Hillbilly image vital part of American heritage
by Walter FerchAlthough not a native Kentuckian, I am familiar with many of the down-to-earth people of your commonwealth, having spent some time in your state as a soldier, as a civilian and at times, during the past 15 or more years, as a Shriner.
To me, the hillbilly image is a vital part of our American heritage. To say that a barefoot, ill-clothed hillbilly creates a negative image is like saying slavery never existed in America.
Time was when that image may have portrayed that poor, rugged individual who, because of poverty was denied the privilege of higher education. But to me, that image depicts a man from a group of plain, common, God-loving and God-fearing folk whom, in spite of severe economic hardships, overcame hard times and still survived.
I believe that survival was due to their strong family and clan ties—those family ties that are so sorely missing and so badly needed in other parts of our American society today.
Just over a quarter of a century ago, Jim Harris, a Shriner from Ashland, created a special Shrine Degree for Kentucky Shriners. He called it The Grand & Glorious Order of the Hillbilly Degree. He declared that any funds obtained from this degree must be used to benefit the Shriners Childrens Hospitals, a very noble cause.
Almost everyone is familiar with the excellent works our Shriners do for unfortunate kids. As a logo or emblem for this degree, Jim chose the portrait or image of what was then considered to be the typical Kentucky hillbilly.
Shriners in other states soon heard of this Hillbilly Degree as a way for them to raise funds for the hospitals. They asked Jim for permission to use the degree and to form Hillbilly Clans in their areas.
There are now about 140 clans in North America, stretching from coast to coast, and from Canada to Florida and California and this degree with its hillbilly image is still growing.
The official Hillbilly paper, The Hillbilly News, still features that typical hillbilly on its masthead. Many Shriners hold that hillbilly image in high esteem.
The biggest attraction in eastern Kentucky is Pikesville's annual "Hillbilly Days" and it is probably second only to the Kentucky Derby for bringing people to Kentucky. Hillbilly Days began as a spin-off from our Hillbilly Degree. Howard "Dirty Ear" Stratton, and Grady "Shady Grady" Kinney, both Shriners, are largely responsible for establishing this famous hillbilly event.
It has now evolved into a community affair, but still owes most of its success to the outstanding support given to it by the Shrine Hillbillies. They travel to Pikesville each year in mid-April from all over the United States and Canada.
If that hillbilly image created an unfair stereotype, it never would have gotten that fantastic support from our Shriners. I am mighty proud to be a Shrine Hillbilly, and our native Kentucky friends can be mighty proud of their hillbilly heritage. It is a part of real America.
Jim Harris did a great service to the people of Kentucky, and to hillbillies everywhere, when he developed the Hillbilly Degree. His efforts helped many unfortunate children to throw away their crutches and become useful citizens. Men such as Stratton and Kinney, who have toiled in humble poverty, have shown the world that the hillbilly image has undergone some change. Through the efforts of gentlemen such as these, hillbillies are becoming known as unselfish, caring and benevolent American citizens.
Webmaster's Note: Wally Ferch is a member of Shriner Wisconsin, Badger Hillbilly Clan 50. He lives in Monomonee, Wisconsin.
The above article was written in answer to an article reprinted from the local newspaper at Pikesville, Kentucky in the June 1994 issue of Hillbilly News. The article was titled "Hillbilly stereotype attacked by group". This answer was written by Wally Ferch as shown, by request from Howard Stratton, one of the founders of Pikesville Hillbilly Days, and was published in the August 13, 1994 edition of the Ashland Independent Newspaper.
We reprinted this article from the October 1994 Hillbilly News in the September 1995 Sahib Shrine Temple Reporter newspaper. Sahib Hillbilly Carl Allen suggested running the article.