James C ClaypoolJames C. Claypool, professor emeritus of history at Northern Kentucky University, holds a PhD in European history from the University of Kentucky. He taught history in Kentucky for thirty-six years, first at Murray State University (1966, 70) and the at Northern Kentucky University (1970, 2002), where he was both its first employee and a dean. A well-known public speaker in Kentucky, he has been a featured speaker with the Kentucky Humanities Council for fifteen years. He is a nationally recognized authority on thoroughbred racing, especially the Kentucky Derby, and on Kentucky music and is published in both fields. He worked as the Smithsonian's Kentucky Derby expert in 1995 and in 2008 as the state coordinator in Kentucky of the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit on the roots of American music. Television and radio programs he has hosted and produced have won a number of regional awards. He has helped edit, coauthored or authored six books and one encyclopedia as well as published articles and encyclopedia entries on art, culture, politics and military history. He and his wife Sharon reside in Park Hills, Kentucky. Read More Read Less