Harlan Ogle, I Will Miss You

I am saddened by the death of my friend, Bro. Harlan Ogle, who died today at the age of 79. He was a big supporter of mine when i was on the air at WFLW. As a matter of fact, he often wrote that i was the closest thing to the late legendary WFLW broadcaster Eddie Neal that Wayne countians were going to hear in this life. That was huge and I was honored that he would think that.

One of my favorite things that Bro. Ogle did was he routinely portrayed Raccoon John Smith at churches and other gatherings throughout the region. Smith grew up at Clear Fork Baptist Church in Albany, KY during the very early 1800's. His father had been one of its the original members. But, in his early adult years, Raccoon John left Clear Fork and became a leading proponent of the Early Restoration Movement within the Christian church. Bro. Ogle, a lifelong member of the Christian church, and long-time pastor at Monticello, KY Christian Church, was great in his role as the legendary frontier preacher. On one occasion, he rode into Burkesville on a horse, dismounted at Veterans Park, and in full costume proceeded to preach one of Smith's sermons word for word.

You could often find Bro. Ogle at Wayne County's museum. He loved Wayne County and put in an untold number of hours researching its history and writing many stories and newspaper articles about it. That's how i got to know him. We often talked about stories each of us had written and he was always helpful to me in my research. I will miss him, but am thankful for the great legacy he leaves behind. Maybe the city and/or county will do something in his honor, like name a street after him or something. I hope so. RIP my friend. Prayers to his family and many friends who mourn his passing.