Steve Gilmore held three of the most volatile positions that anyone could have in Ashland – the city mayor, the school superintendent and the Tomcat head basketball coach.

Those are three of the most second-guessed jobs in Ashland. Every decision is publicly scrutinized, criticized and magnified unfairly. In Gilmore’s case though, at the end of the day, those decisions he made were more often than not celebrated.

“Everybody is a coach, and everybody is a mayor, and everybody thinks they want to be superintendent,” Gilmore told me in one of several stories that was written about him. “I think you develop perspectives. You learn perspective so much better. You don’t have that growing up and in the eye of the storm.”

He’s made friends and made enemies, pleased some and angered others. But, along the way, Gilmore said he’s always tried to be fair. He also considered himself fortunate to have lived and worked in a place he loved so much.

“I’ve been the most blessed person in my hometown,” he told me. “I may be the most blessed person anywhere.”

Gilmore has stood firm even in the face of criticism be it as the Tomcat basketball coach, city commissioner, mayor or superintendent.

The late David Payne, of his best friends, once told me about Gilmore: “He stands by what he believes. You have to admire that. All those jobs have their share of second-guessing. But he never backs down.”

Heartfelt tributes are pouring in for Gilmore, who died early Wednesday morning after an extended illness. He is a giant in Ashland lore, somebody who had a deep love for the city where he grew up and a favorite son whose impact will be felt for generations to come whether it was in politics or school administration.

But he’s even more Ashland than that. Gilmore pitched in the first Little League game in Ashland history in 1955, played against the great 1961 Tomcats as a high-scoring star for Holy Family and became the youngest coach in Ashland history at 27 years old in 1972. He was also on the ground floor of the rebuild of Putnam Stadium which today is one of the state’s best places to watch high school football.

Steve Gilmore was a popular politician who was a city commissioner and eventually the mayor, even running unopposed one term which, at the time, was also a first in Ashland history. Like any politician, he had an ego but he did not let it get in the way of fairness, a trait he carried with him throughout his life.

Gilmore had a sense of Ashland history, too, which was why he was so humbled when awarded the Elks Sports Day recipient in 2012. He was awed by those who had come before him and even helped him become the person he was. The history was important to him.

Few have had the passion for the city Gilmore exhibited, said Charlie Reliford in a 2012 interview. During Reliford’s umpiring days, he was nicknamed “Mr. Ashland” for his constant references to his hometown.

“As I started to leave Ashland — and you know how much I care about Ashland — I always felt like he cared more than I did. He took the job as mayor when Ashland Oil was leaving, and it looked like hard times. But he made things better. He’s always been a great representative of Ashland, Kentucky, no matter what he was doing.”

Gilmore was a standout basketball player for Holy Family, where he graduated in 1961, and he went on to play four years of basketball at Rio Grande. The basketball teams from Gilmore’s era still meet every year for reunions, a testament to the closeness of the players and coach. He returned home after college, landing a job as a teacher/coach at Putnam Junior High. That started him on a long and highly successful trek right here in his hometown.

“This school district has been my life and it’s been good to me. It’s the people who you teach with, coach with and interact with that make it special,” Gilmore said during an interview after he was awarded as a Distinguished Tomcat. “It’s an older community, and I’m part of that. The whole community is Ashland, and I wouldn’t trade this town for any town in the world.”

Gilmore’s journey took him from Ashland to Rio Grande and back to Ashland again where he remained a friend and vital cog in the community for more than five decades.

Ashland was home for him, and he didn’t want to be anyplace else.

“I’ve said this many times — and I certainly didn’t coin the phrase — but it’s hard to be a hero in your hometown,” Gilmore once told me.

In the case of Steve Gilmore, though, the cape with the A on it fits more perfectly than he dared to dream.

He will be remembered that way in Ashland. A hero, and a friend to the end. RIP, good friend.