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2017 Black History Month program to honor Kenneth Upthegrove III

Lead Summary
By
Jennifer West-
This year’s Black History Month program will honor Kenneth E. “Ken” Upthegrove III of Washington Court House.

The Black History Month program will be held Saturday, Feb. 18 at the Highland County District Library in Hillsboro. The program begins at 1 p.m., and everyone is invited to attend.
 
Upthegrove grew up in Washington Court House, where he attended Washington Senior High and studied residential electricity at Laurel Oaks. After graduation, he worked for Great Oaks Construction in a carpentry apprenticeship. After four years of training, he received his certification as a journeyman carpenter.
 
As a young man, Upthegrove began attending Heritage Memorial Church, where he is still a member and has taught the junior high Sunday school class for over 37 years.
 
In 1982, Upthegrove started working for the Washington City Schools in the maintenance department, where he helped remodel school buildings. Upthegrove became maintenance supervisor in 1992 and during this time earned a vocational teacher degree from Wright State University.
 
Upthegrove was an instructor at Laurel Oaks from 1995 through 2007, where he taught construction technology courses as well as taking his students out on construction jobs. He was presented with the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and retired from education in 2012.

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A very busy man, Upthegrove holds the position of Environmental Service Supervisor while serving on the Washington City Schools Board of Education, as Rose Avenue Youth Leader and Speaker and as a Master Mason at the Cedar Grove Lodge #17. He is married to Melissa Upthegrove, an attorney, and has three sons.
 
H. Scott Latimer will also speak at the program on “Being Black in America in 2017.” Rev. Latimer is a retired ODNR park officer who worked at the Rocky Fork State Park. He is currently the pastor at the Fall Creek Friends Church.
  
Each February, the Highland County District Library and the African-American Awareness Research Council present a Black History Month program to honor the lifetime achievements of an area individual or to highlight an aspect of this local community's history.

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