LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The late John Asher is being honored with a Hometown Hero banner that will be displayed on a school he championed.
In a news release, the Greater Louisville Pride Foundation announced that the banner featuring the former Churchill Downs vice president of racing communications will be unveiled at Presentation Academy on South Fourth Street. The ceremony is planned 1 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27.
Asher's passing in 2018 at age 62 was a sudden and big loss for Louisville. He spent three decades as an award-winning journalist in Louisville and two of those working for his beloved Churchill Downs. With his encyclopedic knowledge of horse racing and the Kentucky Derby, it was the perfect job for a man who loved the track.
There have been many honors for Asher, since his passing. Thousands of mourners attended his viewing at Churchill Downs, and his funeral procession took a lap around the track. Part of Central Avenue was renamed in his honor, and Highway 259 near his hometown of Leitchfield, Kentucky, was also renamed.
A statue of longtime track president Matt Winn, the father of the modern Kentucky Derby, and the late track Vice President for community relations, John Asher, a dedicated ambassador of the race, was unveiled Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021 at Churchill Downs.
A scholarship was also set up in his name at his beloved Western Kentucky University. Asher was inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame, and perhaps most impactful, a bronze statue was unveiled at Churchill Downs. It features Asher sitting on a bench in conversation with track founder Matt Winn.
Asher's connection to Presentation Academy
While he loved horses and the WKU Hilltoppers, Asher was a family man, so it's significant that the Hometown Hero banner is going up at Presentation Academy -- a Catholic school all three of his daughters attended.
Presentation Academy said in a release to alumni and the community that Asher and his wife, Deidra, gave the school "unwavering support" and he was a "proud Presentation dad" for Heather (1998), Erin (2011) and Emma (2014).
Asher served on the board of trustees, raised money for the school and was named an honorary alum.
The ceremony on Monday will include Asher's wife, Deidra, and officials from Churchill Downs.
Hometown Heroes program
The Hometown Heroes program began in 2002 with the installation of a mural featuring boxing legend Muhammad Ali. It has since grown to honor a diverse group of famous Louisvillians from a variety of professions.
Among those honored with banners over the years include KFC founder Colonel Harlan Sanders, journalist Diane Sawyer, legendary basketball coach Denny Crum, jockey Pat Day, musician Jack Harlow, golfer Justin Thomas, radio icon Milton Metz, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, NBA player Darrell Griffith and Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. To learn more about the program, click here.
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