Berry Craig's Notebook: Clarence "Big House" Gaines

On August 7, 2017, the Clarence 'Big House' Gaines monument was unveiled at Robert Coleman Park. Gaines (1923-2005), a Paducah native, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He was the first African American coach inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Gaines coached men's college basketball coach with a 47-year coaching stint at Winston-Salem State University. Gaines attended Lincoln High School where he played basketball and was an All-State football player. He graduated as salutatorian in 1941. Berry Craig interviews Betty Dobson, historic preservationist, about the Memorial to Gaines that was recently constructed. Berry Craig, a WKCTC Professor Emeritus of History, has been the host of Berry Craig's Notebook since 1989, the year he came to the college after spending a dozen years as a daily newspaper columnist. A 30-minute talk show, Berry Craig's Notebook features a variety of guests and topics. Craig has talked baseball with a New York Yankees scout with a quartet of World Series championship rings and has listened to a harrowing tale of a World War II B-17 bomber crewman shot down in the English Channel. In between, Berry and his guests have discussed politics, history, civil rights, women's rights, labor unions, movies, religion, humor, psychology, ecology, music, business, and more. Paducah 2 Television is produced through the facilities and administration of West Kentucky Community and Technical College.