In the Army, there’s a saying: “We do more by 9 a.m. than most people do in a day” which fits Ann Riley to a T. Those close to her describe her as a “high energy” and “high-functioning” individual that hits the ground running on a daily basis.
The dictionary definition of a volunteer: “A person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task” also describes Riley perfectly. She’s dedicated and enthusiastic about our community and her drive, perseverance, persistence and tenacity makes Marshall County a better place for all.
Riley served the county as Deputy PVA for 29 years before elected to the PVA position in 1994, serving there for 12 years before her retirement May 31, 2006, and she was awarded PVA of the Year in 2004. But the word “retirement” isn’t a part of Riley’s vocabulary.
She has always had a keen interest in community, politics and anything Kentucky. After her retirement, her volunteerism took on an even bigger role in her life.
George Milam, director of the Children’s Arts Center, who was the driving force and spearheaded efforts to raise money to construct the new arts center, works closely with Riley who has been on the Arts Commission board for nearly 10 years, was a two-term president and currently serves as the resource chairwoman and director.
“She’s active in so many things and whatever she’s active in, she’s very committed and will go to the ends of the earth to get it accomplished,” Milam said. “You give her a job, turn around and walk off and don’t worry about it.
“As a board member, she has been the dynamo to get things done physically,” Milam added. “She’s been behind most of the efforts to get funding for most of the things we have done here and is a catalyst for us to get this done. She will not expect anyone to do anything that she is not willing to do herself. She sets the example of a work ethic that is not around much anymore.”
Many of the community’s popular events were the brainchild of Riley and one of her first projects was a Derby Party called “Race to the Finish.” Milam said the idea stemmed from her love of Kentucky. The event, now held annually around the time of the Kentucky Derby, has grown to be very popular.
Every year in February, an event takes place that Riley started called the “Father-Daughter Princess Ball” which is a very special and unforgettable night and is sold out every year. She also introduced the Benton Progressive Dinner, a very popular community event each October that is now a coordinated effort with the Arts Commission and the Benton Partnership.
“These projects are labor intensive,” Milam said. “If there’s anything about Ann Riley … she is labor intensive, she’s an organizer and will follow it through. If you give her a task to do, she wants to know why it hasn’t already been done.”
Benton Mayor Rita Dotson works closely with Riley on many projects, serving on the Benton Partnership board, which puts on popular events like Dickens Christmas, the Cruise In, Progressive Dinner and the new Farm to Fork event coming up on Saturday, Aug. 12. This first-ever event is designed to create awareness of local food systems with funds raised in part to benefit the local FFA and 4H chapters to be held right on the Benton Court Square with food provided by local farmers.
“Ann has been a family friend since I met Doug (Dotson), and she actually played the piano at our wedding,” Dotson said. “She’s just the type of person that if anything needs to be done, she doesn’t ask you … she just jumps in there and does it and is probably the most organized person I’ve ever met.
“She sent me to Sam’s before Dickens to buy everything for the chili supper,” Dotson added. “She had everything written down perfectly … everything we would need, the approximate cost of everything … that’s just the type of person she is.”
Marshall County PVA Tony Henson, recounted his early days working for Riley as a summer intern and spoke about her forward thinking vision while in the PVA office.
“She pushed for the creation of the GIS office and for a county our size, it was just almost unheard of just from a pure financial burden,” Henson said. A graphic information system captures, stores, analyzes and manages geographic data.
“A programmer helped her develop her own tax management software and she had the foresight that with the right tools, she could do more … which was tremendous and a huge contribution to the PVA office,” Henson added.
Riley was involved in all state PVA associations and was one of a small group of people that pushed for legislation to fund the PVA offices greater than they had been, according to Henson.
“If she hadn’t been involved in a group that did that … considering the budget cuts … I don’t know how we would get by,” Henson said. “Even though she’s been out of the office for 11 years, I still call and ask her questions, and the best part about calling and asking for Ann’s opinion … if she doesn’t agree with me, she’ll tell me, but most of the time, that’s what you want to hear. I’ve always valued her opinion.”
WCBL Sales Manager Chris Freeland said he admires Riley for her tireless promotion and spokesperson for the Marshall County Arts Commission and Benton Partnership.
“She goes out to businesses and individuals selling tickets and sponsorships and helps with the planning as well and these events would not be half as successful if it weren’t for the work she puts in,” Freeland said.
Freeland is another in a long list of people who say about Riley, “if she decides to do something, it will be done right and you can bet it will be successful.”
“She is both a big picture and detail person and it’s apparent she loves what she does,” Freeland added. “The kids and the community are what motivates Ann and it just shows what a big heart she has. Ann is always the one giving out praise so I’m happy to see her receiving some well-deserved recognition.”
Riley’s contributions can never be measured, she doesn’t want a pat on the back, she’s just following her heart and love of community and making Marshall County a better place to live and work and her contributions are more numerous than these, from her involvement in politics, tourism or “friends” groups working to improve our state parks. The list could go on and on and will continue to grow
“She’s one of those people who want to contribute … someone you can always call on … I can’t say enough good about her,” Dotson said.
