Kassie... The High School Years

Judy Woodring, Kassie's Junior High and High School Drama Teacher shares stories from Kassie's youth.

The first time I saw Kassie Wesley she was a tall, skinny little seventh grader with long arms, long legs, beautiful eyes and hair down to her waist. She was singing before a packed crowd at a local function and her voice was anything but "small" as it filled the room. Even at a young age, Kassie had a way of connecting with an audience when she sang. As she grew older and became a part of my speech and theater program at Union County High School, I knew I had a star. There never was a role that she couldn't play whether it be comedy or drama. She was able to take small parts in a big production and somehow make that small role the best character acting in the show. For example, I wrote an original script in 1978 which we took to the State Drama Festival at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. It was to be an ensemble play with each person having equal parts. I did this partially because I had so many talented students at the time. Not only did we win the Drama Festival but every single critic mentioned Kassie Wesley's beautiful performance when she sang a cappella. I have never heard anyone before or since able to sing The Lord's Prayer like Kassie. Once when returning from a speech tournament in Lexington, we were asked to stop and perform for the troops at Fort Knox. Kassie brought the house down! She could have stayed on that stage singing for hours and both she and the soldiers would have loved it. It's not Kassie's voice necessarily that makes her such a good singer---even though it's beautiful---it's her charisma and ability to touch her audience. People can see and feel her passion for her music. You have to see Kassie perform to appreciate the depth of her talent as a singer.

One thing Kassie's fans may not know about her acting, is that she is great at comedic roles. Many times her comic timing and characterization stole the show. As a matter of fact, it was the leading role in a comedy that brought her the Best Actress Award at the prestigious Southeastern Theater Conference competition in Atlanta, Georgia when she was only 17.

I believe some of her crowning moments as a high school student were when she was Union County Junior Miss and represented her county in the State Junior Miss Scholarship Program. At the state competition she won the Talent Award, Poise and Appearance Award, Interview Award and would have won the title if not for someone else having a perfect grade point average. The judges wanted Kassie to win and represent Kentucky but the Junior Miss Officials wanted someone with perfect grades. To this day, I know had she won Kentucky Junior Miss she would have joined Diane Sawyer as the National Junior Miss from our state. Since then, the state organization has begun to realize that it is the all-round talents that make the best candidates. Kassie was honored by the Kentucky Junior Miss Association as their special guest in the late 80's. Never known to "crack the books" her grades were still excellent and she graduated near the top in her class, was a class officer, played on the golf team, was an officer and active participant in 4-H, was voted Most Talented by her classmates and won the Drama Award among many others. In the four years she participated on our competitive speech and debate team, she won hundreds of trophies and represented Kentucky at the NFL and CFL National High School Tournaments.

One of my fondest memories I have of Kassie was when she decided to enter the local beauty pageant---Miss Union County Fair--when she was a senior. She brought her two "pageant" gowns out for me to approve. I didn't have the heart to tell her that both looked like they had come from the local thrift shop. You see, Kassie's favorite place to shop was the local Dollar Store. What was amazing was that she would buy something for a couple of bucks and look like a million dollars. She wore her bargain gown in the County Fair Pageant and, of course, she was beautiful. She could have worn a paper sack and still won as her poise, natural beauty and charm made her head and shoulders above all those other girls in their sequined dresses and professional makeup. I was told when I visited Kassie in New York that she always does her own makeup; that's the artist in her as well as her determination to not be "waited on" by others. She is always humble and thoughtful of other people. This is evident by how much she gives back to her hometown and community.

Kassie's most enduring quality is her love for her family and old friends like me. To this day, I know if I ever needed her for anything she would be by my side. She has continued to give me far too much credit for her success because her talents are God given. Kassie is a talented artist (she paints and draws), singer and actress but more importantly she has an inward love and beauty that make her a loving and giving person. She is the daughter I always wished for but never had. The friend I can always count on and the one student that has made me proud to say that I am a teacher and coach.

About the Author: Judy Woodring was Director of Forensics at Western Kentucky University, where her speech and debate students recently won all three national tournaments in competitive speech and debate as well as the International Title. She was Kassie's high school speech and drama coach/teacher and remains her close personal friend. Recently Professor Woodring was inducted into the Kentucky High School Speech League Hall of Fame and was named College Coach of the Year. Still, she lists as the single most memorable moment of her career the episode where Kassie made her television debut on Guiding Light. Union County High School classes shut down for an hour so all the faculty and students could watch Kassie.