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James Kittrell

James Kittrell
Name
James Kittrell
Hometown (Last School)
Lexington (Lexington High School)
Seasons
1925-26
Birthday
October 1, 1904

James Kittrell was born James Bingham Kittrell on October 1, 1904, in Columbia, Tennessee to James Ernest Kittrell and Letitia “Lettie May” Bingham Kittrell.

Kittrell was a native of Columbia, Tennessee. He attended Lexington public schools and played high school basketball for Lexington Senior High School (now Henry Clay).  He served in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of captain.

He played on the freshman Kentucky basketball team in 1924 and saw action in one game for the varsity in 1925-26.  He also served on the Pan-Hellenic Council at Kentucky and was president of Delta Chi social fraternity his senior year.  He graduated from Kentucky with a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Sciences.

Kittrell married Marie Warren Beckner, of Winchester, Kentucky, on June 23, 1928.  They had one daughter, Marie Beckner, and two sons, James Bingham Kittrell, Jr. and Lucien Cartwright.  Lucien died from measles when he was just six years old.

He was associated with the U.S. Rubber Company before becoming a partner with his father in his motor firm, the Kittrell Motor Company.

In 1942, in support of the war effort, Kittrell became a civilian automotive advisor attached to the Civilian Parts and Maintenance Division of the U.S. Army Armored Forces at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The post was one of three set up by automotive units under the supervision of General Motors.  Later he was commissioned as a First Lieutenant and reported to the U.S. Army Armored Force at Fort Knox on November 2, 1942, for service. His family resided in Elizabethtown, Kentucky while he was stationed at Fort Knox for four years.  He attained the rank of captain before returning home to Lexington in January of 1946. 

He was a former vice president of Kittrell Motor Co. and was a member of the City Planning and Zoning Commission from 1952 to 1963. He was treasurer of the commission.

He was a vice president and director of Delta National Gas Co., a director of the Cape Codder system, a past president of the Lexington Automobile Dealers Association, and a former director of the Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association.

He passed away on May 15, 1966, at the Veteran’s Hospital after a long illness.

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 18, 1966, Louie Dampier joined the 1,000-point club.  He did it in 53 games.

 

On March 18, 1966, Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the nation, faced off against No. 2 Duke in the 1966 NCAA Final Four.   Louie Dampier (23 points) and Pat Riley (19) led the top-ranked Cats past No. 2 Duke in front of 14,253 at the Cole Field House in College Park, Md.

 

On March 18, 1972, Adolph Rupp coaches his last game at UK, a 73-54 loss to Florida State for the Mideast Region title in the NCAA Tournament.

 

On March 18, 1978, in the 1978 NCAA Tournament round of eight, sophomore point guard Kyle Macy scored nine points in the final 6:16 to rally the Wildcats past Michigan State and freshman star Earvin “Magic” Johnson before 13,485 at the University of Dayton Arena.

 

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