Lexington had a hero among us for many years, in the classroom and the courtroom | Opinion
When I was young, I idolized the superheroes Batman and Superman. After I met my first college professor, I realized a fundamental truth that bears repeating:
Not all heroes wear capes and masks.
Dr. Joseph Hayse taught my first college class, HON 101, The Greek World, in the Honors Program at the University of Kentucky.
In retrospect, a quote from the movie “Field of Dreams” seems appropriate. “You know, we just don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they’re happening.”
That first college syllabus was a ticket on my voyage of discovery, both of the world and myself, in a ship captained by this energetic professor. He rattled off the books we would read and I felt a pang of apprehension because I had never heard of most of them. By the end of the semester, I had read works by Homer, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Aeschylus. I have come to understand that their ideas are still relevant today.
The books covered history, myth, philosophy, logic, the science of the times and how to argue in debates. Dr. Hayse’s animated leadership taught me how to synthesize diverse subjects into an integrated whole that erased the boundaries that had traditionally fragmented the various disciplines: I learned how to learn.
By the end of the first semester, my new hero would change my life. Fifty years later, I realize that Dr. Hayse should be the hero of all citizens of Lexington because he filed the lawsuit that challenged the way the city illegally funded the public library.
On January 24, 2010, Tom Eblen, a columnist for the Herald-Leader, published an excellent article: The Joe Hayse Story: How Lexington Got Its Library Back. Mr. Eblen argued that Joe deserves his own wing in the Library Advocacy Hall of Fame.
Quoting directly from Mr. Eblen’s article:
“The main library—now the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning— had a leaky roof, outdated wiring, crumbling plaster and peeling paint. A wet basement threatened to destroy irreplaceable records of Lexington’s early history. Art treasures that had been donated to the library were being sold off to meet operating expenses. Building inspectors finally closed the second floor because they were afraid it might collapse.”
Frustrated by the unwillingness of the city to fund the library properly, Dr. Hayse sued the city. The city government had simply ignored state law that specifically identified the way the library should be funded because it did not want to raise taxes.
The legal battle to correct this malfeasance of duty by city officials to fund properly the library lasted five years. Finally, the court ruled that Dr. Hayse was correct in demanding appropriate funding as mandated by state law. Furthermore, the court ruled that the city must pay the back payments that had accumulated over the five years of litigation. These rulings laid the foundation for construction of the magnificent Central Library on Main street.
The implementation of the correct funding protocols has transformed the library into a model of excellence instead of an embarrassing laughingstock. Modern buildings and resources have allowed Lexington to meet the challenges of the new technologically demanding knowledge-based economy.
Fifty years after I met Dr. Hayse, he encouraged me — nay, demanded —that I publish my books I had written over the years. Thanks to his supportive editing expertise and unrelenting expectations, I have published three books about the people of Kentucky whose stories must be told and retold.
Sadly, Dr. Hayse died on March 12 at the age of 87. I echo Tom Eblen’s sentiment that we should honor Joe by designating one wing of the Central Library the Dr. Joseph M. Hayse Wing.
That would be the least we can do to recognize the herculean efforts to correct a willful impropriety that had cheated the people of Lexington for decades.
Not all heroes wear capes and masks.
Roger L. Guffey is a retired teacher in Fayette County.
