Dora Neal Henry
Dora Neal Henry was born on November 9, 1930 on Chestnut Stand Mountain in Estill County. Her parents were Frank Neal and Betty Campbell Neal. They were honest, had working and good Christians who loved all of their ten children. Her family had no luxuries but were taught to distinguish right from wrong.
Dora’s family moved to Irvine when she was the age of five. When she was six, she enrolled in Irvine’s Graded School and graduated from Irvine High School in 1949. Dora states that, “R.F. Flege, Superintendent of the Irvine Independent Schools, inspired me to always try to do better than average. This I always try to do.”
Dora feels that one of the most noteworthy events of her life was when she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior in 1944 when she was fourteen. She says, ”He is my Friend, Helper and the Guiding Light in my life”.
In 1949, Dora was employed by Attorney J.M. Wolfinbarger as a Legal Secretary. She also served as a clerk to Maggie Wolfinbarger, Estill County Clerk; bookkeeper to Accountant Bill Sexton; Manager of the Daniel Boone Loan Company; and Estill County Treasurer. She was elected to the office of Estill County Clerk in 1974 and continued to be elected until she retired in 1994.
She had a challenge as County Clerk. There was very little space, limited and old equipment and furniture. Many of the record books were in need of repair and located in the wet basement of the courthouse with a lot of bugs. Dora painted, made pads for chairs, built a counter and purchased shelves with the help of the Fiscal Court. She applied for grants for funds to purchase new furniture and equipment, repaired the record books and had them microfilmed and the film sent to Frankfort to insure that backup records would be available should something happen to the courthouse. She is also proud that the Fiscal Court eliminated the water problem and got rid of the bugs.
In 1985, Dora applied for a grant for electronic indexing of the County records. This was a massive undertaking. The grant allowed her to start feeding the index in the computer every spare moment they had and in the fall of 1993 every document in the Clerk’s office was electronically indexed. She said, “I retired in January, 1994 feeing that as far as my tenure was concerned, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”.
Dora was recognized for her outstanding service as County Clerk by the Kentucky Public Archives in Frankfort and by Software Management, Inc. Dora is grateful for those awards but most importantly, she loves and appreciates the people of Estill County and those outside of Estill County. Everyone who was ever served by Dora Henry will always think of her as the friend who referred to them as “Honey”. She will always be endeared for her friendly personality.
Dora is blessed with two sons, Richard Lynn Henry and Tony Wayne Henry. She has four grandchildren, Trevin, Elizabeth, Ryan and Kendra. She says, “I’ve enjoyed the journey. God is faithful.”
Dora’s family moved to Irvine when she was the age of five. When she was six, she enrolled in Irvine’s Graded School and graduated from Irvine High School in 1949. Dora states that, “R.F. Flege, Superintendent of the Irvine Independent Schools, inspired me to always try to do better than average. This I always try to do.”
Dora feels that one of the most noteworthy events of her life was when she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior in 1944 when she was fourteen. She says, ”He is my Friend, Helper and the Guiding Light in my life”.
In 1949, Dora was employed by Attorney J.M. Wolfinbarger as a Legal Secretary. She also served as a clerk to Maggie Wolfinbarger, Estill County Clerk; bookkeeper to Accountant Bill Sexton; Manager of the Daniel Boone Loan Company; and Estill County Treasurer. She was elected to the office of Estill County Clerk in 1974 and continued to be elected until she retired in 1994.
She had a challenge as County Clerk. There was very little space, limited and old equipment and furniture. Many of the record books were in need of repair and located in the wet basement of the courthouse with a lot of bugs. Dora painted, made pads for chairs, built a counter and purchased shelves with the help of the Fiscal Court. She applied for grants for funds to purchase new furniture and equipment, repaired the record books and had them microfilmed and the film sent to Frankfort to insure that backup records would be available should something happen to the courthouse. She is also proud that the Fiscal Court eliminated the water problem and got rid of the bugs.
In 1985, Dora applied for a grant for electronic indexing of the County records. This was a massive undertaking. The grant allowed her to start feeding the index in the computer every spare moment they had and in the fall of 1993 every document in the Clerk’s office was electronically indexed. She said, “I retired in January, 1994 feeing that as far as my tenure was concerned, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”.
Dora was recognized for her outstanding service as County Clerk by the Kentucky Public Archives in Frankfort and by Software Management, Inc. Dora is grateful for those awards but most importantly, she loves and appreciates the people of Estill County and those outside of Estill County. Everyone who was ever served by Dora Henry will always think of her as the friend who referred to them as “Honey”. She will always be endeared for her friendly personality.
Dora is blessed with two sons, Richard Lynn Henry and Tony Wayne Henry. She has four grandchildren, Trevin, Elizabeth, Ryan and Kendra. She says, “I’ve enjoyed the journey. God is faithful.”