Who is Betty Wooden? Some may know her from working at Kentucky Farm Bureau, while others may remember seeing her working inside the white building at the fair.

Wooden is a women who has dedicated over 30 years of her life to this community. When Grayson County residents needed help with something, Wooden was there to answer the call. Whether it was taking care of one's insurance needs, or pointing someone in the right direction at the fairgrounds, Wooden has always been there.

Wooden worked for Kentucky Farm Bureau Insurance Company in Leitchfield from April 1975 to 2005. She started out under management from the late Albert Thomason, and finished out her years there under the guidance of Mayor William Thomason.

After 30 years of dedicating her work life to the business, Betty Wooden finally decided it was time to take a break and retire.

Wooden thought back to her first day at the office. At the time, she never expected to end up staying at one place for so long.

"I worked at Cain Manufacturing on Cave Mill Road for 20 years," remembered Wooden. "I just wasn't satisfied with the work there, so I looked for another job. Albert hired me in as a secretary through Farm Bureau."

When Albert died in 1977, Bill (William Thomason) became appointed as agency manager for the Leitchfield office.

Wooden said one of the things that she liked about Bill was that he allowed her to become involved in a lot of community events.

"I have been working for him at the fair since 1980," explained Wooden. "Through Bill when you work for him, he gets you involved in everything. I did all the paperwork at the fair for the board. To this day I am still doing a lot of paperwork."

Although the insurance business is very stressful at times, Wooden enjoyed every minute of it. Her customers became like family members. Over the years those same families would continue to come back and do business with farm bureau.

"Farm Bureau has got families, before I started working with the company, that are still there," mentioned Wooden. "The customer base is very strong. Farm bureau gave me the chance to meet a lot of people, and learn things about them."

With each new year staying with the company came new responsibilities, and new advances in technology. Her career was constantly keeping her busy learning new things.

"You were always learning new stuff," remembered Wooden. "When I first started, there were no computers at all. We had to do everything by hand, then computers came in and we had to learn all that. Once you learned that, then not too long after, you had to start all over again. I enjoyed working there. It made me a living. I worked there until I retired in 2005. It was not a boring job at all."

Wooden could not stay away from the office too long though. She decided to go back to work part-time at Farm Bureau. Wooden can be seen regularly on Fridays doing paperwork for Thomason’s office.

"The key to being successful at your job is just to be there everyday," smiled Wooden. "Don't play hooky. Listen to your boss, and what he tells you to do. Bill is like family to me. He has become more of like a big brother than anything. We always get along pretty well. That is what is most important, building a good relationship with your coworkers."

Her advice to women in the work force is to stay devoted to a career. It is important to give 100 percent to everything.

"I will tell anybody, if you find a job you like to do, stick with it," urged Wooden. "Learn everything you can. It is not just a job to get a paycheck. You got to put something into it too. You cannot just sit there and draw a paycheck. You have to work at it. I knew I always had to work if I wanted to eat."

In her spare time, Wooden visits with her neighbor and keeps busy working in her yard.

"As I got older I realized I wanted to be at home more," said Wooden. "I try to keep busy around the house now, and also visit with a neighbor that cannot get out much. I sit with her in the afternoons and wait for the mailman. I watch Young and the Restless everyday, but mostly enjoy being at home. I have lived in Grayson County all of my life. I like the country, the peacefulness of it all. It is home to me."

Thomason wanted to thank Wooden for her many years of community service, and for her dedication to his business.

“Betty was one of the greatest assets I ever had,” mentioned Thomason. “We respected each other. She helped out a lot in all aspects of the company. Betty was never afraid to speak up, when the need was there, to get things done.”