Bluegrassrivals

Coach Gillispie Helps Lincoln County Woman In Need


The “General Store” has been somewhat of a legendary call in radio shows for years in the Lincoln County area.

People call in with almost anything you can think of to buy or sell. But one recent call was quite different.

“Someone even made the comment; you could hear the despair in her voice,” said Morning Show Announcer Jayme Phillips of the caller.

A woman said she needed to sell her car to pay for a trip to Cleveland to attend her father's funeral.

“She wasn't asking for help. That's what makes this so unique. She wasn't on there begging for help,” said Phillips.

Later, the host took another call in response.

“She answered the phone. The guy said, ‘Renee, my name is Billy and I would like to help this lady out’.”

That “Billy” turned out to be none other than Billy Gillispie and sure enough, after the call for help turned to be legit, a check arrived from the UK coach himself.

Announcers say why Billy Gillispie was listening to a "buy-sale-trade" call in show an hour’s drive from Lexington isn't important.

“He just heard a need, and like Renee said, it really didn't matter who he was. He was just a man with a kind heart and he just did the right thing.”

Thats an awesome thing to do!

That was great of him!

15thRegionCrazy Wrote:That was great of him!

Yes it was!

VERY Classy!!!!

Imagine how fortunate that woman must feel. Glad to see Billy already giving back to the people in this state, especially in a case like this.

:AngelPray There are good people out there!!! I hope this inspires a lot more people to help out in times of need.

Thats an awesome story.

I willing to bet that he also didn't ask for the car. What a GREAT act!!!

Just a great story and makes me like Coach Billy G. even more!

A very classy and generous thing of BCG to do!

Nice of him...good karma.

Why was he listening to that call in show for though??? I wouldnt have been..

Amun-Ra Wrote:Why was he listening to that call in show for though??? I wouldnt have been..

Because God works in mysterious ways.

I love the guy, and I hope he's at UK till he retires..not only is this generous, but this is flat out cool..

BILLY G answer call for help lady called in to a buy and sell show and said she needed to sell her car to get to Cleveland for her dads funeral and Billy G sent her a check to go on may not be a bad guy after all it was on wymtnews.com.

The Guru Wrote:Because God works in mysterious ways.

I agree!

courier-journal.com
Friday, February 22, 2008 E-mail this | Print page



UK's Gillispie gets an assist on radio show
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Gillispie



by:

Byron Crawford



» View previous columns


The gentler side of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie surfaced several days ago through a phone call to WPBK-FM in Stanford, about 35 miles south of Lexington.

Among the most popular daily programs on the station is the "General Store," through which nearly 100 callers a day advertise for free the sale of everything from chickens and ducks to prom dresses, to a tailgate for a Chevy S-10, to fishing tackle and bulldozers.

A female caller had just explained to show host Renee Knies that she wanted to sell her 1991 automobile for $600 because she desperately needed money to attend her father's funeral in another state.

"Maybe two or three callers later, a man called and said, 'Renee, my name is Billy, and I'd like to help that lady,' " said station manager Knies. "I said, 'Okay, Billy,' and he said, 'How would I do that?' "

Assuming that the man might want to donate a few dollars, Knies asked him to call back on the office number after she got off the air at 11 a.m.



"He called, and on my caller I.D. in the office it said, 'Billy Gillispie,' " Knies said. "Of course I know who Billy Gillispie is. … but I didn't know if it was the Billy Gillispie."

The two discussed how much money the woman might need and where she was going for the funeral. Knies phoned the woman to double-check details, and contacted a funeral home north of Cleveland, Ohio, to confirm the woman's story before calling Gillispie back with the information.

"He said to me, 'I want to make sure she has enough money to buy the right clothing if she needs an outfit or something like that.' And that really struck me, because most men don't think about an outfit." said Knies. "And he said, 'I want to make sure she has money for gas and to eat and to stay in a hotel.' And he said, 'Do you think maybe now she won't have to sell her car?' "

The two agreed on an undisclosed amount and Gillispie promised he would overnight a check to Knies. She hung up believing she had spoken with the Kentucky coach, but out of respect for his privacy she had not asked.

"So the next day the UPS man came … and the envelope said 'UK Athletics,' and inside is a really nice basketball card that folded open, and said, 'Renee, thank you for helping me to help this lady. God bless, Billy.' It was a personal check from him that I had to cash and give her the money."

Knies said the woman initially was not told the identity of the man who sent the gift, but that the woman told her, "I don't need to know. I already know -- he's my angel.'"

Radio station personnel chose at first not to release the story, knowing the coach preferred it be private -- but word gets around in a small town. The still-unidentified woman who received the donation was told Gillispie's identity after she returned from her father's funeral and the story was picked up by local newspapers and a TV station.

"Coach has been reluctant to talk about it," said Scott Stricklin, UK associate athletic director for media relations. "When I asked him about it he said, 'I didn't do this for attention, I was just trying to help somebody out.' "

Stricklin said the coach, a native of the small town of Graford, Texas, is apparently a fan of WPBK's "General Store" broadcast, which airs between 9 and 11 a.m. Monday through Saturday at 102.9 FM.

" 'Do you ever listen to that show?' " Stricklin said the coach asked him. " 'There's some great stories on there. Reminds me of the same kinds of things you might hear back home in Texas.' "

Byron Crawford's column appears on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Reach him at (502) 582-4791 or [email]bcrawford@courier-journal.com[/email]. Comment on this column, and read previous columns, at http://www.courier-journal.com/byron.