Celebrating Patsy Cline Picks New President By: Daneesha R. Davis The Winchester Star Not only can you hear the excitement in Judy Sue Huyett-Kempf’s voice, but you can practically feel it bursting from her. Huyett-Kempf was named the new president of Celebrating Patsy Cline Inc., the nonprofit organization created to honor the country music sensation who was born in Winchester. “It’s an honor,” Huyett-Kempf gushed on Friday. “I wanted to learn so much about her. And over the years, she’s become a part of me and my life.” Huyett-Kempf’s appointment as head of the Winchester organization comes a week after former president Philip Martin was removed from the position for reasons that have not been disclosed. He became CPC’s president in March. Right now, Huyett-Kempf said her objective is to get a permanent Patsy Cline museum in Winchester open in 2006. The museum’s temporary location is on the Loudoun Street Mall. She said the group’s architectural firm is working with local companies and the nonprofit will be meeting with designers. “We are well on our way,” she said. Huyett-Kempf said becoming president of CPC was a goal of hers since she started serving on its board of directors. “I’m just falling all over with excitement,” she said. As an employee of the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Huyett-Kempf said tons of people would call and come to the visitors’ center to get information about Cline. “These inquisitive fans wanted to know so much about her and it just dawned on me, there has to be something here in the area for her,” she said. So Huyett-Kempf created a Patsy Cline bus tour, which is now a major attraction for tourists coming through the area. Huyett-Kempf once met a man from England who was a devout fan of Cline’s. She said he wanted to walk where Cline walked and eat where she ate. “This is the fever we hear and see, and this is what we want to capture,” she said. Exhibits in CPC’s permanent museum would detail Patsy’s entire life, from her early years in Winchester to her fame in Nashville. “She [Patsy] was a lady way ahead of her time in the music world,” Huyett-Kempf said. The new CPC president is also thinking ahead to the possibility of including Cline’s home on South Kent Street and her former workplace, Gaunt’s Drug Store at the corner of South Loudoun Street and Millwood Avenue, as historical attractions. “This is so exciting, and to finally almost be there,” she said. “We’re almost ready to open those doors.”

Originally Published In The Winchester Star On December 10, 2005







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