On Friday, May 23, 2025, Franklin County High School proudly celebrated the induction of five distinguished alumni into the FCHS Hall of Fame. This annual event honors graduates who have made significant contributions to their fields and communities. This year's inductees include James Tutt (Class of 1977), Rick Hiles (1966), Jim Huggins (1986), Mary Elizabeth Bailey (1994), and Houston Hardy (2006).
Three of the honorees—Mr. Rick Hiles, Mr. Jim Huggins, and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Bailey—were able to attend the celebration dinner.
Below are their biographies and photos from the event.
Bios for each are included below as well as pictures from the event.
HOUSTON W. HARDY- FCHS CLASS OF 2006
(not present)
Houston Hardy may well be one of the youngest FCHS Hall of Fame inductees, but in many ways he has already achieved a lifetime of accomplishment, adventure, and personal fulfillment. A proud graduate of Franklin County High School (Class of 2006), he transitioned into FCHS as a freshman from Capital Day School. He maintains that choosing FCHS’ public education program was one of the best decisions he could have made, for it brought him lifelong friends with whom he is still close and provided life lessons that set him up to navigate the U.S. military. Houston also received a B.A. in History from Miami University of Ohio.
After graduating from Miami, Houston joined the U.S. Navy, where he successfully completed the Department of Defense’s toughest school: Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) training in Coronado, California. He has now served for over a decade in Naval Special Warfare, with deployments in support of the Global War on Terror and other operations worldwide. He has received several awards for his actions during his service, including the Navy and Marine Corp Medal for heroism. In the near term he will be leading his teammates as a Naval Officer. In addition to his work as a Navy Seal, in 2019/2020 he was able to attend the Harvard Business School program for Leadership Development.
Houston is the son of Rob and Lisbon Hardy of Frankfort. Most importantly in his eyes, he married a Kentucky girl in 2021. His son Abraham and daughter Hera were born in 2023 and 2024 respectively. His family hopes to return to the Frankfort area in the near future and are excited about the prospect of their children ending up right here at FCHS. Go Flyers!
The FCHS Hall of Fame congratulates Houston Hardy on his significant accomplishments, thanks him for his service to our country, and welcomes him as one of its newest inductees.
MARY ELIZABETH BAILEY
FCHS CLASS OF 1994
Mary Elizabeth (Ashcraft) Bailey occupies one of the most critical positions in Kentucky State Government as Secretary of the Personnel Cabinet and key advisor to the Governor. A 1994 graduate of FCHS, she attended Kentucky Wesleyan College and Kentucky State University while simultaneously beginning her career in state government in human resources. Over the past 29 years, she has held a range of positions in state government that have played a crucial role in shaping her ability to lead effectively and navigate challenges and drive progress. Realizing that her state government employment provided Mary Elizabeth with a journey of growth, preparation, and leadership development, in 2012 Governor Steve Beshear appointed her as the Commissioner for the Department of Human Resources Administration in the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet. In this position, she led the largest state government human resource transformation in over thirty years with the implementation of the Kentucky Human Resource Information System to include: modernizing the personnel administration process, streamlining hiring within the Executive Branch, and enhancing recruitment to ensure the Commonwealth remained the employer of choice. In 2023, she was appointed by Governor Andy Beshear as the Secretary of the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet. The Kentucky Personnel Cabinet oversees human resources administration for over 30,000 employees and provides health insurance to over 275,000 citizens in the Commonwealth.
Mary Elizabeth’s expertise is recognized and respected far beyond the confines of Kentucky State Government. During her career she has served on numerous boards and committees and is a current member of the National Association for State Personnel Executives, Council of State Government South-Staff Alliance for Intergovernmental Leadership, and Society for Human Resource Management. In 2024, she was awarded the prestigious Edward H. Rooney, Jr. national award for leadership in state human resource management.
Mary Elizabeth is a board member of Expree Credit Union and is a member of Forks of Elkhorn Baptist Church. She resides in Frankfort with her husband Todd Bailey. She is very proud of their three children: Chase Harrod, Autum Bailey, and Sheridan Bailey, all of whom graduated from FCHS.
JIM HUGGINS
FCHS CLASS OF 1986
Jim Huggins spent his entire working career protecting the lives and safety of the American people. Upon graduating Franklin County High School in 1986, Jim attended the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1990 with a degree in U.S. History. He then joined the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and was a DEA agent assigned to the Detroit division. In addition to working on federal narcotics violations, he was also a firearms instructor and clandestine lab team member, tactically trained to seize and dismantle illegal chemical labs.
In 1995, Jim joined the FBI, beginning an illustrious career that saw him involved in several very high profile cases of national and international importance. He was first assigned to the San Francisco division, where he was placed immediately on the UNABOMB Task Force. Up to this time, the UNABOMBER (Ted Kaczynski) had 26 victims, injuring twenty-three and killing three. When Kaczynski’s brother came forward in February 1996 to report Ted, Jim was sent with a small advance team of FBI Agents to Montana to investigate Ted Kaczynski. On April 3, 1996, he was part of the FBI arrest team that apprehended Kaczynski at his cabin in Lincoln, Montana. He remained on the UNABOMB Task Force as part of Kaczynski’s trial prosecution team, until Kaczynski plead guilty in January 1998.
In August, 1998, Jim was sent as part of an investigative team of FBI SWAT trained agents to Nairobi, Kenya, to investigate the Al Qaeda bombing of the U.S. Embassy. Their investigation began after the FBI evidence teams had completed their work at the Nairobi U.S. Embassy site and departed Kenya. Their investigative team worked with the Kenyan authorities in arresting and deporting to the United States two Al Qaeda members who had participated in the bombing.
While in the San Francisco Division (Oakland Office), Jim worked drug, gang and terrorism violations. He also served as an FBI firearms instructor and an assistant SWAT team leader. With SWAT and while stationed in Oakland, he participated in the FBI Outreach Program. This program paired FBI SWAT members with underprivileged junior high school students in the Oakland school district, in a type of mentoring role.
In 2012, Jim was transferred to the FBI Louisville division, where he worked on public corruption investigations. He retired from the FBI in 2021, after thirty years of federal service. He currently lives in Frankfort with his wife and son. The Hall of Fame is very pleased to recognize Jim Huggins for his outstanding career in protecting our nation from harm. We have all benefitted from his successes.
JAMES A. TUTT, JR.
FCHS CLASS OF 1977
James A. “Jim” Tutt, Jr. (his son receiving the his award on his behalf pictured above) was a native of Frankfort, graduating from Franklin County High School in 1977. He received a B.S. in Economics and an MBA from the University of Kentucky, and he embarked on a distinguished 40 year career as a commercial finance professional, including 32 years in commercial banking.
Throughout his working career, Jim held a wide variety of finance related positions, including high level positions with JPMorgan Chase, Bank One, First Chicago, and other leading financial institutions. As a Senior Real Estate Lender, Jim originated a broad spectrum of commercial real estate project financings and became very experienced in development and construction lending, mezzanine structure, private equity, interest rate risk management and permanent conduit lending. His widely varied experiences in commercial banking facilitated his development of technical skills in real estate project finance and project modeling, as well as practical skills in problem resolution, team development and process management. From 2007 through 2014, Jim was the principal of VineBranch Enterprises, Ltd., a financial consulting company servicing commercial real estate developers by providing project related financial advisory services. Beginning in 2015, he was the CRE Market Executive for the Southern Region of Old National Bank in Louisville, which included Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Kansas and Missouri. In his positions he was known as a thought leader and supporter of the business and banking community. He also supported the Louisville Downtown Development Partnership as chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, and he also served on the board of the Omni/Luxury Hotel Bonding Authority, where he served as Board Chair for 6 years. His influence and impact on his community were powerful and wide-ranging.
During this time that he was working in commercial finance, Jim also willingly shared his knowledge as a teacher. He was involved in professional education for almost 30 years, serving on the faculty of the RMA Ohio Valley Chapter Commercial Lending School at Ball State University and the University of Indianapolis for 10 years, and on the commercial real estate faculty of the Risk Management Association in Philadelphia for 15 years.
Jim Tutt was a consummate professional, but his greatest passions in life always remained his family and his faith. He loved traveling, winemaking, sailing, time at the lake, boating with his family, his Kentucky Wildcats, and, most of all, helping others. For over a decade he led annual missions to the Dominican Republic, bringing the message of Christ and humanitarian aid to those in need. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and has always been known and loved for his dedication to his family, his kind heart, his patience and his incredible sense of humor.
Franklin County High School is very honored to be able to recognize Jim Tutt for his outstanding contributions to his profession, his community, and society as a whole. His name will now be inscribed for posterity in the halls of FCHS as a member of its Hall of Fame.
RICK A. HILES
FCHS CLASS OF 1966
Rick Hiles is a man who wears many hats in the thoroughbred racing industry. And it all started while he was a student at FCHS. During the summers, he worked on horse farms, having absorbed a passion for racing from his father. After graduating in 1966, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam. When he returned home from the Air Force, he worked at several different jobs, but his love of horses and racing continued to grow. In 1972, he borrowed the money from a local bank to buy his first racehorse. Finally, in 1979 he decided to go into racing full time. The rest is history.
Rick calls himself an “every day” horseman, but his career as a thoroughbred horse trainer is far from every day. He has always maintained a modestly sized stable (about 30 at the most) but he has consistently notched winners. Since 1976, his stables have had 5,361 starts, with 665 first place finishes, 645 seconds, and 688 thirds, with total earnings of $13,308,906. His horses have run in almost every racing circuit in the country. He is still racing, with a current stable of 5 horses, and with 8 starts so far in 2025.
Rick’s influence in the thoroughbred racing industry has gone far beyond that of a successful owner and trainer, however. He has spent more than 40 years working tirelessly for the interests of owners, trainers, and backstretch personnel in his role with the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association (KHBPA). He served as a Director and then Vice President of the organization and has been the President of the Kentucky HBPA for the last 24 years. He also served as the national HBPA President for 3 years, and is currently the elected First Vice President of the group.
Rick has been at the forefront of negotiating with racetracks so horsemen are ensured to receive their fair share of revenue. During his presidency of the group, Kentucky has seen the advent of simulcasting, advance deposit wagering, and historic horse racing, changes that have demanded a strong advocate for the people of the industry.
Rick has also served on numerous industry boards. For the last 15 years he has been chairman of the Kentucky Racing Health and Welfare Fund, the entity which provides medical benefits and sustenance of members of the racing community from uncashed pari-mutuel tickets. He has also served on the Equine Drug Council for 12 years, and is a member of the board of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. The thoroughbred racing industry in Kentucky and across the nation owes a great deal to Rick Hiles, not just for his training skills, but for his compassion for and advocacy of the individuals involved in the industry.
Franklin County High School is honored to have him as one of the newest members of its Hall of Fame.
Mary Elizabeth Bailey serves her community and the Commonwealth of Kentucky every day with high integrity, great skill and knowledge, and deep commitment and compassion. She is a shining example of the qualities instilled by Franklin County High School, and a very deserving member of the FCHS Hall of Fame.
Congratulations to all! for more pictuters from the dinner, please see here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19qh7maAYvDbH_Tk73Eb3kNU9-61moUGA?usp=drive_link