Combs also formed the state's first Human Rights Commission and ordered the desegregation of all public accommodations in Kentucky.[9] The latter action was commended in a letter to Combs from President John F. Kennedy.[2] In 1961, Combs was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Kentucky, and on February 17, 1962, he received an award from Keep America Beautiful for his work on cleaning up Kentucky's highways, including securing passage of a bill requiring that auto junkyards near major roadways be screened from view by fences.[6][50]