HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – With his friends and family present, 90-year-old retired educator Levi Peterson Jr. was awarded the key to the city Wednesday morning.
“It is a great thing for me to be up here today to honor this individual and all the great things he’s done,” said Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight during the ceremony. “He has never quit giving back to Hopkinsville.”
Knight went on to share his favorite memories of Peterson at Hopkinsville High School, expressing how much Peterson did for the students at the time, “Famous words were ‘pronto’ at 8:15 in the morning, you knew you was in trouble,” Knight shared.
Peterson’s inspiring legacy in Hopkinsville began with him dropping out of high school, and continued with him becoming a veteran, teacher, and assistant principal. Much later in life he became an author, writing The Transformation of a High School Dropout about his own life.
“I never dreamed that one day I would write a book. Some people write books for glory. I never thought my life was worthy of being entered into a book,” said Peterson. “I just wrote this book to share my life experience with people and help them to understand how important life is and to prepare themselves accordingly.”
The mayor has had the key to the city ready for Peterson since December 2023, but various health issues prevented him from accepting until now. During the ceremony, Knight stressed his impact on youth and the community of Hopkinsville, saying they can never thank him enough for what he has done.
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