02/07/2026
Black History Note
Judge W. “Skip” Bedford Jr. appointed the first American of African descent by Governor Paul E. Patton as Kentucky’s first arbitrator and Workers Compensation Judge on Feb 21, 1997 and June 16, 2000 respectively. Judge Bedford was also employed and served as the first Black Labor Law Attorney for Amoco/ BP oil company upon graduating from Law school in 1974. I am proud to salute my Dad, the eldest of fourteen children born and raised in public housing in Covington, Ky across the Ohio River from the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
- A. Leland Bedford