RELEASED: October 8, 2009

By Leigh Ivey

DANVILLE, KY—Just 10 miles northwest of Danville is Harrodsburg, Ky., the home of the well-known and much-loved Beaumont Inn. Run by the Dedman family, the inn is a historic bed and breakfast that also features a renowned fine-dining restaurant and a casual tavern.

Although dozens of Centre students frequent the Beaumont Inn and Old Owl Tavern each month, many aren't aware of the strong bond between the inn's owners and Centre College.

Currently running the inn as fourth-generation innkeepers are Chuck Dedman '75, his wife, Helen Dedman '75, and their son, Dixon.

The Dedman family doesn't only have a legacy at the Beaumont Inn. Three generations of the family have been students at Centre College, beginning with T.C. Dedman Jr. '38 and his sister, Anne Dedman Cherry '35.

T.C. Dedman (who was named a Centre College Distinguished Alumnus in 2001) and his wife, Elizabeth Ransdell Dedman '40, met at Centre, which was also attended by William Ransdell '36, Elizabeth's brother.

Like their parents, Tom Dedman III '65, the late Libby Dedman Young '68, the late Anne Dedman Hunt '73, Chuck Dedman '75 and Nick Dedman '75, all graduated and met their spouses at Centre.

Making up the third generation to attend of the family to Centre are Shelly Hunt Delaney '98, the daughter of Anne Dedman Hunt and Scott Hunt '71; and Amy Dedman '04, the daughter of Nick and Elaine Dedman '77.

"I'm not sure why other families have such a legacy at Centre," says Helen Dedman, "but for our family, I think it was because of the wonderful reputation Centre has throughout the country. And for the younger generations, seeing the strong friendships and connections their parents had made at Centre played a role in their following them to the College."

With such strong ties to Centre, the Dedman family enjoys hosting members of the Centre community at their inn and tavern—and they expect to see many of these community members during this year's Homecoming weekend at the end of October.

"We always fill up for Homecoming weekends, and we love it," Helen says. "And we're honored to do the alumni luncheons that we host."

The inn, of course, isn't visited only by the Centre Community. In fact, its charm, service, and award-winning cuisine have led to its being featured in numerous newspapers, as well as in Southern Living, Life magazine, Gourmet magazine and USA Today. And in 2002, the Dedman family was awarded the Duncan Hines Excellence in Hospitality Award.

As the word continues to spread about their impressive inn, the current generation of owners remains humble.

"We love the people we meet and work with that make it possible to carry on this wonderful tradition," Helen says. "We realize what a responsibility we have to the former generations and we are honored to carry on the tradition."

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.