James R. Kabler

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 22, 2006

MUNFORDVILLE – James Russell Kabler, 90, of Munfordville died at 1:30 a.m. Aug. 21, 2006, at Caverna Memorial Hospital.

The Cincinnati native grew up in Harrodsburg in Mercer County. He was a 1938 graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture with a Bachelor of Science degree in animal science. He continued his education at the University of Oklahoma and Purdue University. He retired as district supervisor of Farmers Home Administration USDA in 1976 after 37 years. In 1978, he was an appraiser for all loans and public relations officers with the Horse Cave State Bank. He served in the Army in Iran and Iraq in 1942.

A member of Munfordville First United Methodist Church, was chairman of the building committee from 1949-1950. He organized Methodist Men in 1950 at the Louisville annual conference and was president of Methodist Men for five years and chairman of the building committee of the parsonage in 1964. He was past administrative board chair member and a Sunday school teacher for 12 years.

Mr. Kabler was a life member of Agriculture College Alumni of the University of Kentucky and had a continuous membership with University of Kentucky Alumni, and he was a member of the board of directors from 1950-52.

He was a member and past president of Mammoth Cave Agriculture Alumni, which included 10 counties; a member of the Glasgow area University of Kentucky Alumni and past president of the University of Kentucky Hart County Alumni from 1949-55. He was a member and past chairman for 32 years of North Central Kentucky Education Foundation, which supplements Elizabethtown Community College programs; a 35-year member (now honorary) of Bluegrass Chapter of Farm Manager and Rural Appraisers Society of America; a 34-year member of the board of Caverna Memorial Hospital in Horse Cave, where he was vice chairman for five years, chairman for 12 years and administrator for six months; a life member and past board of director of the Hart County Historical Society & Museum in Munfordville; and a member and past commander of the American Legion for three years.

He was a 60-year member and past Master of Green River Masonic Lodge No. 88; a 32nd degree Mason member – Valley of Louisville; a 60-year member and Worthy Patron of Order of Eastern Star Munfordville Chapter No. 322; past district No. 20 Deputy Grand Patron in 1956; and ground representative of Kentucky in Saskatchewan, Canada, from 1978-81.

He was a member and past president of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees chapter 1269 of Munfordville; a member and past county chairman of the American Red Cross for three years; a member of the Hart County Chamber of Commerce; past president and 68-year member of Horse Cave Rotary Club; and a Paul Harris Fellow.

Mr. Kabler was inducted into the Agriculture Hall of Fame for Animal Science, University of Kentucky, and was a UK Fellow. He received the lifetime achievement award from UK and was made a Kentucky Colonel in 1963. A recipient of the first U.S. Department of Agriculture Superior Award in Kentucky in May 1951 for outstanding work in the field of agriculture, he made a 10-day trip to Washington, D.C., to receive this from Secretary of Agriculture Charles Brannan at Sylvan Theatre. Only 61 awards were given for the entire United States.

He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from the UK Agriculture Alumni College of Agriculture in 1986; was Outstanding Alumnus (over 35 years) in Mammoth Cave District and second in Kentucky; received Civic Citation from the City of Munfordville for community service and was secretary of the City Chamber of Commerce. In 1993, he was Outstanding Citizen of the Year, selected by Hart County Chamber of Commerce, and won the Outstanding Rotarian Award in 1985.

He was on the Caverna Memorial Hospital Trustees in 1997 and was awarded leadership in development for hospitals and nursing homes in locating two new doctors. He also received the Employee’s Award for his personnel development.

He was the husband of the late Mary Buford Ross, whom he married Aug. 1, 1941. She preceded him in death March 1, 2006.

Funeral is at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Munfordville First United Methodist Church, with burial in Munfordville Municipal Cemetery with military honors provided by Glasgow Chapter of Disabled American Veterans. Visitation is in progress at Sego Funeral Home and continues after 9 a.m. Wednesday at the church.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the James R. Kabler Rotary Scholarship or to the Munfordville First United Methodist Church Building Fund. Donations can be made at Sego Funeral Home.

Survivors include a daughter, Eleanor Jean Kabler Custer and her husband, Doug, of Munfordville; two granddaughters, Nancy Smith and her husband, Matthew, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Emily Henderson and her husband, Steven, of Shelbyville; two great-grandsons, Franklin Maddox Smith and Anderson Matthew Smith; a sister, Betty Jane Kabler Ross of Munfordville; five nieces and nephews; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.