Salute to Agricultural Heritage
History
Center Gala
to honor La Grange’s Crady
The
longtime volunteer
collects antique tractors
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
LA GRANGE, Ky. (September 2008) – From his quiet,
unassuming de-meanor, one would not expect Edward Eugene Crady to seek
the spotlight or draw attention to himself. But that is just what will
happen Sept. 26 when Crady receives the J. Chilton Barnett Champion
of Oldham County History Award, presented by the Oldham County Historical
Society during its seventh annual fundraising Gala.
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September
2008 |
Last year’s event raised $42,000 for the society.
This year’s event is being sponsored by Green Acres, an agricultural
oriented magazine based in Buckner.
A long-time volunteer of the Oldham County History Center in La Grange,
Crady, 65, has donated a large portion of time and talent to one of
his favorite subjects: history. He has “worked on the grounds,
mowing and clean-up, laid part of the brick walkway, helped gather materials
for our Rob Morris and Mason’s exhibit, and then began the antique
tractor display on Oldham County Day, which has resulted in our Antique
Iron Club,” said Nancy Theiss, the society’s executive director.
A native Oldham Countian, Crady has been responsible for recruiting
individuals to become members of the History Center through the Antique
Iron Club. The club is a new branch of the History Center and its members
have been active by participating in 15 events so far this year.
Tractors were a part of Crady’s life while growing up on a dairy
farm in Brownsboro in southern Oldham County.
He frequently attempts to teach youth about the past when displaying
his tractors, giving them a sense of what life used to be like before
all of the modern conveniences and fast-paced lifestyle we all experience.
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The
Green Acres
Annual Gala •
6:30-11:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, at the Oldham County History
Center, 106 Second Ave., La Grange, Ky. |
“If you understand other’s hardships, you know
what you’ll do in life,” said Crady.
Antique Iron represents the past technology for agriculture and business,
said Theiss. “He supports the mission of the History Center by
telling the story of Oldham County’s past through Antique Iron.”
The Gala will include a reception with open bar beginning at 6:30 p.m.
A catered dinner will be served by Ladyfingers Catering at 7:30 p.m.
Cost is $125 per person and in addition to open bar and sit down dinner,
the ticket price includes live music by the Vinyl Kings and a live and
silent auction. The latter will continue through dinner.
Among the silent auction items will be a hay ride for 20 people with
a bonfire and wiener roast; special art items from local artists; University
of Kentucky and University of Louisville basketball tickets; a private
ghost tour for a party of 12; special handcrafted quilt by Ruth Klingenfus;
and a Victorian settee and chair.
The theme of this year’s Gala is “Green Acres” in tribute
to Crady and the founding of Antique Iron, said Theiss. Most of the
tractors come from local farms and businesses. Like Crady, “Each
machine has a particular history in the way it was used, where it was
used and by whom it was used.”
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Photo
provided Live
cannon fire at Westport Daze |
The Gala is also a 1960s salute to the county’s agricultural
heritage and “people are encouraged to come in black tie or overalls,”
said Theiss. It aides in raising one-third of the History Center’s
annual budget, designating it as an extremely important event for the
History Center.
Crady’s wife, Janet, said she thinks he is well deserving of this
award. “He has done quite a bit at the History Center,” she
said. Married in 1963, the couple has two sons and four grandchildren.
“We both grew up in Oldham County,” said Janet. “This
is where we belong, and we both want to see things continue like they
used to be.”
Drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966, Crady served as a truck driver and
boat operator in Alaska for two years. This was the beginning of his
35-year career as an over-the-road hauler, racking up more than 2 million
miles on the road. He drove for himself, local companies and United
Parcel Service, hauling hazardous materials, vending supplies and mail
packages.
Crady spent time driving stage show equipment for the Kenny Rogers Christmas
Tour for two years. “It was the most fun job I ever had,”
he said of driving coast to coast for Rogers.
A lifelong member of Crestwood United Methodist Church, Crady believes
in giving back to the community. Since 1969, he has been a member of
the Masons and is a Life Member of Albert Pike Scottish Rite Club. His
father, Edward F. Crady, was a Mason as well as was his wife’s
grandfathers.
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Photo
provided Volunteers
take part in an |
“It seemed like the people I had the most respect
for while growing up as a youngster were Masons,” he said. In his
role as a Mason, Crady has participated in countless parades, fundraisers
and scholarship dinners for local high school students.
He has been dedicated to the Masonic organization, working his way through
the various chairs of the organization and becoming a Master Mason in
2004. He is an honorary member of numerous lodges, has been named Grand
Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky, and currently serves on the
Board of Directors for the Masonic Homes of Kentucky, Louisville and
Shelbyville.
Crady is a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, American
Legion Post No. 39, the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the Oldham
County Shrine Club of La Grange.
You can’t be a Shriner unless you are a Mason first, said Crady.
“And you don’t have to be asked to be a Mason.” Fellow
past recipients of the Champion of History Award have who have also
been Masons include Milton Carl Stoess and Theodore Klein.
Crady will take his place beside them as his dedication to his Masonic
responsibilities and his great love of history has earned him the 2008
J. Chilton Barnett Champion of History Award.