The last time I talked to Jean (I don't really remember why I called her) she told me that she had sent a strong letter to the Governor of Kentucky protesting a new road that was being built to haul coal through the mountains. The construction was going to wipe out what was left of the town she grew up in, Viper, Kentucky. She never received a reply. Except when they dedicated the new road they had the gall to name it THE JEAN RITCHIE HIGHWAY! She was laughing as she told me this story. She was a great soul and she will be missed by all those whose lives she touched.

Mark Ross