By BURTON SPEAKMAN
GLASGOW — A Barren County native who is a Korean War veteran and served as a U.S. Marshal during the 1960s, including walking during the Selma to Montgomery, Ala., march will be honored Wednesday at the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center.
Grider joined the National Guard at the age of 17. Upon returning from Korea, Grider worked for the Glasgow Police Department from 1954 to 1958. He then began working as a U.S. Deputy Marshal in 1958 where he served as an instructor and trainer. He moved back to Kentucky in 1973 where he served as chief deputy marshal and then U.S. marshal for the Western District of Kentucky.
After retiring from the marshal’s service, Grider was appointed clerk for the U.S. District Court Western District of Kentucky where he worked for 17 years.
U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie read some statements into the congressional record Wednesday about Grider honoring him for his career and mentioning Wednesday’s event.
“I rise today to honor one veteran in particular, Jesse W. Grider, a true patriot whose dedication to our commonwealth and nation is to be commended,” Guthrie said.
The first attempt to honor Grider locally occurred during the last few days of the mayoral term of Charles Honeycutt, said Councilman Doug Isenberg. Honeycutt thought it would be a good idea, but somehow it just never happened.
The idea was brought about again this year and Isenberg was able to communicate with Grider’s family and they agreed to participate, Isenberg said.
During the Civil Rights Era, Grider worked in places like Little Rock, Ark, and New Orleans, Isenberg said. He was one of the marshals who provided protection to marchers along the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965.
“He once escorted a little girl into school through a crowd of protestors,” Isenberg said. “Then about eight years ago I was watching ‘Good Morning America’ and they had Mr. Grider on and the former little girl talking about the event.”
This is a great chance for the community to honor a very accomplished native, Isenberg said.
In addition to attended the event Wednesday, Grider has donated 12 hours of video interviews about his career to the cultural center, and during Wednesday’s event there will also be other items from Grider’s career that the public can view.
The event at the cultural center starts at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The Veterans Day dinner is Tuesday starting at 6:30 p.m. at the National Guard Armory in Glasgow. The speaker is Lt. Col. Samuel Williams. The dinner is expected to conclude at 8:35 p.m.
The Veterans Day parade in Glasgow begins at 2 p.m. Wednesday and will include a helicopter fly-over between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. by the Kentucky National Guard. Williams is also the parade speaker and he will begin at 3:25 p.m. on the square. Following the event there will be an open house from 3:55 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the cultural center. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at the recreation building near Beula Nunn Park at 2:30 p.m.
