Judi Patton
| Judi Patton | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First Lady of Kentucky | |
|
In role December 12, 1995 – December 9, 2003 |
|
| Governor | Paul E. Patton |
| Preceded by | Libby Jones |
| Succeeded by | Glenna Fletcher |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 23, 1940 Magoffin County, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Bill Harvey Johnson (divorced 1973); Paul E. Patton (married 1977) |
| Children | Bambi and Jan Harvey Johnson, Jr.; step-children, Nicky and Steve Patton |
| Parents | Esta and Roy Conway |
Judi Jane Conway Patton (born 1940 in Pikeville, Kentucky) is an American activist who focuses on women's safety and child abuse prevention. She served as the First Lady of Kentucky from December 12, 1995, until December 9, 2003, during the tenure of her husband, former Governor Paul E. Patton.
Mrs. Patton is a native of Pike County, Kentucky, and one of four daughters born to the late Roy and Esta Conway. Her father was murdered while serving as sheriff of Pike County and her mother served the remainder of his term. After completing her husband's term and an unsuccessful run for the office, Mrs. Conway served as a social worker in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky while rearing her four daughters. She credits her mother's lifelong work with women and children as her inspiration for the work she does today.
Roy Conway of Pike County, Kentucky was a businessman and former state legislator who had been elected as sheriff "on a platform to clean out bootleggers and stop corruption that spoiled the reputation of our beautiful mountain town," wrote Judi in her essay in Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives. Conway was murdered in front of his family home on July 28, 1950, at the age of 44. Esta Conway was originally from the Craft and Wright families of Letcher County, Kentucky and attended Morehead State Teacher's College. Her mother's strength and determination helped as she continued her husband's work for the remainder of his term. Mrs. Conway was the first female sheriff in the town, but was defeated as she ran for a special election to complete her husband's former term.
After her father's death, the Conway family opened a small grocery store, where the children were "expected to help after school and on Saturdays … Mama [Mrs. Conway] offered credit to women and families who needed help." Even after the grocery store closed down, due to lack of income, Judi's mother did not attempt to collect from the families. Her mother, while completing college, would welcome women and families into their home in order to offer comfort for those in need. In a 2002 interview, Judi Patton described how important these actions were in rescuing women from danger and creating meaningful connections among women in the town: "Many times she would bring women and children home. Mama had this great networking system in Pikeville -- the women she got a job, the kids she put in school. ... Almost until Mama passed away, she was getting letters from women saying they would have been lost if she wasn't there to get them out. So, I thought, if I could do anything to make her proud of me, I would carry on her work." Esta Conway died on April 29, 1991, at the age of 78; she was a proponent in shaping her daughter Judi's activism.
...
Wikipedia