Inner Strength
Former
Pewee Valley Mayor Reinhardt
known for her love of children
She
will serve as grand marshal
at Oldham County Day
By
Helen E. McKinney
Contributing Writer
(July 2010) – Ask anyone who knows her and they
will say that family is the thing that matters most to Pewee Valley,
Ky., resident Vivien Reinhardt. Raising 15 children while juggling household
demands and volunteering on various boards and organizations within
the county may not always have been easy. But it has been extremely
rewarding for this woman known for her inner strength and grace.
Reinhardt served as mayor of Pewee Valley for 13 years. She didn’t
run for the position but was a write-in on the 1986 ballot. “I
didn’t know how to be mayor,” said Reinhardt, 84.
Residents of the town of Pewee Valley were convinced that she should
be mayor. To bolster her confidence in herself, Reinhardt took municipal
courses at the University of Louisville.
She said she was proud of the way “everyone jumped in to help.
We had excellent councilmen” who got along well with each other
to make her job easier. She’s also proud of the police department
the town maintained during those years.
Her energy never seems to run out. Reinhardt served as City Clerk of
Pewee Valley for three years, City Court Judge for 21/2 and mayor. She
also served on the boards of various organizations, such as the Oldham
County Cooperative Extension, Tri-County Community Action Agency Board,
the Oldham County Planning and Zoning Commission and the Pewee Valley
Board of Adjustments and Appeals. She has held the latter appointment
since 2002. She has volunteered at the Kentucky Correctional Institute
for Women and as a counselor at Charterton Alcohol and Drug Abuse Hospital
in La Grange. For all of these positions, she was never paid a cent.
Throughout the years of holding these various positions, she has remained
a “hero” to her children and a beacon in the community to
those who know her. For these reasons and many others, Reinhardt was
chosen to be this year’s Grand Marshal of the Oldham County Day
Parade. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, July 17, in downtown La
Grange.
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Photo
by Helen McKinney Vivien
Reinhardt was Mayor of |
A Grand Marshal Luncheon will be held in her honor at
noon Tuesday, July 13, at the John Black Community Center in Buckner.
The $12 ticket price includes lunch catered by the Red Pepper Deli.
The Luncheon and Oldham County Day are sponsored by the 18-member Project
Guild of La Grange. This year’s theme, Leading with Strength and
Grace, made Reinhardt a “pretty appropriate choice for Grand Marshal,”
said Project Guild member Teresa Kinney. “She’s so deserving
of this honor.”
Guild member Bettie Miller said, “We thought it was time to recognize
her. She’s a strong lady of the community and very well respected.”
Reinhardt is also well-known in the community for her extensive gardens.
“She has one of everything in her garden,” said Kinney.
“I’ve always loved gardening,” said Reinhardt. “I
can’t remember a time when I did not love flowers and growing things.”
Because of her passion for flowers, Reinhardt has been a member of the
Louisville Cardinal Garden Club for 30 years. Bette Zimmerman met Reinhardt
through the club, and the two are the longest surviving members of the
club.
“You can learn a lot from her,” said Zimmerman. “One
of her greatest loves is gardening. She is a gracious lady who passes
on lots of knowledge to everyone around her.”
Zimmerman has been Reinhardt’s neighbor since 1985. “She doesn’t
usually relish the limelight but attracts a lot of attention because
of her calming demeanor,” said Zimmerman’s husband, Jim. “She’s
always ready to offer an encouraging word.”
When Jim Zimmerman entered the political arena, he said, “Vivien
was very supportive of me. She’s very businesslike and straightforward,
and she stands up for what she believes is right.”
Reinhardt succeeded John Stewart as Pewee Valley mayor. He worked as
the city attorney under her and the two worked on many community projects
together. While mayor, Reinhardt used her large dining room table for
her office.
“She spearheaded a campaign to place hanging flower baskets on
major street corners in Pewee Valley,” said Stewart. She also planted
trees along Hwy. 146 to beautify the community.
“There couldn’t be a more caring mother and guiding parent,”
said Stewart. “She treats people in the community like family.”
During the time the Zimmermans and Stewart have known Reinhardt, she
served on the Tree Board USA for seven years. She maintains a one-acre
lot surrounding her home, in addition to devoting her time to family
and church activities.
“She places flowers in our church every Sunday of the year,”
said best friend Louis Marker. The two attend Pewee Valley Presbyterian
Church, where Reinhardt has been an elder and faithfully served on most
committees at the church.
“She’s a great friend,” said Marker, who has known her
since Reinhardt’s family moved to Pewee Valley. “She’s
a wonderful gardener and works so well with kids. She’s very unselfish
and loves to share.”
Of the county she has built a life in, Reinhardt said, “Oldham
County is a good county with the loveliest of people.” During her
23 years on the Planning and Zoning Commission, Reinhardt said the county
changed tremendously. “There’s been so much development, with
the influx of people into the county.” She said that while serving
on the commission, “We worked very hard to do the right thing for
the development of the county.”
Reinhardt has always been devoted to Pewee Valley, though she is not
originally from Oldham County. She was named “Oldham Countian of
the Year” in 1980. The former Vivien Hoskins was raised in a big
family in Eastern Kentucky in Wooton, Leslie County, “a small community
of about 300,” she said.
Reinhardt’s sister, Mona, moved to Jefferson County and during
Reinhardt’s senior year of high school, Mona invited her sister
to live with her. Reinhardt remained in Jefferson County from 1942 until
1964. Reinhardt and her husband, James Donald (Don), a chief charter
pilot for Kentucky Flying Service and vice president of Cardinal Aluminum
Co., raised their family of seven children and eight foster children
in Pewee Valley.
“All my life I have seen my mother give,” said Reinhardt’s
son, Adam. “She volunteered everywhere she could. I’m happy
to see her appreciated for all she’s done.”
Adam said his parents took in foster children for more than 20 years.
“I always took in two at a time – siblings who would
not be separated,” said Reinhardt. “With seven children of
my own, there was always something going on that the foster child could
become involved in.”
Adam said his parents were “two of the most loving parents I’ve
ever seen in my life – there was no end to it. They loved life
and those around them. Mom is the closest thing to a saint on earth.”
• To purchase tickets for the Grand Marshal Luncheon, contact Teresa Kinney at (502) 222-2665 or (502) 744-7466.