Staff report

WURTLAND, Ky. — Before former Ironton pharmacist Danny Bentley was a Kentucky state representative, he was a kid playing ball with his friends. One of those was Don Gullett, who went on to athletic fame and a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, in his legislative position, he led an event to add the famed pitcher’s name to the Industrial Parkway which links Greenup County to I-64. And he took the opportunity to speak about his teammate and friend.
Gullett was born in Lynn, in Greenup County, and played baseball, football and basketball at McKell High School in South Shore.
He pitched a perfect game in high school, striking out 20 of the 21 hitters he faced. In football, he racked up 72 points in a single game with 11 touchdowns and 6 extra points. Gullett was a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds from 1970-1976 and the New York Yankees from 1977-1978. He was a coach for the Reds from 1993-2005. And he was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2002.
“I’d rather tell you personal stories than his bio,” Bentley said. “You can look that up on the Internet.”
To help tell those stories, he asked anyone who had played ball with Gullett to join him and share their own memories. The years have changed their appearance but the young players they once were came out in the tales they shared.
Bentley talked about driving to games with Gullett and the others and how the man never changed after going to the big leagues. He said joining the Reds and gaining athletic stardom didn’t make a difference.
“He was still the same country boy he always was,” Bentley said. “When he came back here, he was the same old Don.  I never heard him say a bad word about anyone. He was humble to a fault and loved to help people.”
Gullett’s family posed for a picture after the new sign was revealed, the parkway providing a backdrop. Unlike some occasions where everyone leaves as soon as the reveal is over, Don’s family, friends and former teammates stood in the shade of the farmer’s market building to remember the man and his influence on their lives and the county he never forgot.