Whitesburg man who spent career building community receives 2025 EKLF award

WHITESBURG, Ky. (WYMT) - When a couple from Connecticut found themselves in the mountains 56 years ago, they never knew their investments in the region would bear fruit, or that the life they built together would also include building an entire community, focused on arts, culture, and coming together.

But it came as no surprise to those who nominated them to see one of the Richardsons recognized at this year’s East Kentucky Leadership Awards.

A New Haven happy hour in 1968 got the clock running on a lifetime of happiness for Bill and Josephine Richardson.

“That’s where I met Bill. And we were talking about this happy hour, and he said, well what do you wanna do now?” said Josephine.

The couple never imagined their story would lead to Eastern Kentucky, where they soon became an integral piece of the puzzle to help share the stories only the mountains can tell.

“The idea of having a film workshop, which is what it was- and we didn’t really know what it was then,” said Bill. “Nobody had done one.” The two planted an Appalachian community film workshop in Whitesburg, which has grown into the staple now known as Appalshop. The Richardsons said it was a way to work with young and creative minds in the area that needed an outlet, using recommendations from a teacher in the area who knew where the focus should be.

“And they were outside in the community, working,” Bill recalled. “In a couple of weeks, we had a production company. It was really a serious company.”

He says an old camera and a burning passion for the region soon began cranking out stories, giving people a place to be themselves.

“They just were so self-motivated. You know, we got to talk, and they just had everything they were doing. They’re bouncing it all off and I’m right in the middle of it.” From there, the group began growing and creating, with no way of knowing it would become an institution for creation, representation, inclusion, and innovation decades later.

“Well, it went into so many diverse things, depending on what somebody wanted to do,” said Josephine. Once the programs began running on their own, with many boots on the ground in film, theater, radio, and more, Bill began looking at different places to devote his time. The family was growing, and he wanted to go back to his roots, so he took his leadership to the drawing board where he started building community in a literal since.

“Buildings don’t talk too much, you know, but they really bring on the power of working together and they’re something substantial,” he said.

The Yale graduate soon got his license to design and create, launching his own architecture firm. The firm would soon design schools, libraries, banks, and more, in Letcher County and beyond. “We did very well because we were doing all of these projects, and we could show them real projects being built here. And you know the ownership of being in the community like that really sells you,” he said.

That desire to build a better region fueled projects across county and state lines, with many large structures that the communities rely on every day- including at least 17 projects in the Whitesburg area alone. However, the recently retired king of concept says he never truly considered how much he was making a mark on the region.

“Sometimes you don’t think of what you’re doing either,” said Josephine. Still, he is proud of the people and partners who have helped him curate and create throughout the life he has led. And his wife says he always led with love and created with community in mind. “I think it was a certain knack that you had that you always wanted other people talking with you,” she said. “I think that made a huge difference.” Which is why the 2025 East Kentucky Leadership Award for Culture and Arts was awarded to Bill Richardson.

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