Jim King, 73B
Jim King, longtime Louisville Metro Council member, banker, and one of the most powerful figures in Jefferson County, died on Jan. 14 at age 63 following a long battle with multiple myeloma. King, a self-made businessman, did not want his cancer to define or distract him from his true passion. He began his career at the Henry Vogt Machine Company while in college at UofL. After graduation, he joined Ernst & Ernst (now Ernst & Young) and became a certified public accountant. Founding his own firm, King and Company, PSC in 1981, King believed in utilizing new technology and computers and became an expert in bank holding company formations. He later acquired a bank which became King Southern Bank that now has six Louisville locations. Since 2004 he has served on the Louisville Metro Council, becoming vice chairmen of the Democratic caucus in 2005, Democratic leader and caucus chair in 2006–2007 and then president for the first time in 2008. His efforts proved instrumental to the recently announced Omni project, the KFC Yum! Center, and other initiatives related to UofL.
Frank J. Gitschier, 50A, passed away on Dec. 7, 2014. Frank joined the U.S. Navy after high school and later enrolled at UofL in 1946 on a football scholarship. After becoming a starting quarterback and linebacker, Gitschier joined the football staff and thus participated in the recruitment and coaching of Johnny Unitas. He stands as one of a select few in the UofL Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. In 1955, Gitschier was selected as a special agent for the F.B.I., where he served 23 years. He was creator and chairman of the Frank Camp Chapter of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, promoting football at all age levels. Under Gitschier’s leadership, the Foundation gave away almost a half million dollars in scholarships, and annually presented the national Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Trophy to the outstanding senior college quarterback in the country.
Charles Edward Wardle, Jr., 66B, past president of the UofL Alumni Association, passed away Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, at the age of 70. A graduate of Waggener High School and UofL, Wardle earned a master’s in Spanish Literature from the University of Kentucky in 2000. He dedicated more than 30 years of his life to professional development in non-profit fundraising, serving as the first Director of Planned Giving for the Christian Appalachian Project; Director of Planned Giving at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky; Executive Director of the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation in Lexington, Kentucky; and Director of Donor Relations, Planned Giving with the Catholic Diocese of Orlando. Wardle was recently inducted into the Knights of Columbus Council #2505, and was a member of the Church of the Resurrection in Lakeland, Florida.
