(WBKO/WKYT) -Glasgow City Hall has been officially renamed in honor of Luska J. Twyman, Kentucky’s first African American mayor, during a dedication ceremony Sunday in Glasgow City Square.
Half of the city square was closed for the event, where a newly unveiled plaque was installed to mark the renaming. Twyman served as Glasgow’s mayor for 18 years beginning in 1968. He also served in the U.S. Army during World War II and chaired the Kentucky State University Board of Regents, his alma mater.
‘Long overdue’
Terry Bunnell, president of the Glasgow-Barren County Community Foundation, said the recognition was a long time coming.
“He was a servant leader involved in education and city government, involved in his church, and someone that was truly a hallmark for our community,” Bunnell said. “The recognition that’s due him, it’s long overdue because naming the city hall after Mayor Twyman is the recognition I think that also gives people a lot of hope and aspiration that he was a man of character and believed in his community, his faith.”
Current mayor reflects on Twyman’s impact
Community members gathered inside City Hall to remember Twyman’s impact. Current Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse shared a photo of himself as a child with Twyman, who served as his principal before taking office.
Royse said Twyman was a leader ahead of his time.
“He looked at things that were coming at him and made sure that he made the right decision for the community,” Royse said. “That’s why throughout the history of Glasgow, we had very little racial tension, very little discrimination, those kinds of things that seem to go along with the late 60s and the early 70s, but because of the fact that he was a true leader.”
Royse said he draws inspiration from Twyman’s approach to decision-making as a leader.