I often mention telephone calls, cards, letters, and e-mail that I receive from out-of-town as well as locally. But I rarely print them in this column due to space requirements and other considerations.
However, I received one a week prior to homecoming and I am quoting it now because Veterans Day is fast approaching and it has special meaning to me. And I believe that it will have special meaning to a lot of our citizens - especially our veterans.
The following letter came to me from Mr. Ray Young of 550 11th Avenue South, Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Included with the letter were some outstanding photos taken in our downtown including the Veterans Monument. Any time I get discouraged and think of letting up with the efforts I am making, I seem to receive something to lift my spirits. And Mr. Young's letter certainly had that effect.
I am writing you to commend you on your efforts to restore/preserve the old downtown section of Jellico. As a child I would visit downtown Jellico every Saturday from Elk Valley to see a movie or have a coke float at the drug store. In 1959-61 that was a big treat for a 11-12 year old boy. What lies captured in these pictures reminds me of my idea of what was good about America and my special part of the United States of America is Jellico.
I am a Vietnam Veteran and part of my reason for being in that place was preserving my idea of what America was about. Jellico was and is a real part of that heritage.
I encourage you to continue your efforts to preserve that fine heritage as evident in the Vets Park and beautification of old Jellico.
Yours, Ray E. Young"
I cannot adequately express my thanks to Mr. Young for those comments.
Mrs. Sue Anderson of Detroit, Michigan who is currently living with her mother on Indian Mountain Road, stopped me in town last week to thank me for what I and others have been doing to improve our town. And she says that relatives who visit them are glowing in their praise of what has taken place within the past several months. Those relatives pick up my columns from the internet just to keep up with the positive changes being made.
And I also received an anonymous letter in the mail last week from someone who did not wish to be identified for a special reason that he or she stated in the letter. But the writer asked me in this column to "...tell everyone that living in this town is like living in a whole new place. People have good attitudes, and the town is looking so much better and cleaner. It's actually nice to tell people I am a citizen of Jellico. You've got my vote next time around, and from now on..."
Jellico means so much to me and it is evident that it means as much to a whole lot of other opeople - here and away - as the above letters and all of the local comments and those received at homecoming clearly demonstrate. Knowing that there are so many people who support me (and those who are helping me) and appreciate what we are trying to do is reward enough. And after receiving comments like those in Mr. Young's letter and from others, it truly does not matter to me any longer what the City Council does in hiring a City Administrator - although I personally have become even more opposed to the position itself.
Mr. Young spoke volumes about a situation of which I doubt that he is even aware. But his comments clearly reflect my feelings that I continuously try to express in this column about why Jellico is so important to so many of us. And that is why I, with the help of those who are supporting me, intend to continue the improvements that Mr. Young and the others wrote and talked about.
I appreciate the writer of the anonymous letter as well!!! The letter included another topic in addition to the above comments. And I certainly appreciate all of the other contacts and compliments that I have not listed.
For the past two weeks I have been citing other towns that have activities designed to draw people to their areas. I have mentioned Barbourville and Williamsburg. And now I understand that Caryville has a "Fall Festival" that is well attended. And we are all familiar with the Corbin "Nibroc" festival and London's "Chicken Festival" and many others too numerous to list.
It is time we get involved with such activities that often bring in thousands of dollars to a community. And barring some unforseen circumstances, Councilman Jim Dobson and I plan to get something going in that respect. And as I said last week, we have a good starting point with our live music in the downtown park. And our "Old Fashioned Night" gave us some good experience upon which we can build.
I have received a copy of the video made by Swedish National Television. Swedish TV recently did a news story in this area as a follow up to a documentary they made here several years ago. That documentary outlined the near collapse of the coal industry and the economic problems that developed following the decline of coal as our main source of employment.
The recent news story did dwell somewhat on the fact that some of our problems have continued. And there were some negative comments from two or three locals that were interviewed.
However the producers emphasized that we are attempting to bring our town and area back from the decline. And they did air the part of my interview in which I stated that we are working hard to restore our town and to develop a positive attitude that improvements can be accomplished in all areas.
My interview was followed by another short interview with local barber, Mr. Bill Neely. Mr. Neely mentioned some of the actions presently taking place to bring about improvements including some new businesses that have recently moved into town.
All in all, it was generally more positive than many of the stories that media have done in this area in previous years.
I want to thank Mrs. Dorothy Potter for sponsoring a special "Story Hour" last Friday for our children. As I have stated several times in the past, the opportunities to hold such activities has more than justified the efforts and costs required to construct the new building housing the library.
And numerous visitors to our town including those attending homecoming this year, comment on the great improvement it makes to our downtown.
(Hopefully the historic plaque has been placed upon the building by the time this column is published.)
I mentioned to Mrs. Potter that an awful lot of people tell me that they read and appreciate our new community bulletin board erected by Barton-Carey Medical Products. Mrs. Potter says that she has an equally large number of library users to tell her the same thing.
And I want to thank everyone who helped in any way with "Trick or Treat" night. It is a very enjoyable time for the little fellows but it is a source of concern for many adults due to the potential dangers involved. We are fortunate to have so many people willing to devote the time to protect our children.
The landscaping presently taking place on the grounds surrounding the new water purification facility is going to create a beautiful area for lawn, flowering trees and shrubs. That should present a nice scene for tourists (and locals) as they travel Indian Mountain Road approaching the entrance to our state park.
Mrs. Joyce Hicks has informed me that the local senior citizens organization plans to honor senior veterans at the center. A special evening is planned for Tuesday, November 9th starting at 5:30 PM (in conjunction with the center's regular dinner.)
All senior citizens and all senior veterans are invited to attend.
Plans for a Jellico Veterans Day observance had not been finalized at the time this article was submitted to the Advance-Sentinel. I have asked the Jellico JROTC and area veterans to conduct an observance and the local boy scout troop indicated interest in participating also.
I realize that many of our veterans (including myself) will probably be working at 11:00 AM on Thursday, November 11th but I hope that the event is held and that as many as possible will participate. (I will announce plans next week!)
I just received a copy of an evaluation of the Jellico Housing Authority (JHA) by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The comprehensive evaluation form allowed for a total of 100 points and the JHA received 100 points.
That certainly is an outstanding achievement and I want to congratulate all JHA personnel for receiving a rare perfect rating.
We recently had a special call meeting of the City Council as well as our regular meeting for October. Some of the actions taken by the Council during the special call included awarding bids to Tennessee Asphalt to do street paving of Tennessee Avenue, Poplar Street and Queener/York Street. The Council also voted to purchase a "Deluge System" for the Fire Department and a new salt spreader for the Street Department.
The regular meeting included a discussion of the proposed Campbell County Animal Control and Protection Program with action delayed until the November meeting. The surplus property sale was discussed and a piece of property in question was awarded by the Council to Stan Marlow, the original bidder. I also informed the members in attendance that the tables and chairs had arrived for the Community Conference Room but that an additional rack is needed for the tables. The room will be available for public use as soon as guidelines are developed for its use and usage fees determined.
The Council approved internet services for the library and Office of Tourism. Bowlin Roofing was awarded the bid to do repair work on the city owned building now utilized by Jamie's Curtains and Decor.
I informed the Council that Taylor Manufacturing had decided to give up the building on South Main Street although they have spent so much time and money on it's renovation. And the monthly financial statement presented to the Council by City Recorder Betty Hurst emphatically pointed out the great fiscal condition that we presently enjoy (we had $552,000.00 in reserve as of September 30th, and that following the appropriation of $100,000.00 for capital outlay purposes). The recent surplus property sale was shown to have netted approximately $75,000.00.
The Council is advertising to bring in a City Administrator. But we need help for our City Recorder, Mrs. Betty Hurst, far more than we need a City Adminsitrator. Mrs. Hurst's workload has increased to the point that it is beyond what any one person should be expected to do.
Should she choose to leave the job or be forced to do so due to illness, I do not know what the city would do. We badly need to hire a full time person as her assistant and begin training that person for the future.
Bruce Signs has begun some work toward the marking of our railroad crossings with warning signs. And I hope that that work will be completed soon. The markings are badly needed for safety.
Mrs. Leann Mozingo, Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 456, has informed me that a "Winter Camporee" has been scheduled for Indian Mountain State Park. The Cumberland Region District that includes Oneida, Huntsville, Tazewell, Caryville, Jacksboro, LaFollette, and of course Jellico, will be here during the period January 15th and 16th. That will probably be Jellico's first time to host a district jamboree (scouts from Knoxville do camp at Indian Mountain State Park every year).
Congratulations to Leann and everyone connected with Troop 456 for bringing the jamboree to Jellico.
I mentioned again last week that we will undergo the ten-years census in April of next year. The previous Council chose the Mountain Womens Exchange as the citizens' group to serve as the required "Complete Count Committee". The MWE has worked with the census before and for the past several months has been training and otherwise preparing for the year 2000 count. I certainly appreciate all of their volunteer work that is involved.
This week I want to recall some earlier days of Branam Hill that I can personally recall. (I committed to do so during homecoming).
As a seventh or eighth grader, I began to deliver newspapers in Jellico (Knoxville News-Sentinel). And Branam Hill made up part of what was my very first paper route. I eventually carried most, if not every, route in town.
I picked up the papers each afternoon at a small grocery store operated by the Silcox familiy on Newcomb Pike about half way up Branam Hill. My first deliveries were at the home of Joe Davis, Lil Chambers, S.K. Sellers and Randle Parrott. From there I took in Dan and Louisa Moses and the home of Joe Smiddy, Sr. (he called me Giovannia and I referred to him as Guisippi). I continued past the residences of the Roundtrees, Todds, Warmings, Polly Davis, Freemans, Creekmores, John L. Baird, Parks, Gibsons (two unrelated families), and Scoggins.
Going up the hill I passed the Packs, Heatherlys, Douglases, Leaches, Kidds, Mitchells, Bowlins, Perkins, Hales, Johnsons (Grandparents of postal employee Robert Johnson) and Luther Baird. (I know that I am leaving out several family names that I have trouble recalling).
I purposefully left the homes of Taylor Wilson, Lawrence Redmond, Lula Lockard, Orlando Larish and Cecil Brown until last. And that was because those families lived directly along the highway leading to the old Hilltop Tavern. And I knew that upon arrival at the Hilltop, that either Joe Dobson or Sewell Stair would be working. And I also knew that there would be a big cold Pepsi for me and often times, there would also be peanuts or potato chips as well. It was the perfect ending for that portion of my route and I often times had to force myself to complete my route on time although I almost always did. Joe and Sewell usually paid the weekly bill of thirty-five cents with a half dollar. And they always told me to keep the change. A fifteen cents tip was a big thing for a young boy in those days.
Usually my last stop and one of my favorite stops was at the home of George Dobson, Sr. He and Mrs. Dobson were aware that someday, somehow I planned to go to college. And they never failed to encourage me in every way that they could. I will never forget them for that encouragement.
(Sometimes I would go back to the Smiddy home when pecans were on the trees. They had a big pecan tree that was usually full and they always told me to take all that I wanted. And my nearly empty paper bag could hold a pretty good load).
The recent passing of Mrs. Mae Lockard Gilreath reminded me of an incident at ther home that I have never forgotten and sometimes still get a laugh when I recall it. At that time Mae's mother lived with her and was well into the advancing years.
To get to their front porch, I had to climb some very steep steps leading up from the highway. One day as I started up the steps, I saw and heard Mrs. Lula Lockard holding the front door open and yelling for me to hurry and get up there. I did hurry and was almost out of breath when I reached the porch. I thought there was some type of emergency.
Mrs. Lockard very excitedly told me that she wanted me to go into the house where they had placed "The Old Devil" himself. Being fourteen years old and having been constantly warned to avoid "The Old Devil" at all costs, I was understandably a little hesitant to go into the living room where he was. But curiosity as to what he looked like finally gave me enough courage to go in to where the "Prince of Darkness" was lurking.
And there he was - having taken the form of a seventeen inch black and white television. And to make matters worse, a terrible program was playing ("Pinky Lee" as best I can recall).
Mrs. Lockard was like a lot of the elderly generation at that time - highly suspicious of all the new fangled gadgets coming on the scene. Mae told me later that her mother never stopped referring to the televisioin as the "Old Devil". But she had trouble tearing herself away from it. (My own grandmother always talked the same way about our first television that my father purchased on New Year's Day, 1953. But she watched it from the time the test pattern came on early in the morning until the station signed off late at night. She always insisited that she watched the TV just to see "What the devil was doing to gain peoples' minds". Considering what television has become in later years, she and Mrs. Lockard may have been right to watch for that reason.)
When I meet and talk with people like George Dobson, Jr., Gladys Creekmore, George Wilson, Joe Brown, Harold Gibson, Dottie Parrott Bargo, members of the Sellers family, Robert Johnson and several others, I am almost always reminded of those great days I spent on Branam Hill. Some of the finest people I have ever known made that hill their home.
Final Note:
A few times in our lives we have an opportunity to feel a part of something that is historically significant. I was in the Armed Services when the world literally held it's breath for three weeks during the "Cuban Missile Crisis" when it seemed that World War III could start at any time. Another time I was serving as Sergeant-at-Arms for a top-level staff meeting and was instructed that the meeting was not to be interrupted for any reason. But I made the decision to disregard those orders when word was flashed that our Commander-in-Chief, President John F. Kennedy, had just been shot. I will certainly never forget that day although there have been other somewhat less critical moments in my life.
Two Saturdays ago, Gary Owens, Mike Ward and I participated in a historical event that was far more enjoyable. We attended the first Tennessee-Alabama football game to be held on the University of Alabama campus since 1930. And it was a war between the two states. Both governors were reportedly in attendance along with Lamarr Alexander and numerous other federal and state officials and dignitaries. Bryant-Denny Stadium has been improved and expanded until it is now a beautiful facility seating 88,000 or so. The improvements and expansion led to the movement of the game from Birmingham's Legion Field. Bryant-Denny was jammed to capacity and scalpers were asking as much as $250.00 for a good seat.
Looking at the field, I remembered that it was probably the site for Gene "Wild Bull" McEver's famous kickoff return in 1928 that lifted Tennessee from something similar to today's NCAA Level II into a Division I football power that has won two National Championships, several Southeastern Conference Championships and numerous Bowl Championships. Alabama was reluctant to play Tennessee at that time becuase they did not consider the Vols competitive.
McEver reportedly told his teammates to block or get out of his way. In either case, he did take the opening kickoff back for a touchdown on the way to one of the biggest upsets in the history of college football. And many call it the biggest play in the history of University of Tennessee football.
This year's match-up created one of the best atmospheres for a college football game that I have ever experienced and I have been to more than a few. The thousands of Tennessee fans (so many that they helped to jam Interstate Highway-59 and force the Alabama State Highway Patrol to close the interstate until some of the cars moved on out of the area) really got into the game more than for any other game I can recall since the 1986 Sugar Bowl.
But what really made the game so enjoyable this year was the fact that us Tennessee fans got to sing the last songs. Prior to the start of the game, the Alabama "Million Dollar Band" played while over 75,000 Bama fans stood and sang, "We are going to beat the (heck???) out of you!!!" Following the game, the "Pride of the Southland" played the same music and the thousands of Vol supporters similarly rose and sang, "We just beat the (heck???) out of you!!!"
That was followed by the Tennessee players singing the unofficial Alabama fight song, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" that had been played prior to the kickoff - much as we hear "Rocky Top". However the Vol players substituted the words, "We own Alabama"!!!
It was indeed a sweet experience for us Tennessee folks so far away from home!!! But I dread the payback somewhere down the road!!!
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