Writing Her Own History

Through her books and newspaper columns, author and historian Ann Bolton Bevins has shared her love and knowledge of history with readers across the commonwealth and the country. Through their generosity, she and her family have given the gift of learning to hundreds of students at the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine via the Dr. H. Clinton Bevins Clinical Skills Training and Evaluation Center.

Bevins, an Ashland native, met her future husband and Pike County native William “Bill” Bevins ’38 while she was a student at Georgetown College. While in college, she had a job writing feature stories for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She had been a journalist since winning a contest the Ashland Daily Independent sponsored for high school seniors.

After marriage, she focused on raising the couple’s five children while Bill went into the automobile and farm machinery business. The couple also farmed.

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, however, changed her life.

“The act mandated that every state had to have an office to conduct surveys of historic sites. Mrs. Ida Lee Willis, wife of former Kentucky Governor Simeon Willis, asked me to do the surveys in Scott County,” Bevins explained. “My friend, Betty Hollingsworth, and I did the surveys together. I would pick up Betty after the children went to school, our kids were the same age, and we would have our cups of coffee as we drove around. It was a learning experience. We looked for anything that was old. Pretty soon we could define what was old and we put those structures in the surveys.”

Bevins, who hadn’t completed her degree, considered returning to college. Her husband instead encouraged her to write. She wrote her first book, The History of Scott County, as well as historical columns for local newspapers, and developed a standing as a historian.

Her other books include Real Country Volumes 1 and 2, the first two installments in a four-part series on the history of Scott County. Volume 3 is expected to be released later this year.

“I’m waiting on the publisher to send me the corrections on volume 3 so I can get on with volume 4,” she said. “Because of COVID, I haven’t been able to promote the books, but working on them has given me something to do.”

Not that she’s lacking something to do.

“My husband passed away in 2016. In 2019, I decided I wanted to finish college more than anything else. I changed my major from history to English and for the next two years, I studied English and completed my degree. When my name was called during the online commencement ceremony, the faculty and everyone there was cheering for me.”

She continued, “I’m still deciding what I want to do next in my personal and educational development. I’d like to get a masters in English. I’ve also always had an interest in theology. I might get a seminary degree, or I might decide to do another book.”

As a lifelong learner, Bevins continues to support her husband’s alma mater and the university’s chancellor and family friend, former Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton.

“My husband thought a whole lot of Gov. Patton. When the president (of UPIKE) resigned for personal reasons and Gov. Patton very generously offered to serve without salary, my husband thought that was such a wonderful thing to have done. He said, ‘Would you write Gov. Patton a letter and tell him we will do whatever we can to support him?’”

The couple provided a significant gift to fund the Dr. H. Clinton Bevins Clinical Skills Training and Evaluation Center, named in honor of Bill’s father, a doctor who practiced on Lower Johns Creek in Pike County in the early part of the 20 th century. Located in The Coal Building, which houses KYCOM, the state-of-the-art facility features 12 exam rooms and robotic simulators.

It’s a gift that has not been forgotten.

“Ann and her husband Bill are two of the largest contributors to the University of Pikeville,” Patton said. “Their dedication to the university and to the larger field of education is amazing. Ann finally received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown College this past year. She is a lively and engaging individual and an accomplished writer. She is an inspiration to all who know her.”

UPIKE Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Relations David Hutchens said if not for them, our graduates would not have been able to serve millions of patients.

“Ann and Bill Bevins made a significant investment in the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine at a crucial time in the medical school’s existence,” said Hutchens. “They entrusted us with the gift. I did not have the privilege of meeting Bill, but I have had the honor of meeting Ann. She is a wonderful person and an example of a life well-lived.”

By Michelle Goff