May 16 commemorates a very special event for Dr. Delroy Hire and his family. This day marks what would have been his father’s 100th birthday. Dr. Hire also has another reason to celebrate this day, and because of his generosity, students at WKU will benefit.

A new scholarship initiative that will aid students from two Kentucky counties and one in Tennessee was announced Friday afternoon (May 16) at Macon County High School. The scholarship, made possible by a gift from Dr. Hire, will honor his father, Osby Lee Hire.

The Osby Lee Hire Heritage Scholarship and the Osby Lee Hire Heritage Post-Graduate Scholarship will benefit students from Macon County in Tennessee or Allen and Monroe counties in Kentucky. Students must provide proof of being a descendent of either Martin Hire or the Rev. Harvey Jent. Martin Hire was born in 1777 in Augusta, Va., and died in 1828 in Smith County, Tenn. He was the first of the Hire family to come to the area of what is now Macon County, and was the great-grandfather of Osby Lee Hire. The Rev. Harvey Jent, born in 1860 and died in 1948, lived in Macon County and was the grandfather of Osby Lee Hire.

Dr. Hire chose these three counties because of family ties. His father was born in Macon County. His mother, Lillian K. Garrison Hire, was born and raised in Allen County and her family history there can be traced back to the American Revolution. After they were married, Dr. Hire’s parents moved to Monroe County, where Osby Hire started running a country store and acted as Postmaster in Forkton, Ky.

“To make ends meet in the Great Depression, dad ran a peddling route and mom took over as Postmaster,” Dr. Hire said. “Dad and a friend of his would later open a Western Auto Store. A friend took over and the store remained open after the men were called to fight in WWII.”

Dr. Hire was born and raised in Monroe County and graduated from Tompkinsville High School.

“I think it’s an honor and privilege to do something in my parents’ memory. Mom and dad spent their entire lives in these three counties,” Dr. Hire said.

Dr. Hire is a 1962 WKU graduate and a graduate of the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He is board certified in anatomic, clinical and forensic pathology. After furthering his education, Dr. Hire enlisted in the Navy and served for more than 20 years. He retired as the Deputy Armed Forces Medical Examiner based out of Washington, D.C., and now lives in Pensacola, Fla.

Dr. Hire is pleased that he could continue his father’s memory and assist others. The Osby Lee Hire Heritage Scholarship will cover a portion of students’ tuition for their first and second years of undergraduate study at WKU, and the Osby Lee Hire Heritage Post-Graduate Scholarship may be used for advanced study in business, science or healthcare.

“I think that the real beneficiary is always the student. I don’t want to create the impression that it is about me,” Dr. Hire said. “A scholarship isn’t really about the donor or my mom and dad– it’s a legacy that can be passed on to students in perpetuity. I think the winner is always the student.”

Both the Osby Lee Hire Hire Heritage Scholarship Fund and the Osby Lee Hire Heritage Post-Graduate Scholarship will be distributed through the College Heights Foundation.

“Through his generosity, Dr. Hire has demonstrated his devotion to his beloved father,” said Donald Smith, President of the College Heights Foundation. “His actions will provide assistance and encouragement to students from Allen, Macon and Monroe counties in perpetuity and are evidence of his belief in the importance of education.”

Being able to honor his father in this way, especially on a day that means so much to his family, is very special to Dr. Hire. “I would hope everyone would get to celebrate those events in such fashion,” he said. “It is quite an honor to be able to announce it on this day for our family history and traditions. One hundred years, that doesn’t come around every day.”

Dr. Hire previously honored his parents’ memory by sponsoring a lecture series on local history in Allen, Monroe and Macon counties, and he created the Osby Lee Hire and Lillian K. Garrison Hire Memorial Scholarship in 2012, on the occasion of his mother’s 100th birthday and his parents’ wedding anniversary. Dr. Hire was also influential in the establishment of the Tompkinsville High School Class of 1959 Scholarship, which is in its sixth year.

“My interest is to always to help students and particularly WKU. That’s the ultimate goal,” Dr. Hire said. “I would encourage everyone to do this.”

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