James Herbert Daniels, age 80, former Wayne County superintendent,
teacher and businessman, passed away Wednesday, March 27.
Daniels received his BA from Eastern Kentucky University and earned
his Masters and Rank I at Western Kentucky University. He taught in
the one and two room country schools of Wayne County including Sandy
Valley, Dry Hollow, Mt. Pisgah, and while teaching at the Turpin
School was one of the last teachers to literally ride a horse to teach.
After the smaller schools closed, he and his wife, Lela, traveled to
Ohio to teach in Hebron for two years. He then returned home to Wayne
County to serve as a teacher, counselor, and assistant superintendent
for several decades. He eventually served as superintendent.
He had a vision for Wayne County Schools. During his tenure as an
administrator, he helped oversee the construction of what is now Bell
Elementary School and the Wayne County High School gymnasium.
He also facilitated the purchase of the school bus garage and the
land and funding for the current high school.
He was passionate about Wayne County athletics. He was instrumental
in starting the Wayne County football program. While architects were
drawing plans for the gymnasium, he added the football locker rooms
to the plans, laid out the first field, and went out and found the
first coach. Through the years he was responsible for the hiring of
many of the coaches in Wayne County.
After his retirement from the school system, he spent the next 25
years as an insurance agent. He first worked as an agent with
Monumental, and later became an independent agent.
He served as president of the local Kiwanis Club, he was a 50 year
Mason, served as president of the local Republican Party and was
honored by the Republican Party with the Service Award. He enjoyed
coon hunting, deer hunting, fishing, shooting and working with
horses. He was a member of the Oak Grove Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife, Lela Parmley Daniels; two children, Bro.
Jim Daniels and his wife Vicki, and Liz McClain and her husband
Scott. He is also survived by his grandchildren Montana and husband
Michael Peddicord, Leslie Daniels and Hunter Daniels; and his sister,
Anna Ruth Keeton.
Funeral services were held Saturday and burial was in the Elk Spring Cemetery.
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