Worthy tribute to Grundys, the arts

Lexington, indeed Kentucky, would be very different without Chester and Msiba Ann Grundy.

There would not have been a Roots and Heritage Festival each fall for the last quarter century celebrating black American heritage. Who knows if the Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center would have been such a vibrant force on the University of Kentucky campus for almost three decades or if the campus’ Spotlight Jazz Series — at 33, the oldest collegiate jazz series in the country — could have attracted such luminaries as Sarah Vaughan, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Wynton Marsalis and Herbie Hancock?

The Grundys richly deserve the top honor among the Governor’s Awards for the Arts — the Milner Award for outstanding philanthropic contributions to the arts — given to them Friday in a ceremony in Frankfort.

Accepting the award they spoke movingly about the central importance of the arts in a humane society. “Art nourishes the souls of our children,” Chester Grundy said, “and reveals to them the deepest levels of their humanity. Art teaches them to love themselves and to respect the cultures of others. Art teaches them the values of a civilized society.”

Other Central Kentucky recipients included Miles Osland, director of jazz studies at the University of Kentucky, who received the education award, and Versailles glass artist Guy Gerard Kemper who received the artist award.

Congratulations and thanks to all these talented, generous people.

This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Worthy tribute to Grundys, the arts."