Rotary Program: 10/29/03

Program Chairperson: Bruce Chaney

Speaker: Hon. Sara Walters Combs, Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals - 7th District

Sara Walters Combs, a current sitting judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals was born in Louisville, Ky. She obtained her law degree from the University of Louisville in 1979 and practiced law from 1980 until 1993. She was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1994 by then Governor Brereton Jones. Before going to law school, Sara was a teacher of French Literature and Government at both the high school and university level, and attended classes at night. She is a member of the Louisville Bar Association and the Kentucky Bar Association, a member of the Board of Trustees of Pikeville College and Lees College, and the widow of the late former governor Bert T. Combs. She resides in Stanton, Ky., at Fern Hill, the home and museum she built for her late husband.

Although politics and the position of appeals court judge is important to Sara, she wanted to speak to us today about the passion she has in preserving the place and memory of her late husband and the farm they named Fern Hill. She is committed to making it the place Gov. Combs wanted it to be for the preservation of his memorabilia. She said it was always the desire of his heart to return home to the mountains and build his home, but to be able to travel to Lexington, Frankfort, and Pikeville in an hour or so. So, Powell County and Stanton was the most logical choice as to the place for the home they longed to build. He directed her to build it of logs and to make it a place for family and friends to feel welcome to visit, have a meal, spend the night and then be on their way. It was and is that and more even today for Sara and the 8 dogs, 11 miniature horses, and 3 cats that make their home there as well. The name “Fern Hill” comes from a poem by Dylan Thomas and they both agreed it fits perfectly. So she and her husband left their practice in Louisville and started a law practice in Stanton, taking many cases on a pro-bono basis, especially for those whose causes in which they so strongly believed. But tragedy struck in December of 1991 in the wake of several days of cold rainy weather and high waters. Former Gov. Combs was on his way home on that evening and got caught in high water. Although he managed to escape the car and made his way to the shoreline trees, the cold and wet conditions were too much for his failing health. He was missing for almost two days before his body was found and the mourning for such a great man began in earnest for Sara and a lot of Kentuckians who knew and loved him. That has been almost 12 years ago and she is still as passionate about keeping Fern Hill a place for visitors and tourists to come and learn about Gov. Combs and his accomplishments. School groups are always welcome and Sara also invited any of us to come by the law office or call and she would be happy to take us out the farm for a visit. She can be reached at 606-663-0651. Thanks Sara for the informative program and we wish you well in all your endeavors. Submitted by J. Morgan Chapman