Rush Reunion Video – 1974

Forty Nine years ago the 3rd Annual Rush Reunion was held on Labor Day, 2 Sep 1974.  The community affair was sponsored by the Rush – Kilgore Community Club and held at the Community Club Building and small surrounding park near the intersection of KY SR 854 and KY SR 1654 in Rush KY.  This small park, now called the George Griffith Memorial Park, sits at the confluence of Rush Creek into Williams Creek.  This park is just inside Boyd County.  Williams Creek is the dividing line between Boyd County and Carter County in this area.

This park is centered around the red teardrop marker in this Google Maps link below, just click on this line to see this map.

Dan Thomas (1929 – 2016) was responsible for the 8mm filming.  The reunion was filmed on part of one 8mm reel and on all of another reel.  Dan’s daughter, Lori Thomas Jones, made these 8mm reels available.  Lori, Mitch Thomas, and myself shared the expense of digitizing this 8mm film for web viewing.  I edited the digitized film.  Dan grew up in the Rush area but lived most of his adult life near Morrow Ohio.  Like scores of other Williams Creek Basin residents, Dan left the area for a good paying industrial job elsewhere.  Dan and his wife Jean Evans Thomas (1931 – 2019) returned often to visit their large extended family and friends in the area.

The Community Club Building is long gone, but the small George Griffith Memorial Park remains.

Note at 5:10 (5 minutes 10 seconds) into the video you can see the remains of the coal tipple and surrounding slate refuse in the background.  This tipple was used in the area coal stripping operations of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s and was owned by Herb Ross (1913 – 2005).  Coal was trucked to this tipple from several nearby strip mines and loaded onto rail cars on the then still active short rail spur off the main C&O line (running from Ashland to Lexington KY).  This rail path is now the “High Water Road” (Clay Lucas Road) used by locals to bypass the frequent flooding at this location.

There is a person with a 8mm movie camera at 3:58, 4:14, and 4:16 in this video.  It is Carol “Sue” Jones Martin (1948 – 2017). Her Father was James “Roy” Jones (1917 – 2005) and Mother, Bertha May Church Jones (1919 – 2005), both from Rush. I am hoping to possibly source the 8mm film taken by Sue at this event. Any help would be appreciated.

The then President of the Rush- Kilgore Community Club, Dick Tiller (1928 – 2010), can be seen throughout the video clip. Dick has on a print short sleeve shirt that is mostly white, orangeish / maroon pants, and a white belt. You can see him addressing the crowd at 0:47 in the video. Longtime Cannonsburg Elementary School Principal and later Boyd County Schools Superintendent, Delmas Donta, gave an address at 2:34 (in black coat).

The trio in long pastel dresses of Deloris McCown Burton (with guitar and white dress), Ella McCown Fowler (yellow dress) , and Brenda Chaffins McCown (green dress) sang from the stage. My Uncle, James Tiller, sang and played guitar, and the several member Denver Johnson Band performed. I would also like help with info on the other members of Denver Johnson’s band.

It seemed there was a large potluck style dinner for everyone to enjoy. You can see this large spread at 3:48.

There are hundreds of local residents depicted in this video.  I have started a log at the end of this article with individual names and the time they appear in the video.  Note the cited time is from the BEGINNING of the video.  If they appear more than once I have also cited the repeated appearances.  The names are in alphabetical order using the last name, then the first name.  On the first name I have attempted to use the name they were most likely associated with, often a nickname.

A big thanks to my 1st cousin, Charlene Tiller McCown, for all the help in identifying over 30 new additions to the list (below) of those appearing in the video. I could use even more help with this task.

I personally know many in this video, but there are also scores I do not know.  I would appreciate your help in identifying those I have overlooked, or made mistakes on.  Please contact me with this specific info and I will edit this listing to make it more comprehensive.  Please provide:

1 Last Name

2 First name or nickname, the name most commonly used in the area

3 The time they appear in the video, cite the time from the beginning of the video

4 If they appear more than once, cite all the other times they appear

You can use the list below as an example of what is needed.

Enjoy!   Lon

• Adkins, Delores Burton (1928 – 2008) – 4:05 Woman with glasses in group on image right facing camera
• Blevens, Jan Jones (b 1964) – 5:23 Girl on image right in black top beside Dick Tiller
• Burton, Deloris McCown (b 1947) – 1:14 In long white dress with guitar, 1:35
• Burton, Jennie Evans (1923 – 1988) – 2:26 In light gray looking at camera, between Dick Tiller and Mary Wolfe
• Burton, Joe (b 1971) – 0:18 Just head, image center between Jerry Fowler and Russell McCown
• Burton, Junebug (1921 – 2000) – 3:15 (back), 3:22 In white shirt and black pants walking, 3:32, 4:49. 4:53
• Burton, Toy (1921 – 1997) – 0:27 In light blue short sleeve shirt in front of Dan Thomas and beside Dan Coleman, 1:08
• Caldwell, Robin Williams (1965 – 2020) – 1:51 Long red hair and checked pants, 3:26 Straddling bike
• Coleman, Dan (1924 – 2009) – 0:30 In light long sleeve shirt with baseball cap looking into camera, 2:03, 4:22
• Coleman, Danny (1950 – 2021) – 3:33 In yellow shirt and with red hair looking into camera, to image left of older man with hat, , 4:58
• Coleman, George (1912 – 1991) – 2:51 In white shirt and gray pants with red and white ball cap, walking toward image left and stops, 3:17, 4:37, 5:14, 5:28, 6:38
• Coleman, Hoppy (1941 – 2021) – 1:07 On image left with short beard in front of light colored Mustang cleaning fingernails, 2:44
• Coleman, Lon (b 1951) – 4:25 Walking toward image left with lighter colored long sleeve shirt, colorful cap, and cup in hand, 4:37
• Coleman, Martha Sexton (1924 – 2014), 2:37 Looking toward camera, mostly in black clothing with name tag and white necklace, 4:39
• Deerfield, Dee (1907 – 1990) – 6:41 Tall man looking over white car top at hugging couple, with light colored shirt, white hair, and glasses
• Deerfield, Julia Coleman (1909 – 2000) – 4:37 Beside car with large shoulder bag, talking to George Coleman and Lon Coleman
• Donta, Delmas (1927 – 2005) – 2:34 On stage to image right of Dick Tiller, with black jacket and white shoes
• Fowler, Ella McCown (b 1949) – 1:14 In center with long yellow dress and red hair, 1:35
• Fowler, Jerry (b 1972) – 0:18 Near image bottom left, part of head behind blond Denise Burton Horton
• Gee, Bub (1924 – 1988) – 6:11 In center of chatting group, in work cloths with conspicuous watch dial
• Gee, Minnie Tiller (1922 – 1997) – 3:37 In print dress with white collar and holding large hat, walking toward image right
• Fannin, Kathy Griffith (b 1960) – 5:23 Sitting, in red top with checked pants and long dark hair
• Griffith, Clifford (1937 – 2008) – 0:20 (just back of head)
• Griffith, Donna Riggs (b 1941) – 1:22 (faint), 1:57 (back), 2:28, 4:39 In gray pantsuit standing at corner of Rush Community Building, 5:49, 6:28
• Griffith, Fredrica Clark (1931 – 2019) – 0:33 In sleeveless blue top walking beside daughter, Nancy Griffith, 1:27
• Griffith, George (1901 – 1978) – 0:22 (just back of head)
• Griffith, Nancy (b 1956) – 0:33 In brownish diagonal stripped top walking beside Mother, Fredrica Griffith
• Griffith, Sam (b 1963) – 3:35 Image right in red cap with white polka dots, 3:40 White headed kid cuts beside Minnie Gee
• Horton, Denice Burton (b 1969) – 0:18 Blonde haired kid in bottom left of image
• Jenkins, Kenny – (1967 – 1997) 1:48 & 4:22 Sitting on or standing beside bench on image right of Mother, Mary Jane Hunt Jenkins
• Jenkins, Mark (b 1968) – 1:48 & 4:22 Sitting on or standing beside bench on image left of Mother, Mary Jane Hunt Jenkins
• Jenkins, Mary Jane Hunt (1929 – 1997) – 1:48 & 4:22 Sitting on bench with white top between sons Kenny Jenkins and Mark Jenkins
• Jenkins, Sam (1896 – 1977) – 0.24 In long sleeve white shirt and tie leaning against car, 2:03, 3:30, 4:16, 4:30, 4:46, 5:07, 5:24, 5:28, 5:52, 6:02
• Johnson, Denver – 5:14, 5:28 – On center stage in yellow short sleeve shirt with dark pants
• Jones, Bertha May Church (1919 – 2005) – 4:00 With glasses in white top and metal waist belt
• Jones, Glen Roy (1941 – 2012)- 3.58 In yellow shirt just behind his older Brother, Pete Jones
• Jones, Pete (b 1938) – 3:58 In white, black and brown diagonal striped shirt
• Lucas, Mary Burton (1907 – 1993) – 6:35 In blue dress grabbing her glasses
• Martin, Carol Sue Jones (1948 – 2017) – 3:58 With movie camera and waving
• McCown, Brenda Chaffins (b 1944) – 1:14 In long light green dress on stage, 1:35
• McCown, Charlene Tiller (b 1949) – 5:05 Image left, 2nd row back to image left of Lorean McCown & Russell McCown, Sam Jenkins behind
• McCown, Lorean (1917 – 2007) – 5:05 Image left, 2nd row back, in white top and black pants, to image left of husband Russell McCown
• McCown, Russell (1911 – 1989) – 5:05 Image left, 2nd row back, on wood folding chair in light blue shirt. 0:20 Just back of head
• McKinney, Carolyn Caldwell (1943 – 2022)- 3:14 In a bright multi colored top & standing beside Junebug Burton
• Mullins, Snakey (1911 – 1995) – 2:46 Walking in road in light short sleeve shirt, dark pants, billed cap and glasses, 3:41
• Powell, Faye Wolfe (b 1960) – 1:29 Image left in orange shorts & opens lawn chair, 3:18 Girl on right with long hair not facing camera
• Runyon, Phyllis Lucas (b 1952) – 6:36 Sitting in chair in checkered pants
• Salyers, Mary Brainard (b 1946) – 6:33 In orange top
• Schmidt, Maude Hamilton (1915 – 1983) – 2:32 White top with brown trim and white purse
• Schmidt, Pearl Sexton (1886 – 1980) – 2:30 Looking into camera with large black handbag, 3:40 (back), 3:47 (back)
• Stewart, Marlene Thomas (b 1959) – 3:20 In a red top and turns to face the camera
• Sword, Andi McCown (b 1969) – 0:18 Blond hair running toward tree
• Thomas, Dan (1929 – 2016) – 0:27, 0:50 Leaning against car with very light stripped short sleeved shirt and very dark pants, beside Dick Tiller , 3:41
• Tiller, Dick (1928 –  2010) – 0:22 In stage speaking into microphone, 0:47, 0:50, 2:09, 4:22, 4:57, 5:23
• Tiller, Dicky (b 1971) – 0:18 Red Shirt in folding chair at base of tree, 0:58 Sitting in last row & behind Danny Coleman
• Tiller, Helen Griffith (1931 – 1996), 1:27 (back), 1:37 Image center, in light blue top and light shorts walking toward image left, 3:49 (back)
• Tiller, James (1925 – 1980), 3:41, 4:35, 4:49 Sitting on steps with light short sleeved shirt and very dark pants and shoes, 6:16 On stage with acoustic guitar
• Withrow, Charles (1944 – 1995) – 5:01 Near image center, 2nd row back with glasses and phone pole over his left shoulder.  His wife, Linda Thornsbury Withrow, in yellow shirt sitting beside him. Danny Coleman is on the other side
• Withrow, Linda Thornsbury (1948 – 2002) – 5:01 Image center, 2nd row back in yellow top.  Her husband Charles Withrow is beside her to image right
• Wolfe, Mary Jones (1927 – 2005) – 1:28 In light green dress and sitting down in chair
• Woods, Pearl Schmidt (1918 – 2008) – 3:35 On right side of image in orange top

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