University of Pikeville auction raises $17,000 for Paul and Judy Patton scholarship; speakers praise education legacy

At a University of Pikeville dinner and auction, attendees raised $17,000 toward a scholarship honoring former Kentucky governor Paul Patton and former first lady Judy Patton, university leaders said during the event.

Lori Worth, executive vice president at the University of Pikeville, opened the evening and said the celebration recognized "two extraordinary individuals" whose "visionary leadership has helped lift this university from its humble beginnings to a beacon of opportunity in the heart of Appalachia." She told the audience the Pattons’ belief that local students should be able to pursue higher education close to home has shaped the university’s mission.

Organizers staged a live auction that included a limited run of custom-labeled bourbon (described by the emcee as a wheated mash, with 25 bottles produced and a special “triple 001” bottle set aside for the honorees) and boxes of imported cigars. The emcee announced that bottle number 1, the special commemorative bottle, sold to Boyd Boozer for $3,000; other bottles and cigar boxes were sold in subsequent rounds. During the program an organizer announced that, to date, bids and donations from the evening had raised $17,000 for the Paul and Judy Patton scholarship, and asked guests to continue silent-auction bidding so the fund could reach a $25,000 endowment target.

A recorded message from Gov. Andy Beshear said, "The Pattons are true public servants. They always lift up their neighbors and look for new ways to give back to their community," and praised the couple’s work on education and protections for women and children.

Rocky Atkins, senior adviser to Gov. Beshear, described Paul Patton as a "work horse" of public service and credited him with major statewide initiatives, including the creation of a community-technical college system and infrastructure and water projects. Atkins also praised Judy Patton’s advocacy for children and for domestic-violence and child-abuse prevention statutes, saying her legislative work left lasting protections in state law.

Paul Patton spoke about Eastern Kentucky’s economic history — subsistence farming, timber and coal — and said those shifts made local access to higher education increasingly important. Judy Patton spoke briefly about her family’s tradition of education and urged continued support for the university’s students.

University staff thanked Aramark for donating dinner and asked guests who purchased auction items to pick them up in the hallway before leaving.

Organizers said the scholarship will be dedicated in the Pattons’ name and that reaching the $25,000 endowment threshold would make the award permanent. Details about when the scholarship will be awarded or how recipients will be selected were not specified at the event.