Retired Kentucky State Trooper R.N. Ferguson died late Wednesday night, following a long illness.
Trooper Ferguson was with KSP from the 1950’s into the 80’s and the longtime resident of Pembroke Road in Hopkinsville was well-known across the region.
Retired Christian County Attorney Mike Foster was acquainted with Ferguson in numerous capacities over the decades and described him as a ‘legendary’ local figure.
He says Trooper Ferguson had a reputation among local teenagers who were new to driving and he set many straight without ever issuing them a citation.
As Foster became a professional acquaintance as a prosecutor in Christian County, he admired Ferguson for always being knowledgeable and prepared for his appearances in court.
It’s been well documented that Trooper Ferguson responded to the alleged Kelly ‘green men’ incident on August 21, 1955, though he was more than skeptical of the story of visitors from outer space.
Foster noted during his interview that Ferguson took courses at Hopkinsville Community College following his retirement just to learn for the sake of learning and he also made an unsuccessful run for Christian County Sheriff in 1989.
Ferguson was also known to many as the husband of the late Mary D. Ferguson, who was one of the first women in radio news in Kentucky at WHOP before a decades-long career in journalism at the Kentucky New Era that continued until her death in 2016.
He was an Army veteran, having served in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was also a licensed pilot who used those skills with KSP.
He had a great interest in Ham radio and spent time working at Randolph and Hale after retirement from KSP. WHOP News Director Adam may recalls visiting the train caboose on Ferguson’s Pembroke Road property as a child and him showing May how he could talk to folks across the globe on his many radios.
Ferguson is survived by a daughter, Lee Ellen Fish, and two grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced.