Hall of Fame
William Gatton Kirtley entered the first grade at Russell Creek Academy in the fall of 1917, received his elementary and high school education at the Academy and graduated from high school in 1939. During his junior and senior years of high school, Mr. Kirtley played on the College football and basketball teams, serving as team captain in both sports. As a college freshmen and sophomore, Mr. Kirtley continued to excel at both football and basketball, so much so that the year book referred to his athletic prowess stating “Kirtley is a natural athlete and works hard at all times – combination that is hard to beat.” Mr. Kirtley graduated from Campbellsville College in 1931.
Mr. Kirtley graduated from Georgetown College in 1933 and accepted a position as a teacher and basketball coach with the Casey County School System in Liberty, Kentucky. In 1943 Mr. Kirtley left his position in Casey County for a principalship in Mason County, Kentucky and in 1945 Mr. Kirtley moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he established and operated a school supply business for forty years. Mr. Kirtley was married to the late Abbie Montgomery Kirtleyand they have one daughter. William Gatton Kirtley died on December 24, 1994.
