TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY

Local News

September 17, 2009

Sparkman ‘victim of apparent crime’

As long-sought career begins, it comes to an end for Laurel man

By Carl Keith Greene / Staff Writer

“He loved the kids and always had a smile,” said Gilbert Acciardo, family resource director at Laurel County’s Johnson Elementary School.

William E. Sparkman, Jr. was a substitute teacher in Laurel County schools and also a field representative for the U.S. Census Bureau.

He was found dead Saturday in southern Clay County.

Census Bureau Executive Director Dr. Robert Groves notified census employees of the incident by e-mail Wednesday morning.

He wrote, Sparkman “was the victim of an apparent crime and passed away this past weekend at the age of 51.” He added, “I wanted all Census Bureau staff to know of this incident, and ask you to keep Mr. Sparkman’s family in your thoughts and prayers.”

Sparkman’s body was reportedly found at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday in a wooded area near Hoskins Cemetery, about 18 miles south of Manchester.

Police are releasing no details on the manner of Sparkman’s death.

According to Clay County Chief Deputy Sheriff Gary Harris, the area in which the body was found, on Arnett’s Fork, is near Double Creek off KY 66. He described it as sparsely populated.

According to Clay County Coroner James Trosper, the body was sent to the state medical examiner for an autopsy.

Acciardo called Sparkman “a very conscientious employee who worked in the after-school day care programs at Bush and Camp Ground schools,” as well as Johnson.

It was Johnson Elementary where he began his quest for a bachelor’ degree in mathematics education, which he was awarded in 2007.

He told a reporter in a March 2008 Times-Tribune story that he became involved with Johnson school when his son, now 19, attended there. His son could pass tests easily, but struggled with assignments, Sparkman had said.

So Sparkman decided to volunteer in the classroom and eventually was hired as a teaching assistant. He later became a substitute teacher for the school system.

Beginning in September 2005, he began taking online classes with Western Governors University in Salt Lake City.

In December 2007, he graduated from the school and in February 2008, drove to Utah to participate in the graduation ceremony.

He told the reporter in 2008, “It took me five days to make the four-day trip, thanks to Mother Nature, and the harsh road conditions in Wyoming. But once I got to Utah, it was clear sailing the rest of the way.”

During his studies, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

But the cancer failed to stand in his way. He continued to work at the school, except on Fridays when he was scheduled for chemotherapy treatment.

The treatment ended in March 2008, and, by others’ accounts, he had been doing well at the time of his death.

Sparkman was waiting for a math teacher position to open while he substituted as a teacher, worked at the after-school programs and worked with the Census Bureau.

He told the reporter, “I’m hoping to stay here in Laurel County, but I’d be willing to travel to any of the other schools, if that’s where a position opens. My home, my life, is here in Laurel County, and this is where I want to stay.”

A recent student of his as a substitute, Kelli Greene at South Laurel High School, remembered him as, “well loved. We at the high school called him ‘Sparky,’ though he didn’t like it too much. He always had a smile on his face, even when students prodded him about the toboggan he would wear to cover his growing hair resulting from his (cancer) treatment.”

Details surrounding Sparkman’s death are limited at this time.

Anyone with information regarding Mr. Sparkman or this investigation is urged to contact Detective Donald Wilson or the Kentucky State Police at (606) 878-6622 or at 1-800-222-5555.

Text Only
Local News
  • Police search for suspect in highway beating

    It was called by some as “road rage,” but Barbourville Police say last Saturday evening’s fight at a city intersection was definitely an assault. And they are still looking for the man who police say threw the first punch.

    May 24, 2012

  • Woman gets five years for drugs

    In U.S. Federal Court Wednesday, Heather A. Collins, who was called by Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove as a “kind of leader for the group,” was sentenced to five years after using prescription forms to acquire various drugs.

    May 24, 2012

  • Father, son rearraigned for meth charges

    A son and father were rearraigned Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in London.

    May 24, 2012

  • 0523 chs Brady Foley.jpg Hounds hold on

    Corbin Coach Rob Ledington rolled the dice after his Redhounds took a 6-0 lead, but it paid off with an 8-7 win over Whitley County as Corbin advanced to the 50th District Championship tonight with an ace up their sleeve.

    May 23, 2012 1 Photo

  • Drugs suspected in fatal Knox County crash

    Drug use may have been a factor in a crash Monday in Knox County in which an 11-year-old boy was killed, according to Kentucky State Police Post-10 Harlan Public Affairs Officer Trooper Shane Jacobs and Sgt. Jimmy Young.

    May 23, 2012

  • Marie Rader wins 89th Rep. District Primary

    Republican Marie Rader won the primary election for the 89th District House of Representatives.

    May 23, 2012

  • Barton wins another circuit court clerk term

    Whitley County voters went with experience when it came to electing the next circuit court clerk, choosing incumbent Gary Barton, according to unofficial election results.

    May 23, 2012

  • Bunch victor in 82nd House District

    For incumbent State Representative Regina Petrey Bunch, the votes came in bunches Tuesday night.

    May 23, 2012

  • Voter turnout higher than expected

    The election day ran fairly smooth in Whitley, with the exception of several precincts losing power briefly and a few complaints regarding signs being too close to polling places.

    May 23, 2012

  • Kenneth S. Stepp to face Hal Rogers in fall

    Two Democrats, Kenneth S. Stepp, of Clay County, and Micheal Ackerman, of Rowan County, running for the Fifth Congressional District ran a heads-together race in the 30-county district.

    May 23, 2012

Front page
Featured Ads

AP Video
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium 50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com