 Wendell Ford was born near Owensboro , in Daviess County , Kentucky , on September 8 , 1924 . He was the son of Ernest M. and Irene Woolfork ( Schenk ) Ford . His father was a state senator and ally of Kentucky Governor Earle C. Clements . Ford obtained his early education in the public schools of Daviess County and graduated from Daviess County High School . From 1942 to 1943 , he attended the University of Kentucky . 
