Lucille Caudill Little

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Lucille Caudill Little (August 20, 1909 – October 8, 2002) was an American arts patron and philanthropist who led a major Kentucky foundation that supported the arts and education across Central and Eastern Kentucky.

She was born in Morehead, Kentucky, into a family of professionals. Her father was a lawyer, banker, and judge, and she grew up with several siblings. Lucille studied music for many years, earning a bachelor’s degree in voice from Ohio State University in 1932, and she pursued further study in New York at Columbia University and Juilliard. After performing in New York, she taught speech and helped start a theater program at Morehead State Teachers College, and later taught at Sayre School in Lexington.

In 1937 she married W. Paul Little, a successful businessman and thoroughbred breeder, and they made Lexington their home. In 1979 Lucille Little survived a kidnapping attempt; she helped police by driving to the bank to retrieve her ransom and then reporting the crime, which led to the kidnapper’s capture.

As president of the W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Foundation, she focused on supporting the arts and education in Kentucky. The foundation gave grants to theaters, museums, libraries, universities, and other cultural programs, often in the range of thousands to millions of dollars. Highlights of her philanthropy include funding for the University of Kentucky’s Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library (opened in 2000) and the Lucille C. Little Theater at Transylvania University (completed in 1999). The foundation also supported Kentucky Educational Television and established endowments to promote arts in elementary education. In 2011, the foundation announced its largest awards to date: $2.5 million each to Lexington Children’s Theatre and Morehead State University scholarships for arts students.

Lucille Little received honorary doctorates from several colleges and was recognized in Kentucky’s Women Remembered exhibit. Her generosity left a lasting impact on Kentucky’s cultural and educational landscape. She died in Lexington at age 93.