Laurel County Homecoming Honoree: Humanitarian

Nita Johnson, The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.
·2 min read

Aug. 19—That Kathryn Hardman, daughter of a U.S. Marine, made her way to London is nothing short of a minor miracle. After growing up in point along the East Coast, Hardman attended West Virginia University. After marrying her husband John Stojan, a now-retired U.S. Forest Service Ranger, they wound up in London.

London was also lucky enough Hardman read an advertisement for part-time help with the Laurel County Adult Education and Literacy Center. "I came into the field like most people: not intentionally," Ms. Hardman said of her early days in adult education.

Throughout her life, Hardman had encountered people who could not read or even write their own names. In Laurel County, Hardman went to work to change that, but as she will attest, teaching people to read and write is the easier part of the job.

"Teaching someone the material is way easier than building their confidence," Hardman shared.

Many of the people she encountered in the literacy program were not unable or unwilling to learn, but had undiagnosed learning disorders, which are addressed in the schools now. Speaking of folks with ADD, she said, "It's not that they don't pay attention. They pay attention to everything."

However, she is quick to share the success of the Laurel County Adult Education and Literacy. The board of directors were always willing to listen to her suggestions, which included adding English as a Second Language classes, GED programs, and expanding into Clay, Knox, and Whitley counties.

Although she is retired, Hardman hasn't slowed down. She is still an active volunteer with the literacy program. She is also a member of the London Rotary Club, of which she was their second female member and their first female president in 1997. In 2012, Hardman became the Rotary International District 6740 (Eastern Kentucky) District Governor. In Rotary, she is still able to share her love of reading with The Dictionary Project, which works with children.

Hardman is on the board of CASA and remains a board member of Laurel County Adult Education.

Hardman is also the mother of two "urban dwelling" sons: Robert, who is married to Elizabeth and father to Paul and Max, lives in the Bronx, New York; and Matthew, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Laurel.