The Pillar of the Mountain

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Between 1937-41, the tragic past of the fullback for the University of Kentucky football team was a guarded secret. No one was sure where he had come from. And no one knew why he never spoke about his family. All they knew was that Claude Hammond was extremely tough. Claude was an orphan from a mean Appalachian coal town. He witnessed his own mother's murder and lived on the streets before being taken in by distant family members. He knew, somehow, that he was his family's only hope for a future. Through courage and sheer determination, Claude transformed his own life and the lives of his family members, putting his own children as well as nieces and nephews through college. He was a catalyst, transforming a family from tragedy and poverty to education and prosperity. Claude kept his past a secret, even from his own children. As a college student in the 1970s, the author discovered the shocking facts about his father's childhood. How Claude overcame tragedy is an inspiring story.