Gone But Not Forgotten

Photo by Malcolm Taylor

I first met Jerry Gore in 2006. Chris Lackner and Malcolm Taylor a reporter and photographer respectively from Ottawa, Canada were walking from Mayslick, KY to Buxton, Ontario Canada tracing routes of the Underground Railroad.  Lackner posted daily blogs to a web-site called "Tracks to Freedom" created by the Ottawa Citizen newspaper..  Sadly this web-site appears to no longer exist on the web.

Lackner was captivated by Jerry and his incredible knowledge of the Underground Railroad, his remarkable family history and the significance of sites in the greater Maysville area that he dearly loved.  Reading the daily blogs I too became impressed with the stories Jerry shared and began to correspond with Lackner eventually connecting with Jerry through him.  Jerry Gore's passion for preserving the history and instilling young people with an understanding of the significance of the inspirational legacy of the Underground Railroad was infectious.  We were all deeply saddened by his untimely passing.  I was looking forward to seeing Jerry again at this year's conference.  The Freedom Corridor is proud to honor Jerry Gore with this year's Bold Courage award.  It is our greatest hope that this recognition will inspire others to honor his memory more fittingly by carrying on his work.

Malcolm Taylor captured several striking images of Jerry and posted this video of their trek to Canada back in the summer of 2006.  Please enjoy.
vimeo.com/23106667

Greg Roberts