Gift to Provide Professorship, Scholarship, & Renovations

By Kathy Ibendahl

The College of Agriculture lost a long-time friend and supporter on October 30, 2000, when Betty Jo Denton Heick died. Heick, formerly of Paris, Kentucky, and her late husband, John Heick (’50), were strong supporters of such campus-based programs as Partners in Agriculture, the Good Barn renovation, and the Ag Phonathon. Betty Jo Heick set in place a will bequest that left the College a significant gift to be used several different ways.

Her largest gift will go toward renovating the E.S. Good Barn’s entrance and creating the John H. and Betty Jo Denton Heick Alumni Board Room in the barn’s south wing. Any additional monies will be used to renovate the barn’s north wing.

“We are grateful for Mrs. Heick’s generous gift that will go a long way toward completing the Good Barn,” said Bill Sheets, Director for Advancement.

She also left $100,000 to create the John H. Heick Professorship in Soil Science, which will be matched by the Research Challenge Trust Fund to bring the total to $200,000.

Additional estate monies and memorial gifts from friends will go toward the John H. Heick Scholarship Fund in Agriculture. The Heicks created this scholarship in 1997 to assist Bourbon County students attending the College of Agriculture. Again, a portion of John Heick’s life income trust will now go toward scholarship support for deserving students.

Betty Jo Heick was a graduate of Paris High School and Randolph-Macon College in
Virginia, and kept close ties to both schools throughout her life. She recently had served as chair of Randolph-Macon’s Planned Giving Committee.

Most Bourbon County citizens remember Heick as their county court clerk. For 18 years she served as the Deputy County Court Clerk and for 27 years was the County Court Clerk before her retirement in 1993.

Her capable leadership skills helped her claim several “firsts” among Kentuckians. She was the first woman president of the Kentucky Association of Counties. She was also the first female Kentuckian to serve on the board of directors of the National Association of Counties and the state’s first woman chairperson for Wendell Ford’s successful campaign for the U.S. Senate. Heick was the second female president of the Kentucky County Clerks’ Association.
She was active in the Democratic party and served on the Kentucky Democratic Central Committee. Her work there led her to a term on the Democratic National Finance Committee.

Having a heart for the youth in her community, Betty Jo Heick dedicated a great deal of her time to Teen Square, a youth activity center once located in downtown Paris. Many of the center’s activities took place under her guidance and supervision.

“Betty Jo’s deep commitment to young people reflected in the Paris community carried over to every student in the UK College of Agriculture. She was always gracious in her support for the programs of this College,” remembers Pam Poe, personal friend and administrative associate for Dean Scott Smith.

A meaningful part of Heick’s life was her church. A member of the First Christian Church in Paris, she served as an elder, board member, and trustee. At the time of her death she was the church’s moderator.

“Everyone who knew her loved her,” said Mike Richey, UK’s Lexington campus Director for Development and a close friend. “She did so much good for her community and the other organizations she so faithfully supported. I have lost a dear and long-time friend.”

John Heick worked the family’s Bourbon County farm throughout his life, and from 1977 until his retirement in 1985 he served as president of the Federal Land Bank Association of Lexington. He was active in numerous community organizations, an elder in his church, and a member of the Burley Co-op Board.

When asked why he was such an avid supporter of the College, John Heick once said, “My mother and father always stressed the importance of education, and I have witnessed the importance of education throughout my life. Through my support, if I could convince one kid to get an education, it would make me very happy!”

An active alumnus, Heick served a term as president of the Ag Alumni Association in 1985 and received the association’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1987. He credited Dr. John Robertson for generating his interest in the Ag Alumni Association. When the two men met, Robertson was assistant county Extension agent in Oldham County; he would later become the Associate Dean for Instruction in the College of Agriculture.
The Heicks were Scovell Society members and UK Fellows. Betty Jo Heick enjoyed coming to Scovell events and even attended last fall’s event just weeks before her death.