All, copy of a letter I sent to several KY Senators today regarding KY Bill 572. Hope many of you share the same feelings on this issue as I: Dear Kentucky Senator, Beginning in the late 1700s, six (6) generations of my Kentucky Pioneer, Park Family were buried in Kentucky soil in Nelson, Estill (Irvine and Wagersville), Madison, Lincoln, Clark, and Boyle Counties. In my frequent exploration of their final resting places, I have been witness to and cried over the desecration and neglect of their stones and surrounding grounds. Some of these rural Park Family cemeteries have been vandalized and leveled by unfeeling construction companies. Although, I am proud to have written and published a book in memory of my KY ancestors in Madison and Estill Counties, in particular, the travesty of their final resting places continues to haunt me and many other descendants who are Kentucky Citizens with roots in the commonwealth, by virtue of their courageous pioneer ancestors. If it were not for these brave pioneers, we would not be, and neither would Kentucky. One tragic example of this neglect is the Park-Miller Cemetery on the grounds of the Eastern Kentucky University Farm in Richmond, near the silos, where cattle have been allowed to trample the graves of many of my ancestors there, including Rev. John Mills Park (1806-1877) and wife, Martha Oldham (1812-1851). EKU Farm workers are aware of the fence that is down around it, yet for whatever reasons, the University has not taken action to resurrect it in order to keep the cattle out or to restore the damage to the tombstones already done there. To this day, my ancestors' tombstones on the EKU Farm are still being crushed and defecated on by unknowing cattle--despite letters to EKU by members of the Park Family of KY. This and other cemetery neglect throughout Eastern Kentucky, is a disgrace to my family, our state, and to the pioneer history that enriches us all. The lives of our Kentucky ancestors are the very fabric of our ideals and values we continue to today, for all of us who live in and adore the Great Commonwealth that is Kentucky! And this is how we choose to remember our Kentucky Pioneer-Ancestors?! I say NOT! Surely, it is not the legacy they imagined for themselves and their families prior to their passing. It is disrespectful, irresponsible, and heartless to fail in preserving their memory with both dignity and admiration. As a Kentucky Colonel, I respectfully ask you to PLEASE push KENTUCKY Bill 572 -- Kentucky Historic Cemetery Preservation Program in the KY Senate! I am told that although it passed in the House of Reps, it has yet to receive any attention in the Senate. Won't you please help! My father was born in Richmond, KY, graduated from EKU. I have many cousins who still live in the Bluegrass state; the majority in Madison and Estill Counties. In fact, some who are members of the Estill Co. Historical Society, are trying to do what they can to preserve and restore these family cemeteries. But, it's not enough! We need this bill. My conscience says that anything less sends the wrong message to our people and sets a poor precedent for other forms of neglect in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky. Thank you for your attention and support. I hope to hear from you sometime soon. Respectfully, William "Doug" Park Kentucky Colonel