Benton, KY - The Marshall County School District is proud to announce the inductees who will comprise the 2027 class of the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame: Dr. H.W. Ford, Mr. Frank Nichols, Mr. Brian Roy, and Major General Robert Siegfried.
The Marshall County Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame recognizes and celebrates the vast history of successful alumni produced from Marshall County Schools. Inductees for the 2027 class were selected by a committee of MCHS alumni, community members, and district officials.
A reception to honor these inductees will take place Friday, February 5, 2027 in the MCHS Cafeteria beginning at 5:00 pm. The public is invited to attend. The inductees will also be recognized at approximately 7 pm that evening between games of the basketball double header vs. Calloway County in Reed Conder Gymnasium.
CLASS OF 2027 INDUCTEES:
Dr. H.W. Ford
Dr. H. W. Ford is an alumnus of Calvert City High School, graduating with the class of 1949. He joined the US Air Force for four years during the Korean War. After departing from the Air Force, he attended Murray State University and subsequently medical school at the University of Louisville. He completed his medical residency in St. Louis. He returned to Marshall County in 1964 practicing at the Benton Municipal Hospital, now Marshall County Hospital, where he became Chief of Staff. He was appointed to the Marshall County Public Health Board in the 1960s. He served as medical director at the Health Department from 1990 until his retirement in 2012. The board room at the Health Department is dedicated in his honor. He was an avid competition runner for many years completing ten marathons including Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, and New York. The Marshall County Chamber of Commerce awarded him with its Citizen of the Year award in 2013.
Frank Nichols
Frank Nichols is an alumnus of Benton High School, graduating with the class of 1948. He served in the US Navy aboard the USS Buck during the Korean War. He was recognized as the visionary leader of CFSB (formerly Bank of Benton) from 1983 to 2009. During his tenure, the multi-bank holding company saw a six-fold growth in assets. His national impact can be attributed to his work on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank. He served as a regent at Murray State University and after retiring remained involved in over fifty trade and community-based organizations. His silver tongue placed him on stages at gospel and Southern Harmony sings and he continued his family’s long-time support to Benton’s Big Singing event.
Brian Roy
Brian S. Roy is an alumnus of South Marshall High School, graduating with the class of 1973. He received both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree at Murray State University. In the mid-1970’s he was the original employee/manager that began the Marshall County Ambulance Service. He spent many years in law enforcement serving as Marshall County Sheriff from 1982 to 1999 then as a US Marshal for the Western District of Kentucky. He was the longest serving Marshall County Sheriff in history and served as the President of the Kentucky Sheriff’s Association. Upon retirement from law enforcement, Brian spent many years
working for the Kentucky Association of Counties in various capacities including executive director. He served as President of the MSU Alumni Association in 1999. He has served four terms as a board member of the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Authority.
Major General Robert Siegfried
Robert B. Siegfried is an alumnus of North Marshall High School, graduating with the class of 1964. He was appointed to the Air Force Academy where he graduated in 1968 with a degree in engineering management. He later received a Master of Arts degree in counseling from Ball State. He served at multiple duty stations across the globe. He is rated a senior pilot with over 3000 flight hours in multiple aircraft and helicopter variants. He had more than 260 combat hours in Southeast Asia where he received two awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm among his several commendations. During
his service, he was a Mission Lead of the splashdown quadrant for Apollo 17 in 1972 and Mission Commander of the helicopter contingent which recovered the Jonestown Massacre victims in 1978. He retired as a Major General in 2004 after 40 years of service. General Siegfried continues to serve in multiple capacities as a teacher, administrator, executive pastor, or board member to various churches and pastors. He and his wife of 55 years reside in Montana.
Nominations are always open—if you or someone you know would like to nominate a Marshall County alumnus to the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame, please visit our district website at marshall.kyschools.us and click on “Distinguished Alumni” at the top of the page. Nominations can be submitted digitally, or the printable nomination form can be completed and mailed to our office at 86 High School Road, Benton, KY 42025.
An account has also been created to allow those that wish to contribute to the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. The donations may be eligible to be considered a charitable contribution for tax purposes:
Check made payable to Marshall County Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame - Mailed to:
Marshall County Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame
86 High School Road
Benton, KY 42025