2018 Two-Headed Calf Awards
March 22, 2018
Announcing the
2018 Two-Headed Calf Award Recipients!
Two Northern Kentucky power couples, a historian whose prolific work preserves the stories of Northern Kentucky and a passionate advocate for the region's paleontology treasures are the winners of this year's Two-Headed Calf Awards.
The winners and their award categories are:
- Ken F. Harper and Eileen Harper of Crestview Hills, KY - Special Recognition
- Judith G. Clabes and Gene A. Clabes of Edgewood, KY, publisher and senior editor, respectively, of KYForward.com and the Northern Kentucky Tribune - Service to the Community: Generosity and Vision
- Karl J. Lietzenmayer of Covington, KY, senior editor of Northern Kentucky Heritage Magazine - Service to History: Scholarship and Public Service
- M. Patricia Fox of Petersburg, KY, president of Friends of Big Bone - Service to Learning: Academic Excellence and Innovation
The 2018 Two-Headed Calf award recipients will be honored at an awards dinner and gala at 6 p.m., Thursday, March 22 at Northern Kentucky University's Votruba Student Union Ballroom. The event will include dinner, cocktails, live music, a silent auction, raffles and free valet service and parking, in addition to the fun awards celebration. All-inclusive tickets are $100 per person or $800 for a table of eight. For reservations, call 859-491-4003 or email Executive Director Laurie Risch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by March 10.
About the Winners:
Special Recognition - Ken and Eileen Harper:
Ken Harper has served in a number of political leadership positions, including Kentucky secretary of state, state representative, commissioner of public information and assistant commissioner for the department of child welfare. An Air Force veteran, he was the owner and president of Professional Service of KY, Inc. and, later, president of Harper Realty. He is a past president of the Covington Rotary Club and Covington-Kenton County Jaycees, has served on the boards of numerous community organizations and is the recipient of dozens of awards.
Eileen Kathman Harper is past president of the Covington Ro-Anns and the Kenton County Jaycee Wives, and past chairman of the Kenton County Republican Executive Committee, Republican Women's Club and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. She has served as a board member and volunteer for several nonprofits. The Harpers have five children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Service to the Community: Generosity and Vision - Judith and Gene Clabes:
Journalists Judy and Gene Clabes are the forces behind KYForward.com, described as "a grand experiment in community journalism online," and NKYTribune, an online-only publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. Judy Clabes, who is editor and publisher of KYForward, spent 37 years with W. Scripps Company, where she served as Scripps' first woman editor before being named president and CEO of Scripps Howard Foundation. After retiring from Scripps, she founded the Kentucky Philanthropy Initiative and her own consulting business. She has won numerous national, regional and state awards in journalism, philanthropy and community service.
Gene Clabe is a former award-winning reporter and owner/publisher of a chain of Northern Kentucky weekly papers who has taught college-level journalism and served as president of the Kentucky Press Association. As associate editor of the KYTribune, he oversees the editing and assignment process and directs social media. The Clabes are the parents of two sons and five grandchildren.
Service to History: Scholarship and Public Service - Karl Lietzenmayer
As retiring senior editor of Northern Kentucky Heritage magazine, Karl Lietzenmayer has been in charge of recruiting authors, writing and editing articles, taking photos, designing the publication and overseeing its twice-annual distribution since he founded it a quarter century ago. Over the years, the magazine has won awards from local and national history organizations. A member of the Kenton County Historical Society since 1991, Lietzenmayer now serves as board vice-president.
Formerly a quality control chemist for Andrew Jergens Company and a high school teacher, Lietzenmayer also was music director of Mother of God Choral Club for 27 years. He is a frequent public speaker and a staunch believer in the importance of recording and preserving regional history. He and his wife Peggy have nine children, eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren between them.
Service to Learning: Academic Excellence and Innovation- M. Patricia Fox
Since 2005, Pat Fox has led the Friends of Big Bone (FOBB), a volunteer organization that supports Big Bone Lick State Historical Site in Union, which is considered the birthplace of American vertebrate paleontology. As president since 2010, she has spearheaded a capital fund drive and overseen renovations of Big Bone's outdated Visitor Center and Museum, the development of a website and social media program, improved signage and the refurbishment of the site's grounds and equipment.
Under her leadership, the number of visitors to the Visitor Center and Museum site grew 129% between 2014 and 2017, while attendance at the recreation center and school programs increased as well. Under Pat's guidance, Big Bone has begun hosting five annual events and has formed partnerships with numerous other community organizations. Fox and her husband, Patrick Lense, have three children and five grandchildren.
Past Two-Headed Calf Award recipients are:
Special Recognition
2015 Glenn O. Swing Elementary School in Covington
2016 Joe Brennan
2017 Matt and Rebekah Gensler Butler
2017 The Hills of Kentucky Dulcimer Club
Community Service - for extraordinary stewardship and generosity.
2011 Alice Sparks
2012 Mary Middleton (posthumously - received by Clyde Middleton and family)
2013 Oakley and Eva G. Farris
2014 Ralph Drees
2015 Daniel R. Groneck
2016 Normand and Lisa Demarais
2017 Michael J. Hammons
History - for contributing to the preservation and understanding of our regional and state history.
2011 Dr. James C. Claypool
2012 Dr. James A. Ramage
2013 John Boh
2014 Jim Reis
2015 Dr. Paul A. Tenkotte
2016 Theodore H.H. Harris
2017 Dave Schroeder
Education - for demonstrating academic excellence and innovative approaches in history, the arts or archaeology.
2011 Judy Sanders, Baker Hunt Foundation
2012 Debbie Brown, Kenton County Schools
2013 T. W. Loring, Ockerman Elementary School
2014 Rick Hulefeld, Children Inc.
2015 Jim R. Hicks, Dixie Heights High School
2016 Raymond G. Hebert, Thomas More College
2017 Terri Cox-Cruey, Kenton County School District
Behringer-Crawford Museum in Devou Park is serious about its mission as “a center for the collection, presentation, study and enjoyment of our natural, cultural, and visual and performing arts heritage” – and serious about its exhibits that capture Northern Kentucky’s story.
But the museum has always had a good sense of fun, too. And perhaps nothing symbolizes that good humor more than the museum’s taxidermic prize, the two-headed calf. So, in the spirit of both serious devotion to the mission of the museum and BCM’s reputation as a fun place to visit, we annually present “Two-Headed Calf Community Service Awards” to three Northern Kentuckians with outstanding contributions to the preservation and celebration of local history, art and culture.
Typically awards celebrate one exceptional achievement. The fastest runner wins the race. The most talented violinist is awarded the gold medallion. Behringer-Crawford Museum’s Two-Headed Calf Awards recognize that very often, true excellence rests with those who demonstrate achievement beyond a single contribution. Just as two heads are better than one, so, too, is the service of the people these awards honor.