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SPOTLIGHT
ON THE ARTS - March 2005 by Deanna Mascle The Power of the Written Word To date, the foundation has published more than 100 printings and editions of books by Stuart and other authors with ties to Kentucky and Appalachia. Nance is especially proud of the foundation’s success and growth. “What began with Jesse Stuart has grown to incorporate a host of Appalachian authors. The JSF has been able to provide hundreds of books to older generations that remember a time gone by and relive it again through Stuart’s books and others. At the same time, we have introduced “Appalachian values” to the current generation.” The foundation controls rights to Stuart’s published and unpublished literary works. Since its restructuring in 1985, the JSF has reprinted many of Stuart’s out-of-print books along with other books that focus on Kentucky and Appalachia, and also serves as a regional press and bookseller. The foundation’s primary purpose is to produce books that supplement the educational system at all levels. It has thousands of regional books in stock and makes those materials accessible to teachers and librarians as well as general readers. In addition, it promotes Stuart’s legacy through videotapes, dramas, readings and other presentations for school and civic groups. In keeping with Stuart’s lifelong commitment to teaching, the foundation publishes materials carefully designed for school use. “We are proud that Jesse Stuart’s books are a guideline to the solid values of America’s past. With good humor and brilliant storytelling, Stuart praises the Appalachian people whose quiet lives were captured forever in his wonderful novels and stories. In Jesse’s books, readers will find people who value hard work, who love their families, their land, and their country; who believe in education, honesty, thrift, and compassion—people who play by the rules,” says James M. Gifford, chief executive officer and senior editor of the foundation. “Today, we are so caught up in teaching children to read that the process has obscured its higher purpose. Children require more than literacy. They need to learn, from reading, the unalterable principles of right and wrong. “That is why Stuart’s books are so important. They allow educators and parents to make reading fun for children while teaching solid values at the same time. In a world that is rapidly losing perspective, we at the JSF believe we must help educate tomorrow’s adults for responsible citizenship,” he says. The Jesse Stuart Foundation, Inc, was chartered in 1979 in Louisville, Ky., as a non-profit organization. The foundation operated for several years in office facilities provided by Ashland, Inc., before acquiring the former Ashland Post Office building in November 2000 as its permanent home. In the early 1980s JSF assisted with the management and preservation of W-Hollow, the Stuart family’s homestead in Greenup County, Kentucky. Soon thereafter, that beautiful acreage became the Jesse Stuart Nature Preserve under the ownership and management of the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission, an agency of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Today the Foundation operates a bookstore on site and sells books internationally through mail orders, its own Web site (www.jsfbooks.com) and the Web sites of Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other major retailers. “The Jesse Stuart Foundation’s business plan is simple: ‘make and sell books.’ We want to continue to produce quality and attractive books that not only attract readers, but other Appalachian authors as well,” Nance notes. “There are many ‘new voices’ in Appalachia that are gaining popularity, regionally and nationally.” Deanna Mascle is a
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Copyright 1996-2005, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content is copyright 2005,
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The Jesse Stuart Foundation is the second largest publisher in Kentucky and the largest publisher of Appalachian books according to Brett Nance, director of marketing and finance for the foundation. 
Much of the foundation’s leadership came from board members until the position of executive director was established on a full-time basis in 1985 and filled by Gifford, an Appalachian scholar on the staff of Morehead State. Gifford launched the JSF’s highly successful publishing operation in 1986 and while he remains on the University staff, he is on permanent assignment to the foundation.