Book details Owensboro Public Schools history

This from the Messenger-Inquirer by way of KSBA:

“A History of the Owensboro Public Schools,” which highlights the development and growth of the school system over 137 years, will go on sale Monday.

The 372-page book is available in hardback for $35 and softcover for $25.

“A lot of people contributed a little piece of information, a memory or a photograph,” said Julie Ellis, the district’s public relations coordinator.

Ellis and former Superintendent Bill Chandler spent large blocks of time over four years gathering pictures and reading, summarizing and relaying information for the book.

“It’s a relief to see it completed,” Ellis said.

Tuesday at a board of education luncheon. “It’s an accomplishment to get it all together into a researchable document. Hopefully it will be helpful for people for years to come.”

The project started as an attempt to help students and others who came to the board office to do research. The board and administration wanted to provide researchers with some basic information.

“Dr. (Larry) Vick also suggested starting archives, and we had a room upstairs devoted to it,” Ellis said. “And then the project grew from 150 pages to 372. We had to finally stop.”

One of Ellis’ sons had compiled a history of OPS for a research paper at Owensboro High School, and that formed the basis for her research...