Lexington’s newest elementary school to be named for slain firefighter

Lexington’s newest public elementary school on Athens-Boonesboro Road will be named after Lexington’s first black female firefighter, who died in the line of duty.

The Fayette County Public Schools board on Monday unanimously voted that the school will be named after Brenda Cowan, who was gunned down in 2004 when she and other firefighters responded to a domestic violence call.

A Facebook page with more than 1600 members has been advocating for the new school to be named after Cowan. Former Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac is among those who have been advocating for naming the school for Cowan.

A similar campaign to name Lexington’s newest high school after Cowan took place before the name Frederick Douglass was chosen.

The district’s naming policy says new schools, facilities and properties may be named for a geographical area of Lexington and Fayette County or a prominent deceased person who contributed to the history and progress of the area or nation.

The school, which will be the largest elementary ever built in Fayette County, is set to open in August 2019.

Members of the naming committee include families whose children will attend the new school, school and district leaders, community representatives and elected officials from the area, including a Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council member. Citizens were asked to make recommendations to the committee but the committee meetings were closed to the public.

The school’s principal Josh Williams said there were 132 different names submitted for consideration.

The committee chose from four top-recommended names: Cross Plains Elementary, J. Childress Elementary, Jean Ritchie Elementary and Brenda Cowan Elementary.

Cross Plains was the original name of the area where the school stands, J. Childress was the name of a former black music educator in the school district and Ritchie was an Appalachian dulcimer player.

According to Herald-Leader archives, Cowan was a trained paramedic, a University of Kentucky graduate and the sister of Fred Cowan, a member of UK’s 1978 national championship winning basketball team. She had been promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Fire Station #18 about a week before her death.

When Cowan, 40, and her crew on Engine Co. No. 18 were called to a report of a female down in the yard at Adams Lane, the archives said, they carefully approached the scene on foot since they were unsure of what had happened to the woman. Just as the crew reached the patient several shots rang out without warning from a nearby home striking both Lt. Cowan and Firefighter Jim Sandford. The crew attempted to radio for help but communications in the area were poor at the time and the was a delay in summoning more help or even warning incoming emergency workers.

Help was finally able to reach the stricken crew, but it was too late for Cowan. She died of a gunshot wound to the chest.

Another firefighter was also wounded by Patrick Hutchinson, who was firing a rifle through an open window of the home. Firefighter Jim Sandford suffered a gunshot wound to the head and was airlifted from the scene to the University of Kentucky Hospital where he recovered.

Retired Lexington Fire Chief Gary McComas, who hired Cowan, spoke to her character and integrity as he told the school board Monday, “she gave her life serving this community.”

This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 7:55 PM.