The 2025 Mayor Charles Long Scholarship Recipient

     Mayor Charles Long, a U.S. Naval Veteran, was born in Booneville, Owsley County, KY on October 14, 1919, a son of the late Robert and Mary Fields Long. He was elected Mayor of Booneville in 1959 and held that position for 60 years being noted as Kentucky and longest serving Mayor in the United States at the time of his passing.

     When Charles Long passed in August of 2019, KRADD, which he was a long-time board member of, named a scholarship in his honor for Eastern KY High School students to pursue a higher education degree.

     KRADD serves Breathitt, Knott, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Owsley, Perry, and Wolfe Counties.

     This year the scholarship committee of KRADD has chosen Paisley Fields (pictured) of Jenkins, Kentucky as the 2025 Mayor Charles Long Scholarship Recipient.   

     Paisley is a senior at Letcher Central High School. She is a 2024 Kentucky Governor’s Scholar, and she is planning on attending the University of Kentucky in the Fall and in hopes of earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology followed by a Juris Doctor degree from J. David Rosenburg’s College of Law.

     This is very fitting, not only because of Paisley’s accomplishments; but because Mayor Charles Long was a diehard University of Kentucky Basketball fan as he attended over 1300 games beginning in 1946 before his passing.

     Congrats Paisley and wishing you a very bright future. GO BIG BLUE!