Len Hale has been a member of our community for decades. From 1994 to 2014, he was the general manager of the Hopkinsville Sewerage and Water Department (now called the Hopkinsville Water Environment Authority).
Around the time he retired, Hale began serving as a volunteer chaplain to male inmates at the Christian County Jail. In recent years, he has become committed to assisting his neighbors with lawn maintenance and landscaping in his neighborhood’s common areas.
While we may think that Hale’s post-retirement activities reflect new interests in his life, I discovered that they have all been close to his heart for the majority of his life.
In this season of Easter, his story inspires us all to prepare to experience the meaning of Easter.
Hale grew up on a farm in northern Christian County, near Bainbridge, where he learned how to grow tobacco and corn, as well as care for cattle and hogs.
When his father was paralyzed in a farming accident at the age of 24, he and his family relocated to his grandparents’ farm. This is where Hale learned how to grow things and became interested in environmental preservation.
He earned a degree in environmental engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1975, with a focus on waste water treatment. He had intended to continue his education and had received a fellowship offer, but he decided that he needed to find work because he was getting married.
Hale briefly worked for Peabody Coal Co. before joining Howard K. Bell as a design engineer in Hopkinsville in 1977. In 1994, he applied for the position of general manager of the Water Authority Department, which became available when McKenzie Moss fell ill. He was offered the job out of 30 applicants.
He described the construction of the water line from Lake Barkley to Hopkinsville as one of his “most important projects” as well as one of his “most controversial decisions.” Hale also expanded the utility into a regional service agency.
Hale had no specific plans after retiring in 2014, but he had always been active in church. He has been teaching Sunday school for over 40 years, first at Bainbridge Baptist Church, then at First Baptist Church, and finally at First Christian Church in Hopkinsville. At FCC, he also leads a Bible study on Wednesday nights.
His spiritual journey has led him to volunteer at the jail, where he conducts a Bible study twice a month and receives prayer requests from participants, which are forwarded to FCC for prayer during Sunday school classes.
Hale stated, “I always leave encouraged” after encountering the inmates.
His Bible study has taught him that having an open mind is beneficial because “life is complicated and difficult, and it’s hard to know how to maneuver through life.”
He has gained a lot of understanding and compassion from his interactions because he believes he has “walked in their shoes.”
Hale looks to Matthew Chapter 25 for guidance, where Jesus responds to his disciples’ question about when they saw you sick or in prison and visited you, saying, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for me.”
Hale mentioned another Bible passage that was meaningful to him: “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you.”
Hale demonstrates his caring and compassion for others (as well as his love of the environment) by assisting his neighbors with yard maintenance and landscaping.
He lives in Hopkinsville’s Anvirdale Historic District, one of only two such designations in the city, along with the Mt. Pleasant Historic Neighborhood. He is a member of the Hopkinsville Historical Preservation Commission.
Karen Shields, one of Hale’s neighborhood friends, praised all of his efforts to help those in need and keep the area in good condition. He not only mows his neighbors’ lawns, but he has also gone to the grocery store to help those in need.
When the family of a deceased neighbor needed help preparing estate assets for sale, Hale took over and cleaned the house afterwards.
Hale picks up trash on his daily walks and takes care of planting and maintaining the island that leads into the neighborhood off South Main Street. According to Shields, Hale “exemplifies what being a Christian means.”
At the end of my conversation with Hale, I discovered that we had a connection that I was unaware of. I’ve been practicing law at 700 S. Main St. in Hopkinsville since 1987.
He told me he designed the exterior of the law office building around that time. Lee White and his mother Betsy wanted the building to look as it did when it was first built, so Hale looked for old photographs of it.
Hale continues to use his talents and passions to promote a clean and tidy environment while also nurturing the physical and spiritual well-being of the entire community.
