By Joan C. McKinney, director of university communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Campbellsville University will host Democratic candidate Steve Beshear, former lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, as the eighth and last in a series of gubernatorial candidate forums at 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 2 at The Gheens Recital Hall in the Gosser Fine Arts Center.
The sessions are sponsored by CU’s Kentucky Heartland Institute on Public Policy (KHIPP) and Team Taylor County.
John Chowning, vice president for church and external relations at CU and executive assistant to the president who is the founder of KHIPP, said all of the major candidates have been asked to participate in the forums.
Each event is open to the public.
Chowning said each of the candidates will also be featured on his TV-4 television show, “Dialogue on Public Issues” which is shown on Monday and Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Mondays at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
The Beshear interview will be aired on Comcast Cable 10 on Monday, May 7 and Wednesday, May 9.
“We at Campbellsville University and at Team Taylor County are honored to be able to host these gubernatorial forums,” said Chowning. “Our goal is to allow the public to listen to the major candidates, hear their goals and platforms, and then make educated judgments on who to vote for in May. We also deeply appreciate the financial support of our local banks who are helping underwrite the costs of the series of candidate forums.”
Announcements will be made on each candidate forum during the series.
“We invite everyone to come hear these candidates and to watch the show on our TV-4,” said Chowning.
For more information on the events, contact Chowning at (270) 789-5520 or at jechowning@campbellsville.edu.
Information about Beshear may be found on his Web site at www.stevebeshear.com.
Beshear is a businessman, attorney, public official and civic advocate.
A native of Dawson Springs in Hopkins County, Beshear was one of five children of a Baptist minister and a mother who was dedicated to her community.
Following Dawson Springs High School, Beshear graduated from the University of Kentucky and its College of Law – both with highest honors. He was elected student body president during his third undergraduate year.
Beshear became a Spec 4 enlisted man in the Army Reserve as an intelligence analyst and carried out certain Judge Advocate General duties.
While at UK, he met his future wife, Jane, who grew up in Bowling Green and Lexington. They have two sons and a grandson. Jeff is a veterinarian and small business owner. He, his wife, Emily, and their son, Nicholas, live in Virginia. Andy, an attorney, resides in Louisville with his wife, Britainy.
Beshear’s various civic activities include such organizations as Commerce Lexington Inc., the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, God’s Pantry Food Bank, Bluegrass Tomorrow, the Kentucky World Trade Center, and the UK College of Law Visiting Committee.
As Lt. Governor, with Gov. Martha Layne Collins, he created and headed the Kentucky Tomorrow Commission.
As a State Representative, Beshear’s legislation and attention to detail resulted in the modernization and more than doubling of neo-natal capacities at the University of Kentucky Hospital.
Another example was his involvement in the referendum reforming the Kentucky Judicial System, which received wide spread voter approval as citizens endorsed the more modern legal structure he helped create.
As Attorney General, Beshear cracked down on statewide food stamp fraud. He also gave citizens the opportunity to file consumer protection complaints in their respective communities rather than being burdened with old policies and bureaucratic delays. In this role as chief consumer advocate, he also fought and won to hold down utility rates as well.
Following government service, as a respected attorney plus senior executive of a multi-state law firm, and also in banking, a good portion of his workload involved counseling large and small business enterprises – the backbone of job development.
Campbellsville University, now celebrating her Centennial year, is a private, comprehensive institution located in South Central Kentucky. Founded in 1906, Campbellsville University is affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has an enrollment of 2,310 students who represent 100 Kentucky counties, 32 states and 28 foreign nations. Listed in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” 14 consecutive years as one of the leading Southern master’s colleges and universities, Campbellsville University is located 82 miles southwest of Lexington, Ky., and 80 miles southeast of Louisville, Ky. Dr. Michael V. Carter is in his eighth year as president.