Martha Jane Hutcherson
1. What year were you born?
1931
2. What is your most vivid memory?
Somebody asked me that the other day. Somewhere as a three year old, in the yard where I used to play, probably a summer afternoon. My grandmother was visiting and she and my mother were doing some type of handiwork in the shade, and I had a little scooter, we called them then. I went around and round and round. I went as they chatted. That’s about all I remember.
3. What are the big world events that you remember occurring throughout your life? How did they impact/shape who you are today?
Well, one important thing, I guess, was my marriage and my children. I had three girls before I had a boy, who graduated from Woodford County as a student athlete. He was a kicker, for the UK team, as well, and now he works for Lexmark and lives out in the country here in Woodford County.
4. What dreams and goals did you have for your life? How did they change?
Well, I was an only child, so my main hope for my own life was that I would have a big family, which I did. Within that, we lost a child, one of the girls. She was president of her class at Woodford County, and two years ahead of her brother. I hope that, well she was in her 50’s so she had done most of the things that she wanted to do. My goals pretty much stayed the same, yes. We had always wanted to have a little farm and we did than for 10 years out here in the county, and that was a lot of fun, but that was over when my husband retired and we sold that part of our lives.
5. How did you decide what you wanted to do with your life? How do you feel about that choice?
In my generation, most of my friends did not have full time jobs so we didn’t think of having a career like you girls will or my girls did. We did some interesting things. My husband was in the Navy and we lived in the Philippines for nearly two years with that assignment. This is the first year that I haven’t heard from someone in that group, who are all over this country doing what we did during the Korean war and then going into a career. Fortunately during that two year period, that group, there were half a dozen fellas in my husbands class, and each one had a career in the Navy that suited them in their live later, including my husband. Once he got out of the service, he became a salesperson for IMB. We did some traveling which we enjoyed, and I feel fortunate to have two of my children here. One of my daughters is in Nashville. It’s close. It’s been good.
6. What is the best compliment that you have ever received?
Oh my goodness. I guess it’s been a series, and that is how well received my children have been wherever we’ve taken them.
7. So I’ve heard you published a book?
I have, it’s about Jack Jouett. They’ve made a pin to sale representing the era women would wear scarves around their neck with a pin in the middle. That came about because of a women named Jean Shaw. She just kept pushing and pushing o do something with this cabin knowing it had been given to county. She finally got a group together to redo the Jouett house. That’s when she asked me if I’d do the story. One of the art teachers at the high school did the illustrating, which I think is just awesome.