Rooted in Henry County

By the time Jim Minter arrived at King’s Grant, he had already lived a life that stretched across decades of change, industry, family, and quiet resilience. He is 95 now, and still wakes up early—most mornings by 7 a.m.—to head downstairs and work out alone in the gym. Two machines, six days a week: one for the legs, one for the upper body. No fuss, no fanfare.

Born on a small farm off Barrow’s Mill Road in Henry County, Minter traces his roots to the very land he still calls home. That road, in fact, carries the name of his great-great-grandfather, who once ran a water-powered corn mill along its banks. “My ties go back a long way,” he said, a quiet pride in his voice.

After studying industrial arts at Western Kentucky University—and joining the Air Force through the ROTC program to help pay his way—he returned to Henry County with both a degree and a new sense of direction. He met his first wife, Marjalee, in college. He was a senior. She was a freshman. “That’s her up there,” he said, pointing to a portrait on the wall. “She was beautiful.”

Minter’s early career started at American Furniture, where he found himself at the center of post-war industrial change. “They were transitioning from manual systems to conveyors,” he recalled. “It was a big shift. A fascinating time.” He had worked summer jobs at DuPont during college—”a good summer job,” he said—but it was at American where he honed his engineering skills.

That skill set led to a pivotal invitation. After giving a speech at a national furniture convention, he was approached by executives at Bassett Furniture who saw in him a future leader. Soon after, he and his wife were invited to dinner. A job offer followed. Minter would spend the next 30 years at Bassett, retiring in 1997.

He started by planning a plant expansion that would double capacity. He ended by overseeing facilities across the U.S., flying himself in a privately-owned plane to plants in Georgia, North Carolina, and even Los Angeles. Over the course of the years, he owned three planes, using them for business trips that spanned the country.

Bassett was booming in those years, but by the early 1990s, cracks were beginning to show. “Manufacturing started moving overseas,” Minter said. “That’s when I sold the last plane. I didn’t need it anymore.”

Minter’s second wife, Judy, was 15 years his junior and a talented church musician who authored a series of student instruction books for organ. They met through mutual friends after his first wife was tragically killed in an accident. Judy passed away just over a year after moving with him to King’s Grant.

“She was a dancer,” he said, flipping through old photos. The couple had belonged to multiple dance clubs and spent weekends gliding across floors from Martinsville to Greensboro. Minter had started ballroom dancing later in life, after taking a class at a local college. “We had a lot of fun.”

There have been losses—his son died during the COVID-19 pandemic—and changes, including his decision to remain in Henry County rather than move to Richmond to be closer to his daughter. But for Minter, King’s Grant is home.

“This is where I’m meant to be,” he said.

He still rises early. Still walks with quiet purpose. Still holds stories like folded maps, worn but precise, each crease a memory.

At 95, he says the secret is simple: move your body, care for your mind, and stay rooted. In place. In habit. In history.