escom "Eck" Chandler, businessman and civic leader, served as mayor of Paintsville from 1946 until 1950. He was in various businesses, including a bakery and a laundry. Eck served as a director of Citizens National Bank for many years before his retirement. He is an active member of the Paintsville Kiwanis Club and the First Baptist Church.

Chandler, John E. -
John Chandler was one of Paintsville's more dynamic mayors, serving in that office for five years, from 1970 to 1975. He also served two terms on the City Council. Following his graduation from a military academy, John entered the U. S. Marine Corps where he saw service in Korea. John was among the thousands of marines encircled by the Chinese Communists at the Chosen Reservoir in North Korea. He was badly wounded and highly decorated before his discharge with the rank of Master Sergeant. During his tenure as mayor, John took a leading role in economic development and in administering the city's Housing & Urban Development Commission. John was in the insurance business before retiring and moving to the Carolinas.

Chandler, Russell - 3/1/05 - 2/4/97
Russell and Mona Chandler moved from Lawrence County to Paintsville in the late 1940s and opened a retail clothing store which they operated quite successfully until their retirement. Russell was active in civic affairs, serving two terms on the Paintsville City Council.

Clay, Carolyn Vaughan - 5/17/1882 - 2/??/72
For several years the fashionable place for women to buy the latest styles in clothing was the Carolyn Clay Shoppe in the Herald Building on Court Street in Paintsville. Educated as a teacher at Hager Hill and Flat Gap, Carolyn Clay came into her own when she and her husband Elmon opened the women's clothing store. Carrie's innate good taste and sense of retailing put her at ease with the fashion designers with whom she dealt on her numerous buying trips to New York and endeared her to the local clientele.

Clay, Elmon M. - 9/1/1884 - 11/??/50
Elmon Maxwell Clay was a self-taught civil engineer who learned his profession by on-the-job training surveying track for the C & O Railroad in Pike County and in road construction. Elmon later surveyed building and construction jobs for John C. C. Mayo
including Margaret Heights in Paintsville. With the onset of the Great Depression Elmon was employed by the NRA, the Johnson County Health Department and the City of Paintsville.

Clay, Walter "Cobb" - 11/13/15 - 1/4/89
"Cobb" Clay, a state highway employee and book store owner in Paintsville until his retirement, served in the U. S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II as an aerial gunner. He was one of Johnson County's most decorated servicemen, having fought in 12 of the most of the noted carrier battles in the Pacific theatre of operations. After the war, Cobb was instrumental in founding Paintsville's Little League and served as its president.

Conley, Betty Jo - 2/5/39
Johnson County Clerk Betty Jo Pelphrey Conley began her tenure as county clerk in 1969 and has been elected to a total of six terms. She is a graduate of Flat Gap High School and attended Morehead State University. A Republican Party activist all her life, Betty Jo began her career as a deputy clerk under C. O. "Buzzy" Wheeler in 1960. In 1969 she defeated incumbent Democrat Roy Ross for the post. Betty Jo has been a significant force in Johnson County politics ever since.

Conley, George D. - 5/29/25 - 1/1/92
George Conley was an outstanding coach and basketball official who was born in Johnson County and attended Paintsville schools through the 7th grade until his family moved to Ashland. George earned degrees from Morehead and Marshall Universities following military service in World War II. As coach of the Ashland Tomcats, George was named Kentucky's high school Coach of the Year in 1953. He was elected to the State Senate in 1959 and served as a director and officer of Citizens National Bank until his death.

Conley, Robert M. - 4/24/20 -
Robert M. "Bob" Conley graduated from Paintsville High School in 1938 and entered Berea College. He transferred to Eastern Kentucky University where he graduated in 1942 with a Bachelor's Degree in history and English. Bob volunteered for the U. S. Army in May 1942 and was assigned to the Signal Corps. He went into Normandy on D-Day plus 3 in June 1944 taking with him the first radar on the European Continent. Bob joined First National Bank in 1948 where he served in various capacities, including Executive Vice President, until his retirement in 1980. He later served four years as Finance Officer with Johnson County government and 14 years with Paintsville City government. He has served on the Paintsville Board of Education and as an active member of Mayo Memorial United Methodist Church. He and his wife Barbara have one daughter.

Conley, W. R. "Ray" - 9/3/07 - 5/11/96
Ray Conley was one of Johnson County's most respected and beloved teachers. He received his elementary education in the rural one-room schools in Johnson County. He earned Bachelor and Master's Degrees from Morehead State University and Marshall University. Ray held teaching and administration positions in Johnson County's school system for more than 40 years. He compiled an impressive amount of research on the history of education in Johnson County.

Cooper, Cyrus -
Cyrus R. "Cy" Cooper served the City of Paintsville as its first Superintendent of Gas and Water for many years until his retirement. Prior to the city's acquisition in 1940 of the private natural gas company which supplied gas to city residents, Cooper was the local manager of the gas company. Under Cy's direction, the city utilities established an unparalleled record of service and reliability to its customers. Cy was a veteran of World War I and one of the founding members of the American Legion in Paris, France. He was a member of the Paintsville Kiwanis Club.

David Couch: 12-08-60 –

David Couch is a 1979 graduate of Johnson Central High School and a 1983 graduate of the U. S. Military Academy. He was Johnson County’s first graduate of West Point. He was an outstanding athlete at Johnson Central, being named to the state’s high school basketball All-State Team twice. He was named to the 1946-1996 Dream Team as one of the top 50 players in the 15^th Region. David served in Operation Desert Storm where he earned the National Defense Medal and the Meritorious service Medal for his successful deployment and use of technology. While he remains in the U. S. Army Reserve with the rank of major, David is presently (2001) Chief Information Officer for the Education, arts & Humanities Cabinet of Kentucky and Commissioner for Education Technology in the Kentucky Department of Education. He is the son of E. A. and Jane Couch. His father was a basketball star at state champion Carr Creek in 1956 and played for Adolph Rupp with the 1958 National Champion UK Wildcats.

Cox, W. H. - ??? - 5/7/75
W. H. Cox was the first manager, and later president, of Big Sandy Savings & Loan (now Family Bank FSB). Johnson County's third financial institution was founded by Dr. Lloyd G. Meade and F. S. Van Hoose. The newly chartered banking institution began in a small office on the second floor of the Meade Building on Paintsville's Main Street in 1938. Cox guided its initial progress by distributing small savings banks throughout Johnson County, encouraging parents and children to open savings accounts. The savings and loan association moved to the Arcade Building and then to its present location.

Curtis, Thomas Raymond - 1930 - 11/98
Thomas Raymond Curtis taught in Johnson County schools for more than 30 years, mostly at Flat Gap. He was a graduate of Morehead State University and Masrahll University where he earned a Master's Degree in English. Thomas served in the U. S. Army in Europe from 1952 to 1954. Upon his death in 1998 it was announced that Thomas had given $1.3 million to Morehead State to assist graduates of Johnson Central High School with tuition and expenses at Morehead. While Thomas Raymond Curtis will be known for his generosity, he will be best remembered for his impact on three generations of students.

Cyrus, Cecil "Gene" - 6/13/35 - 3/18/92
Johnson County Sheriff Cecil Eugene Cyrus was killed on March 18, 1992, while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on an Oil Springs man. Gene was first elected sheriff in 1980 and was re-elected in 1984 and 1988. He was the first sheriff in Johnson County in the 20th Century to be permitted to serve more than one term consecutively. Gene was a 1957 graduate of Paintsville High School. He owned and operated several Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises and other businesses in Johnson and surrounding counties.