LAYFAYETTE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC

PO BOX 21753

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY 40522

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Reservations Due: July 12. 2024

Lafayette High School Hall of Fame

TOM ASHFORD

Tom graduated from Lafayette in 1961 after lettering twice in swimming, working on the Yearbook committee, participating in the Senior Play, and inducted into the National Honor Society. He also worked part time at Pieratt's Applianceland throughout his high school and college years. He met his first wife, Linda Zachman, while a student at Transylvania University where he was active in the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Later he was Charter President of the Pike Chapter Alumni Association and the President of the Transylvania Alumni Association.

After his graduation in 1966, he started working full time at Pieratt's in sales. The following year he became Manager of the Nicholasville Road sture. Ten years later he was elevated to the Vice President of Marketing and managed all the advertising and promotions until he retired in 2006. During that time, he represented Pieratt's in the United Way Campaign as a Division Chair and Allocation Committee Chair for several years.

He taught a class at Morton Junior one semester for Junior Achievement's Project Business program. He was an officer of the Lexington Advertising Club and served on the Better Business Bureau of Central & Eastern Kentuck')' Board of Directors for Nineteen years.

As a member of Crestwood Christian Church, he was a Sunday School Teacher for 6 to 10-year-olcl children for three years and a member of the Finance Committee and Administrative Board for several years. He also served as Deacon.

In 1981, Tom joined the Rotary Club of Lexington. In 1984 he started the Rotaiy Youth Exchange program in Central and Eastern Kentucky changing lives one child at a time. He served as General Chair for six years.

Linda had a massive stroke on Valentine's Day 1991 iand did not survive. Tom and Linda had a son and a daughter together. Later that year, Tom met Polky Parrish, and they married in 1999. Polky brought two daughters into the family.

Tom was President of the Rotary Club of Lexington in 1998-99. His legacy was starting a fund-raising dance on Valentine's Day. The dance eventually became Dancing with the Lexington Stars. This event has now raised nearly $1 Million, much of which has gone to the Kentuck·y Children's Hospital or Surgery on Sunday.

In 2001, he was appointed Chair of the Rota1y International Polio Plus Fund Raising program for District 6740 consisting of the eastern half of Kentucky. He successfully raised 112% of his established goal. He is still helping raise money to eradicate Polio in the world.

He received the President's Cup Award from the Rotary Club of Lexington for outstanding Club Service in 2004. In 2006 he received the Sen ice Above Self Award from Rotary District 6740. Tom was also honored by Rotary International to receive the Rl Four Avenues of Service Award in 2006. The "Avenues" refer to the four elements of the Object of Rotaiy: Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service.

Tom was elected Rotary District Governor in 2007-08. One of his objectives was to raise enough money to build three water systems at Christian Orphanages in Myanmar. He raised enough to build five systems, and the project is still in progress. Now there have been eighty-six water systems completed at orphanages and small villages in Myanmar.

In 2005, Tom got involved with the Mid-South President's Elect Training Program, a Training Program for all incoming Rotary Club Presidents from Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. During his 12-year tenure on the Executive Committee, the last five of which he was General Chair, over 1,500 men and women from three states became better informed and prepared to lead their club the following Rotary Year. They should be able to increase membership, raise more money and be involved in more Rota1y programs ... and ultimately children will be major beneficiaries of these programs. Polk-y and Tom attended thirteen Rotary International Conventions serving as Sergeant-at-Arms several times. Tom Chaired several Rotary Zone Institute planning committees-and served as General Chair for the Zone Institute in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2015 with over 500 attendees.

Tom is a 33'" Degree Mason and Emeritus Chair of the Lexington Scottish Rite Foundation overseeing the Rite-Care Childhood Language Disorder Clinic helping pre-school children learn to talk. He is also an Emeritus Member of the Shriner's Hospital Lexington Board of Governors helping children with mobility issues learn to walk.

Tom Ashford credits much of his success to the suppo1i, encouragement and help provided by both his wives, particularly Polky. Tom and his wife, Polky are snowbirds living in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and a vacation home in Richmond, Kentucky. They have four grandchildren.

Nominated by Curtis Sharff (class of 1967)

Steve Rardin, Chair, Hall of Fame

 Recipient of the 2024

Lafayette Alumni Association Scholarship