Martha Wilkinson

Martha Carol (Stafford) Wilkinson (b. August 28, 1941, Casey County, Kentucky) was the First Lady of Kentucky from 1987 to 1991. She is the wife of former Kentucky Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson.^[1]

In 1960 she married Wallace G. Wilkinson and together they started the Kentucky Paperback Gallery in 1963 which later became Wallace's College Book Company. Martha Wilkinson is business manager of the Wilkinson Farms.^{[citation needed]}

The gown Wilkinson wore at her husband's inauguration was a gift from her sister, Catherine Rubards. She wore it with a gold, ruby and diamond necklace given to her by Governor Wilkinson.^{[citation needed]}

Martha Wilkinson created "Martha's Army" to fight adult illiteracy.^[2] Wilkinson's group used techniques such as a telephone hotline, (800)-GED-ARMY, and financial incentives to encourage Kentucky high school dropouts to earn a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.^{[citation needed]} In 1990, country-music singer Waylon Jennings, who dropped out of school in the 10th grade, earned a GED through Martha's Army.^[3]

In 1991, when her husband was term limited from seeking a second consecutive term, Wilkinson announced her candidacy for governor. She withdrew from the race before the Democratic primary when polls showed her trailing Lt. Gov. Brereton Jones.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} B. Drummond Ayres Jr. (May 30, 1991). "Even Winners Worry at Kentucky's Weak Vote". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/30/us/even-winners-worry-at-kentucky-s-weak-vote.html. Retrieved December 14, 2010. 
2. ^ Bush, Barbara (1994). Barbara Bush: A Memoir. New York: Scribner. p. 310. ISBN 0743254473. http://books.google.com/books?id=q0qdrPsi0eEC&pg=PA310#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved December 14, 2010. 
3. ^ "Waylon Jennings Revels in GED". Los Angeles Times. January 29, 1990. http://articles.latimes.com/1990-01-29/news/vw-933_1_waylon-jennings. Retrieved December 14, 2010. 

Preceded by Dr. Bill Collins

First Lady of Kentucky 1987–1991

Succeeded by Libby Jones

Persondata
Name	Wilkinson, Martha
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 24, 1941
Place of birth	Casey County, Kentucky
Date of death
Place of death