Gill vs. Staples???Betty Bean profi les Demo-

cratic nominee Evelyn Gill from District 1, only to learn that Rick Staples, the man Gill beat 1704-1507 in the primary, might jump into the race as a write-in candidate.

The Republican nominee is Michael Covington.

It could get crowded in District 1.

➤ Read Betty Bean on page 5

Quilters preparePamela Werner of Corryton

loves to learn and says she’s “collecting projects for my retirement.”

Werner is a member of the quilting bee that meets month-ly in North Knox County. The group is preparing for the Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee’s annual show June 17-18, at the Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway. rs.com

➤ Read Shannon Carey on page 3

VBS at ChilhoweeChilhowee Hills Baptist

Church will host VBS 6-8:30 p.m. June 22 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 23-24. The church is at 4615 Asheville Highway.

Info: www.chilhoweehills.org or 522-2422.

➤ Details on page 7

(865) 922-4136

NEWS (865) 661-8777

news@ShopperNewsNow.comSandra Clark | Ruth White

ADVERTISING SALES(865) 342-6084

ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Amy Lutheran

Patty Fecco | Beverly Holland

CIRCULATION(865) 342-6200

shoppercirc@ShopperNewsNow.com

To page 3

VOL. 4 NO. 23 June 8, 2016www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

NORTH / EAST

BUZZ

By Betty BeanTwo weeks ago, Amber Roun-

tree, who served on a task force that studied disparities in aca-demic performances among Knox County students, told her school board colleagues there’s some-thing badly wrong with the state’s funding formula for education.

“You need to be talking to your state legislators about the fact that the BEP (Basic Education Plan) is broken, and our kids are not get-ting what they need,” said Roun-tree, who said that working on the task force taught her that most student disparities are caused by poverty, regardless of ethnicity or disability.

“We all have to come together as a community. We have to all reach out to come up with a solu-tion.”

When asked to elaborate, Roun-tree said Knox County Schools’ greatest need is for additional so-

Rountree Brooks

Rountree calls state funding formula ‘broken’

cial workers and guidance coun-selors. She said these positions have never been adequately fund-ed by the BEP, which was created by the Education Improvement Act of 1992 to settle a lawsuit fi led by a group of small school systems that challenged the way the state distributed money between urban and rural school districts.

The BEP was updated in 2007 (becoming BEP 2.0), but leaders of the state’s larger school systems complain that the state has sim-ply shifted the burden for paying

for education to urban districts like Knox County. Periodically, lawmakers consider bills requir-ing the state to fully fund the BEP, but those measures invariably get punted to a summer study com-mittee black hole.

Rountree said many of the “en-hancements” included in the BEP 2.0 reforms have never been fully funded – guidance counselors and social workers among them.

“Whatever money (Gov. Bill) Haslam put forth this past year hasn’t enhanced that area.”

She said Moreland Heights El-ementary School shares a social worker with Pleasant Ridge El-ementary.

“That’s one person trying to meet the needs of 800-plus stu-dents,” she said. “I don’t think there’s a perfect solution, but the way we’re doing it now is obviously not working. We’re at the bottom of the barrel with educational

funding, and I’m not sure how anyone in the state can rah-rah the virtues of the BEP.”

Rountree said she feels “a lack of connection with representa-tives at the state level – like when Bill Dunn was trying to push his voucher bill through, saying he had a letter from the school board, when in reality it was a letter from (board chair) Doug Harris. The majority of the board did not support Dunn’s bill. And the con-versations I’ve had with Harry (Brooks), I’m not sure he thinks the BEP needs to be fi xed.”

Brooks, who chairs the House Education Administration and Planning Committee and served on a task force convened by Gov. Bill Haslam to work on fi nding more money for education, said that state government has worked hard

To page 3

By J.J. StambaughOf the thousands of men and

women who are released from Tennessee prisons each year, nearly half will fi nd themselves behind bars again within three years, state offi cials say.

But the new Take One program by the Tennessee Department of Correction is aiming to reduce that number by partnering with faith-based groups and non-prof-its to help those recently released from prison make their way back into society.

The congregation of St. James Episcopal Church in North Knox-ville is one of 10 East Tennessee groups to participate.

William Morris, 34, of Jeffer-son City, spent most of his youth in foster homes before he was turned loose as an adult at age 18. He began working construction, but it didn’t take long for him to develop a serious problem with alcohol. Over the years he com-mitted a series of crimes, usually fueled by drinking, and eventually was branded as a felon and Ha-bitual Motor Vehicle Offender by the courts.

This triggered an eight-year prison term and eventually led him to meet St. James Rector the Rev. John Mark Wiggers and his wife, Liz Wiggers, when he volun-teered for the Take One program.

“The concept is you have about 8,000 persons being released each year,” John Mark Wiggers said. “With about 8,000 churches and non-profi ts in Tennessee, we could help mentor folks and help them re-enter society.”

Morris spoke in a careful, mea-sured voice and seemed far more

Tinkerers, knitters, bakers, carvers, illustrators, programmers, cultivators and all kinds of makers will display and demonstrate their creations at Pellissippi State Com-munity College’s second annual MakerPalooza 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat-urday, June 18, in the Megalab of PSCC’s Strawberry Plains Campus. The event is free and open to all.

“Makerpalooza celebrates

STEAM – science, technology, en-gineering, art and math – educa-tion and the National Day of Mak-ing,” said Sarah Graham, a planner of the event and a completion coach of the Southeastern Education and Economic Leadership Consortium grant at Pellissippi State.

“We’re excited to host a variety of makers this year from farmers to welders to knitters and every-

thing in between,” she added. The inaugural Makerpalooza last year was well-attended and featured a variety of technical and craft cre-ations and their makers.

Seth Giles, advanced manufac-turing master lab technician in the Megalab and co-planner of Mak-erpalooza, said, “Makerpalooza creates an environment that re-wards accomplishment – after

all, who doesn’t want to show off their creations? – and also shares information with other makers on how to achieve a task or complete a project, as well as on how a cre-ator arrived at his or her solution.”

Makerpalooza 2.0 is sponsored by Pellissippi State’s Engineering and Media Technologies depart-ment. Info: pstcc.edu/emt/maker-palooza

‘MakerPalooza’ set for PSCC Megalab

William Morris, Liz Wiggers, and the Rev. John Mark Wiggers of St. James Episcopalian Church dis-cuss shared ups and downs since Morris was released on parole.

parolee support, guidance

interested in today than in the traumas of his past. He has a job and recently moved from a half-way house to his own place while he continues to serve out the terms of his parole, which is set to expire in 2018.

He explained how the St. James congregation began writing him letters and making regular vis-its while he was a prisoner at the Morgan County Correctional Complex. Less than a tenth of the inmates who applied for the program found groups willing to

sponsor them, and he said that from the beginning he felt a bit overwhelmed to be the focus of so much positive attention.

Released about six months ago, Morris says the presence of a church family has kept him from falling into bad habits.

Despite having paid off a chunk of his fees and court costs while doing prison work for 17 cents an hour, Morris has trouble fi nding full-time work that pays a living wage. His biggest obstacle is pay-ing the rest of the money he owes,

so he can regain a driver’s license. The lack of a car can prevent even the most skilled construction workers from higher-paying work, said Liz.

“It’s like one step forward and two steps back,” she said. No one seems to know exactly what he owes. “I wish we could help him more. A driver’s license would mean a more steady, increased salary.”

And while the church isn’t able to fund a legal battle on Morris’ behalf,

Church off ers

Nicholas Gibbs open house

The Nicholas Gibbs Histori-cal Society will host an open house 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at the original log home of Nicholas Gibbs, 7633 E. Emory Road. There will be food, mu-sic and an opportunity to learn local history. Bring a fold-ing chair and a potluck dish. Everyone is invited. In case of rain, the meeting will be moved to Clapps Chapel UMC, located just past the homesite. Info: Joe Longmire, 687-0314.

Benefi t sale June 10-11 in Luttrell

A benefi t/garage/yard sale is planned in memory of Union County resident Sarah Howe, 28, who died in a car accident Feb. 3 leaving behind two young boys.

Donations include personal items, antiques, collectibles, glassware, books, jewelry, scrubs, tools, furniture, swing set and clothing – house, shed and carport are full. Cash only, no credit/debit cards. Rain or shine Friday and Saturday, June 10 - 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Redbud Circle, Luttrell.

2 • JUNE 8, 2016 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Joshua and Kelsey Reese

married a couple of months

after his thyroid cancer surgery at Fort

Sanders Regional Medical Center.

0094-0096

Regional Excellence.With more than 250 physicians on the active staff

at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, we provide

the community with the most comprehensive

specialty and primary care available.

Considering his optionsResearch leads school psychologist to choose Fort Sanders Regional for thyroid cancer surgeryAs a school psychologist for Anderson County Schools,

Joshua Reese, 31, evaluates children who may need extra services in school. But Reese put those research skills to work for himself nearly a year ago when he was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.

“My endocrinologist gave me several surgeons’ names and I did research on them, looking at their credentials and reading about thyroid cancer,” said Reese. He chose Dr. Troy F. Kimsey, a surgical oncologist on the medical staff of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

“I felt really comfortable with Dr. Kimsey. I contem-plated and prayed over it, and I felt like it was a good fi t,” he said.

The process began in July 2015, when Reese felt a lump on the left side of his neck. “You could see it protruding; it was palpable. At fi rst I thought it was some lymph node thing, but it grew,” said Reese. His primary care doctor ordered an ultrasound and a CT scan to get images of the mass that was in his lymph nodes.

“He sent me to an ear, nose and throat doctor, and I had the mass removed at the end of August. We did not believe it was cancerous at the time,” said Reese. “He thought it was a cyst. But I got the results back in Sep-tember, and found out it was thyroid cancer.

“I saw Dr. Kimsey on a Thursday and he said, ‘Let’s get this thing out.’ He was very confi dent, and I felt like he was the right one to do the surgery,” said Reese.

Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type of thyroid cancer, although it is three times more common in women than men.

“It has a very good prognosis, certainly a 90-plus per-cent cure,” said Kimsey. “We measure thyroid cancer in 30-year survival rates instead of fi ve years, and if a person is less than 45 years old, it’s typically a lower stage of can-cer and a better prognosis. There are other more aggres-sive types of thyroid cancer, but they’re very uncommon.”

In October, Dr. Kimsey completely removed Reese’s thyroid gland, along with the rest of the lymph nodes on the left side of his neck. Kimsey also transplanted one of Reese’s parathyroid glands into the thyroid area. These rice-sized glands control the level of calcium in the body.

“I was in the hospital three nights,” Reese said. “Going in, I was expecting at least one night in the hospital, but my calcium had diffi culty balancing out so I had to take a lot of calcium,” Reese said.

“I received excellent care at Fort Sanders,” said Reese. “Everyone encouraged me. They rally around you – it was a very positive experience. I had not been in the hospital since I was 5 years old, so it was all really a new experi-ence to me. It was defi nitely great care.”

About a month after surgery, Reese followed up with a thyroid ablation performed by his endocrinologist. The thyroid gland absorbs nearly all iodine in the body. For

a thyroid ablation, the patient eats a low-iodine diet for a few weeks, and then ingests a radioactive iodine pill or liquid. The radiation goes straight to the remaining thyroid cells, while having little effect on the rest of the body. Perhaps the trickiest part is that the patient must stay away from other people for a few days so as not to expose them to radia-tion.

“I went to Fort Sanders and took a nuclear iodine pill, and then I had to be by myself for three days, in isola-tion,” said Reese. He went straight to a lake house owned by the parents of his fi ancée (now his wife, Kelsey Reese).

“So I had a nice weekend by myself, for 72 hours of isolation. Really there were no major side effects,” Reese said. “I just hung out at the lake and watched TV. They had stocked the house with food for me. There was some anxiousness of not knowing the results of my up-coming scan, so that was the biggest part.”

Fortunately, by the fi rst week of December the scan results were back and it was good news. “I got cleared the fi rst week of December, and got married the third week of December,” said Reese. “It was a wild ride for a few months.”

Today Reese takes daily thy-roid replacement hormones, but is back to working with students at school. At fi rst they were curious about the scar on his neck.

“I said I was attacked by pirates,’ ” he joked. “No, I told them what happened, and they were very understanding. I feel like it helps relate to some students.

“I ran the Covenant Health Half Marathon a few weeks ago,” Reese added. “Married life is good. I have to take thyroid medication and keep an eye on it, but I’m doing well.

“It was just an incredible experience with Dr. Kimsey. He’s a faithful man – he prayed with me before surgery, which was an awesome experience. Seeing his confi dence made me feel really good about what I was getting into. Overall, it was a good experience. I overwhelmingly felt cared for at Fort Sanders.”

Surgical oncologist Troy Kimsey, MD, of Fort Sanders Regional, has a

special understand-ing of Joshua Re-ese’s case. That’s because, like Reese, Kimsey is a thyroid cancer survivor. “I underwent a total thyroidectomy in December, 2012,” Kimsey says.

“The overall prognosis for dif-ferentiated thyroid cancer is excellent,”

Kimsey says, “so my challenge has been not to take the diagnosis too lightly, but

also to be grateful it was not a diagnosis with a much worse prognosis.”

Kimsey underwent periodic follow up ultrasounds and labs with no evidence of cancer.

“I take too much for granted,” Kim-sey says. “It helps me make the most of today when I realize how easily it can be taken away.”

If it seems like more people are hav-ing thyroid surgery these days, it’s not your imagination. “Thyroid cancer oc-curs about three times more often in women than men,” Kimsey says. More than 47,000 cases of thyroid cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women this year and more than 15,000 cases in men. “The incidence of thyroid can-

cer has increased in recent years due to the increased detection of nodules with more utilized and higher quality thyroid ultrasounds,” Kimsey explains. “How-ever, the death rate from thyroid can-cer has remained relatively stable over many years.”

“Most thyroid cancers develop in pa-tients with no known risk factors. Nev-ertheless, some people are at a greater risk than others. Anyone exposed to ion-izing radiation, especially in childhood, is at risk of developing thyroid cancer. In addition, anyone who develops a thyroid nodule before the age of 20 has a higher risk of having thyroid cancer. There are also genetic syndromes that lead to an increased incidence of thyroid cancers,

so family history plays a signifi cant role.There are several types of thyroid

cancer, but the vast majority are differ-entiated thyroid cancers, which means they carry cells that are similar to those found in a healthy thyroid. The differ-entiated cancers are comprised of pap-illary thyroid cancer and follicular thy-roid cancer, and they have a very good prognosis.

Other types of thyroid cancer include medullary thyroid cancer, anaplastic thyroid cancer and thyroid lymphoma. If detected early, the majority of thyroid cancers can be treated successfully.

To learn more, search “thyroid can-cer” at www.fsregional.com, or call 865-541-1111.

Troy Kimsey, MD

Surgeon and survivorUnderstanding thyroid cancer

By Shannon Carey It’s Tuesday night in

Karns, and six friends span-ning ages and walks of life are hard at work around a conference table.

This is the Tuesday Night Bee, a small group of Smoky Mountain Quilters mem-bers, but their work isn’t just with thread and needle. They are at work building friendships, too.

No one is quite sure when this bee got started, although most agree that it was sometime in the 1990s. Locations have changed, and some members have come and gone, but the bee remains a strong tradition for the quilters involved. And they’re always looking for new members.

Shannon Auge from Andersonville guides den-im and fl annel squares through an antique sewing machine. The denim came from jeans she and her hus-band wore while renovating their Andersonville home, a task they’ve been at for 25 years. She fell in love with quilting in college when she found a book on water-color quilting. She enjoyed matching the colors.

When she moved to An-dersonville, “I though I was the only quilter in 100 miles,” she says. “There was no Internet then. I joined and thought maybe I’ll meet another quilter, and boy howdy didn’t I!”

Kathy Costello of Powell is a pro at hand-stitched embroidery, and she’s pretty

sure her love of handwork is why her fi rst quilt is still unfi nished.

Or it could be that she’s made baby quilts for nieces and nephews for the past eight years in a row. But she loves the work, and she enjoys the fellowship of the Tuesday Night Bee.

“It’s the time that I make for myself to sew,” she says.

All the Tuesday night quilters echo that senti-ment. Lou Watson, a re-tired ESL teacher from Halls, is making quilts for all her grandchildren and says, “(The bee), they’re my sounding board. They give you advice when you don’t know what to do.”

Judee Shuler moved to Oliver Springs from New Jersey in November. Her specialty is working with vintage fabrics and fi nishing or restoring found quilts.

“You fi nd they in the strangest places,” she says. “I pulled one out of a trash can.”

She joined Smoky Mountain Quilters and the Tuesday Night Bee to fi nd friendship and learn new techniques.

Pamela Werner of Corry-ton loves to learn and says she’s “collecting projects for my retirement.”

And Tammie Smith of Powell, whose employer hosts the meetings, quit the bee for a time after the tragic death of one of the members, her friend Dana Gerhardt. But Smith came back for, you guessed it, the

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • JUNE 8, 2016 • 3 community

to get additional funding to local education agencies.

“In Tennessee, we have moved money away from other entities into educa-tion,” Brooks said. “That’s the priority of this governor.”

The Cost Differential Factor (CDF) between ur-ban and rural counties was one of the ways the task force routed additional funds for urban districts, Brooks said.

“We considered the cost of doing business in the community – what does a $40,000 salary buy in Knox County vs. in Hancock County?” It costs more to live in Knox County.”

Brooks said it is up to the local education agen-cies (LEAs) to decide how to allocate the funds they receive.

Numbers provided by the school system indicate that the bulk of Knox County’s increased funding is com-ing from enhancements mandated by the new law, particularly in salaries and medical insurance. There will be a $9.4 million in-crease for instructional funding and a $754,000 in-crease for technology.

The news isn’t totally rosy for KCS, whose fi nance de-partment has asked the state to review an $860,000 fund-

ing cut because of a change in the way “at-risk” students are defi ned. The numbers will be fi nalized in July.

Knox County fi nance di-rector Chris Caldwell said the state provided an addi-tional $12 million to Knox County this year, bringing the state’s local contribution to nearly $195 million.

“A chunk of that would be because of the revised formula,” Caldwell said, cautioning that Knox County still kicks in more revenue to the state than it gets back.

“We’re always going to be a donor county. Sure, we’d love to get more, but the BEP enhancement is defi nitely a step in the right direction.”

Rountree From page 1

Parole support From page 1

there are many other ways the congregation can help.

“This is not and never will be a court-ordered pro-gram,” Liz said. “It’s not like we’re giving him a place to live or a job. We’re listening to his joys and his struggles, and trying to keep pointing him in the right direction.”

A couple of days after this interview, a defense at-torney volunteered to repre-sent Morris free of charge, which means he soon may regain driving privileges.

While material needs are important, Morris prefers talk about the less tangible but equally profound gifts that he’s received from the congregation. As a child who grew up in the state’s foster system, many things that other children take for granted were all but un-known to him.

“I think people need to take the time to learn what people who’ve been locked up really need,” Morris said. “To have someone who has been with you through part of (your incarceration), who has written to you and vis-ited you, it truly means a lot.

“Once I was released, (John Mark and Liz) took me into their house and showed me what ‘normal’ is. I had never experienced a real holiday until I went to their house on Thanksgiv-

ing and Christmas.” John Mark hopes that

more groups join the Take One program. “This has made me aware that we need to do better as a society at helping people re-enter their communities. Are we going to stand back, or are we going to help people be-come productive citizens?”

An uncomfortable emo-tion that many congregants have to wrestle with is fear. Actually, Morris and many other inmates aren’t much different from anyone else and are far from frighten-ing. Morris is so measured and soft-spoken that it can be diffi cult to hear his voice when he speaks, and his manners are impeccable.

“He’s just not scary at all,” Liz said.

Other members of St. James echoed her com-ments. Margaret Bickley said she is pleased that “our parish has put its mission into action, and everybody knows that actions are loud-er than words.”

She added, “Getting to know William has alleviat-ed a lot of my fear. What we have in common outweighs the differences of our pasts. He is hardworking and has such a positive attitude.”

Info: tn.gov/correction/article/tdoc-rehabilitation-take-one

The Smoky Mountain Quilters of Tennessee will

hold their annual quilt show 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Friday, June 17, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,

June 18, at the Knoxville Expo Center, 5441

Clinton Highway. Quilting bees are open to

newcomers, and several times and locations are

available. Info: www.smokymtnquilters.com

Tuesday night quilters share more than sewing

friendship she missed.“I don’t think we have a

meeting that we don’t talk about (Dana),” she says.

Smoky Mountain Quil-ters is a guild which wel-comes all quilters. With meetings, or bees, scattered around the region at various locations, days and times, it’s easy for a quilter to hook in with a group, exchanging ideas and participating in challenges.

They do charity work, too.

Smoky Mountain Quil-ters Guild provides quilts for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. They worked on the Medal of Honor quilt when Medal

of Honor recipients visited Knoxville last year. Quilts of Valor is another project.

To support their char-ity work, the guild holds an annual quilt show, and the next one is coming up June 17-18, at the Knoxville Expo Center on Clinton Highway. While the members of the Tuesday Night Bee aren’t entering anything this year, they’ll be there as volun-teers, and they have entered in the past.

“We have all kinds of quilts here,” said Shuler. “At the show, you really see some incredible work. They’re works of art.”

But for the Tuesday Night Bee, they love each other’s company as much as creat-ing artwork and heirlooms.

“Some people drink or do drugs,” said Smith. “We quilt.”

Info: www.smokymtnquilters.com

COMMUNITY NOTES ■ Alice Bell Spring Hill Neighborhood Association. Info: Ronnie

Collins, 637-9630.

■ Beaumont Community Organization. Info: Natasha Murphy,

936-0139.

■ Belle Morris Community Action Group meets 7 p.m. each

second Monday, City View Baptist Church, 2311 Fine Ave. Info:

bellemorris.com or Rick Wilen, 524-5008.

■ Chilhowee Park Neighborhood Association meets 6:30 p.m.

each last Tuesday, Administration Building, Knoxville Zoo. Info:

Paul Ruff , 696-6584.

Pamela Werner of Corryton cuts out pattern pieces with the

Tuesday Night Quilting Bee. Photo by S. Carey

4 • JUNE 8, 2016 • Shopper news

Marvin West

Now that Joshua Dobbs is back from his airplane analysis internship, we can resume the discussion of dual-threat quarterbacks.

Those who can compre-hend the awesome NFL numbers achieved by Peyton Manning can score debate points on the advantages of a pro-style quarterback.

In theory, the pro stands tall in the pocket, protected by great blocking boulders. He looks to see if receivers went where he told them to go. He identifi es the desig-nated one or the alternate most likely to succeed and delivers a dart.

This formula sounds good and often prevails, game after game, season af-ter season, for half a lifetime in Peyton’s case.

When coupled with great defense, it may win Super Bowls and lead to many lu-

Dual-threat quarterbacks change the game

crative endorsements of piz-zas and Buicks.

The dual-threat quar-terback changes the game, adds dimensions, the possi-bility of premeditated runs, guaranteed scrambles when the pocket collapses and blockers and rushers are falling over each other.

Immediate relocation improves the temporary chances of remaining up-right and may transform nothing into something. Crowds cheer.

There are potential com-plications. If the dual-threat quarterback is to throw, it is

often on the run. In theory, a moving thrower will miss a moving target more often than a pro-style quarter-back might.

There is another problem. Belligerent NFL lineback-ers, pugnacious corners and mean-spirited safeties will occasionally catch the pesky dual-threat quarterback as he zigs and zags. Their goal, at a minimum, is to discour-age him, thus reducing the yards they have to sprint and the sweat to be blotted from their brows.

Down deep, they would like to disable him, punish him for being such a brat. Sometimes, in their exu-berance, they send him to the hospital. Think RG3, formerly of the Washington Redskins.

College football is differ-ent. The pro-style quarter-back is less certain to domi-

nate. Flaws often pop up in the protection plan. What the dual-threat quarter-back adds to the game keeps defensive coordinators up late at night. Think Johnny Football – before he totally ran astray.

Remember Dewey War-ren? He was a classic pro-style quarterback. He stood his ground, defi ed the rush and completed a pleas-ing number of meaningful passes. He became a legend based on how long it took to successfully complete a one-yard run.

Remember Condredge Holloway? He was a terrifi c dual-threat quarterback. Ben Byrd dubbed him “The Artful Dodger.” Even when defenses hemmed him up, they could never be sure Condredge was offi cially hemmed up.

Condredge was more

than an escape artist. He was an effi cient passer. He set a school record for low interceptions-per-attempts. Only 12 of his 407 were picked off.

Jimmy Streater came along a little later. John Majors called him one of the best athletes he ever coached.

In a dramatic victory over Notre Dame, Jimmy displayed versatility with a 48-yard pass completion, a 51-yard scamper and a fi ve-yard touchdown on an op-tion keeper.

Heath Shuler was hard-nosed. He liked to run into and over opponents. Some-times he pulled the ball down and sped away when he might have been better off staying where he was.

Tee Martin once com-pleted 23 consecutive passes. He threw for 32

Te n ne s s e e touchdowns. He ran for 17. Tee, dual threat, was best known for guiding a national champion-ship sea-son.

Peyton is in the Vol re-cord book with 11,201 pass-ing yards and 89 touch-downs. Except for one stunning naked reverse, Peyton runs were usually desperation moves to save his life.

Dobbs can run well and throw some and think deep-ly.

That creates numerous exciting possibilities. Get-ting hurt would not be the best one. Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is westwest6@netzero.com

Ever been to Turkey Creek during the holiday season? Long traffi c queues, scarce parking slots, crowd-ed store aisles, slow check-outs. Kinda makes a root canal look attractive ... at least to us guys. Too much of a good thing.

Meanwhile, buyers in the east end of the county are left to wonder where are all those farsighted entrepre-neurs with pockets full of discretionary dollars wait-ing for a suitable outlet. No wonder the likes of Amazon are prospering.

It has been suggested that we need to plan an eastside economic summit. What’s that? It’s a gather-ing of the several business and professional organiza-tions and area neighbor-hood groups to help defi ne

NickDella Volpe

Let’s plan for an eastside economic summit

what is needed and would do well here. A catalogue of what the area has to offer. Finally, a joint meeting with businesses and developers to hone a game plan.

There are active BPAs in the north, east, East Towne and Fountain City areas. Also, a dozen or so estab-lished neighborhood groups that are the very bedrock of stability. It’s time to join forces and brainstorm our future, and to educate the greater business commu-nity to look beyond the

pre-conceived perceptions that are sometimes less-than-kind and mostly un-fair, and see what is truly an untapped and desirable market. The truth is there are great communities and great people who live out here. Despite the errant ac-tions of a few – of course, we have those – and the out-of -proportion news reporting sensationalism that unfairly tar its image, the sun has al-ways risen in the east. Time for a second look. We have a lot to offer.

Among our strengths are great neighborhoods with great people! And good roads. We are surrounded by rural towns and counties to the north and east that consider Knoxville their commercial center. They shop and dine here. It’s time

we focus on and advertise those eastside assets and opportunities to the sleep-ing business world.

Good things are already happening.

The Magnolia corridor is about to get a $4.7 mil-lion infrastructure facelift by the city. The Botanical Garden and Arboretum is expanding its already amaz-ing presence, as is the heav-ily-visited tourist attrac-tion called Zoo Knoxville, as well as the many events and shows at Chillhowee Park and the newly-restored Fountain City Lake.

The East Towne business district has a number of fi ne businesses with a regional draw and improving inter-state access. Look at the ex-pansions of Sam’s Club and Walmart, or the constant

foot traffi c at Hom e Depot, Lowe’s and Target.

Did I mention the boom-ing commercial tenants at Forks-of-the-River indus-trial park? Or the planned development at Midway Road and EastBridge?

As for residential neigh-borhoods, Fountain City is a bedrock community, as are Holston Hills, North Hills, Park Ridge and Park City, Alice Bell, Fourth and Gill, and Old North Knoxville to name a few. In older areas, historic homes have been coming back to life through the vision, investment and sweat equity poured in by young families moving back into the city. And, if you didn’t notice, northeast Knox County has been one of the fastest growing hous-ing markets for subdivision

development according tothe 2010 census.

So what’s not to like? Theopportunity is here. Readyto be tapped.

How to begin? With helpfrom the city, the Chamberand meeting facilitators,the BPAs and neighborhoodgroups should meet to refi netheir thoughts, wants andneeds in order to preparefor a fall economic summitor a gathering by any othername that will synthesizethe collective thoughts ofthe greater community intoa cohesive report. Businessleaders, entrepreneurs andplanners will be invited toshare their thoughts withthe group and help reach aconsensus vision and road-map for the future. Thinkpositive. The sky is the lim-it. So let’s get cracking!

Josh Dobbs

Shopper news • JUNE 8, 2016 • 5 government

Betty Bean

VictorAshe

= Neighborhood Engagement

= City Staff Work

Appendix F — Flow Chart / Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program

B Kick-Off Meeting Neighbors explain

traffic issues. Staff explains Traffic

Safety Program.

Further Study

Indicated?

E Evaluation Meeting

Neighbors detail traffic problems.

F Speed Data Collection & Evaluation

Data from hoses, collisions, KPD.

Qualifies for Engineering

on Point Scale

System?

A Neighborhood

Application Neighborhood

applies for Traffic Safety Study.

H Traffic Calming Feasibilty Study

More in-depth study and analysis.

J Concept Plan

Meeting City presents

plan for deploying

devices &/or route

modifications. Neighbors

provide feedback.

Threshold Met for

Enforcement &/or Further

Study?

yes

yes

yes

Priority Ranking Project Ranks High

or Low?

high

Project will be ranked again in next round.

C Alternate Solutions Staff may suggest

solutions outside the Traffic Safety Program.

D Neighborhood Petition

Impact area defined. Neighborhood gathers

signatures.

no

no

K Detailed Design

City prepares bid-ready detailed design of the

project.

ENFORCEMENT

ENGINEERING

L Bidding &

Construction Projects are bundled for lowest cost.

M Post-Construction

Evaluation

no

More than 50%

approve?

no

EDUCATION

G Speed Data Status

Meeting City shares data results

& analysis with the neighborhood.

yes yes

I Traffic Calming Status Meeting

City shares data results & analysis with the

neighborhood.

low

Tim Wright

School’s out for Evelyn Gill, so she’s taking off her special education teacher hat and getting into cam-paign mode. She’s excited.

“The fi rst district is the heartbeat of the city,” she said. “And I don’t think most people really realize that.”

Gill, a Mississippi native who has lived in Knoxville since 1994, has an impres-sive resume that includes a master’s degree from Rut-gers and extensive experi-ence in business, educ ation and volunteer work. She and her husband, Michael, a well-known music pro-moter and employee of the Knoxville Museum of Art, live in East Knoxville, in the heart of the district, which includes the precincts in Ft. Sanders, downtown, Parkridge and all the neigh-borhoods between Spring Hill and Lonsdale. The in-cumbent commissioner, Sam McKenzie – one of just two Democrats now serv-ing on that body, and the last two elected Democrats in Knox County – is leaving offi ce this year.

Gill has run twice before – in 1997, she came in last in the fi eld of primary can-didates for this same seat after the Black Wednesday debacle. In 2012, she ran a losing campaign against prohibitive favorite Becky Duncan Massey for the District 6 state Senate seat.

For the fi rst time in over 70 years, AAA in East Tennessee will be headed by someone not named Wright. Tim Wright, 69, retires on June 30, after 36 years leading AAA. He followed his father, Luke Wright, who started in 1940, left to serve in the Army Air Corps in World

War II, and returned in 1945 as general manager.

This year marked the 60th anniversary of the safety patrol trip

to Washington for fi fth graders. Recent years have seen some 1,900 students, 240 chaperones, 46 police offi cers, 12 medical folks and 43 motor coaches be part of the weekend trek from Knoxville to Wash-ington, D.C. Wright went on the second trip in 1957 and every one since 1976, including this year’s trip.

Wright is proud of those 60 years and AAA’s spon-sorship. During his tenure, 10 AAA offi ces across the state were opened. The headquarters on Fifth Av-enue in Knoxville was given a major renovation. AAA started an active advocacy program for issues at the state and federal levels, and grew it to the point that lawmakers listened.

Wright is proud to have assembled a team of over 50 who run AAA daily. He says technology and consolidation have been the largest changes, with AAA going from 600 clubs to 20 nationwide.

He recalls being in Bel-gium when the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center occurred. He took a train to London, got to JFK airport in New York and four days later got to Knoxville.

He met his wife of 46 years, Patsy, on a blind date in Chattanooga. In retirement, he plans to spend time with their three daughters and eight grandchildren, who live in Nashville and Roswell, Ga.

■ Marshall Stair wor-ried aloud at a City Council workshop about the loss of revenue from repeal of the state’s Hall income tax, which could cost Knoxville $7 million a year or more by 2022. It is a signifi cant hit on the city treasury. For the town of Farragut, it is much larger in terms of its percentage hit. The fi nal impact will come six years away when the repeal is set to become complete.

However, the Stair

Tim Wright retires from AAA

comment, along with his letter to the editor of the News Sentinel, revealed a concern which the mayor and no other council mem-ber has evidenced publicly prior to the bill becoming law. Council never adopted a resolution expressing opposition. Their concern is being voiced after the fact. The mayor did not raise the issue during her public breakfast with law-makers. She had raised it in private one-on-one meet-ings without effect.

It should cause the council to re-examine its lobbying contract with Tony Thompson (whom this writer hired some 20 years ago) to determine if they are getting the best work, or the council should at least increase its activity in Nashville. The council also needs written reports if they exist from Thompson on what is happening in the Legislature, as the mayor’s offi ce does not brief the council on legislative devel-opments with regularity.

Basically, council leaves it to the mayor to handle relations in Nashville. Council is not invited to the mayor’s annual legislative meeting, although it is now a public meeting due to ef-forts of Reps. Eddie Smith and Martin Daniel. Also, it does not help when the mayor openly campaigns against incumbent lawmak-ers and then expects them to work with her. She would be better off staying out of the local campaigns.

■ Knox County is in a better strategic position as Mayor Burchett has extensive legislative experi-ence and knows lawmakers across the state personally. That is not true for the city, with the exception of for-mer Vice Mayor Nick Pavlis, who works in Nashville and has strong legislative ties.

■ Freedom House celebrates 75 years of activ-ity this year as it works to highlight restrictions and bans on freedom of the press. Started in 1941, it has showcased censorship through the world. A major-ity of people on this planet live in countries without free media including China, Russia and Cuba. A founda-tion of a free and demo-cratic society is freedom to express one’s views, especially the media.

Evelyn Gill with her iconic Rosie the Riveter poster

Gill ramps up campaign in District 1

This summer, as the Demo-cratic nominee, she’s no longer the underdog, and she’s planning to stick with the Rosie the Riveter theme that she rode to victory in the primary.

On the surface, it looks like an easy road. No Re-publican has been elected to serve the fi rst district in modern times. In March, Gill’s general election op-ponent, Michael Coving-ton, got 927 votes running unopposed in the Republi-can primary. He has been campaigning for at least a year (although some of his appearances, like march-ing in parades in Farragut and Karns, have been head scratchers). Most notably, he’s been holding public meetings around the dis-trict.

Meanwhile, in the Demo-cratic primary, Gill defeated Rick Staples, whom many considered the favorite, by a 1704-1507 margin, which would appear to give her an insurmountable edge in the Aug. 4 general election

But there are some pos-sible clouds on the horizon, mainly the possibility of Staples mounting a write-in campaign. Staples said he

didn’t start the talk, but he isn’t discouraging the social media rumbles urging his supporters to write him in.

“I will have to pray,” he said. “This thing took me off guard. It took off and I found out about it on the back end. Evidently a large number of people were frus-trated with how this thing went down, and a number of people took it on themselves to do it on their own. I’m go-ing to think that over and get some good advice.”

“How this thing went down” is a reference to the voting patterns that emerged in the primary, with Gill, who has been an active supporter of Bernie Sanders, rolling up large margins in the majority-dominated wards where

Sanders prevailed – down-town, Ft. Sanders and Parkridge – while Staples won the traditional African-American neighborhoods that went for Clinton. Voter turnout was higher in the Sanders wards.

Staples doesn’t have much time to make up his mind. Election coordinator Cliff Rodgers said write-in candidates have until noon, June 15, to fi le a one-page declaration of intent to run. Rodgers said it would be good if Staples made up his mind sooner than later.

“We hope if anybody’s go-ing to do a write in, they’ll do it few days before the deadline because I have to come up with a master list of all possible misspellings, so the votes will count.”

Safety fi rst!

By Sandra ClarkGuess it depends upon

which side of the road you live.

Knox County Clerk Fos-ter Arnett has closed the longtime county satellite offi ce at Halls Center and reopened it across Hwy. 33 in the old Walmart space, now undergoing roadwork on two sides.

In a front page story by Jake Mabe (Halls edition), Arnett says he made the move for safety concerns, citing dampness and mold in the basement of the space at Halls Center.

Arnett previously moved the Knoxville Center mall offi ce and another at Cedar

County Clerk Foster Arnett

has moved the satellite of-

fi ce from Halls Center, at left.

This view from Halls Cen-

ter shows construction

on Hwy. 33. Accessing

the new offi ce requires a

left turn onto Norris Free-

way, ahead on left.

CorrectionThe chart at right, which

ran larger in last week’s paper,

was NOT drawn by Don Par-

nell. The chart, which shows

the path to obtaining neigh-

borhood traffi c calming, was

taken from the city’s website.

Parnell called at 7 a.m.

Wednesday to deny author-

ship; he called again at noon

to request a correction and

apology. And he asked the

money question: How could a

mistake like this happen?

Newspaper errors almost

always occur when the report-

er writes more than we know.

Parnell says he is retired

and hasn’t worked for a pub-

lic entity since the 1980s. The

friend who sent the chart

mentioned Don’s name in the

email, and I assumed Parnell

had drawn it.

I’m sorry for any damage to

Parnell’s reputation as a result

of this error. – S. Clark

Bluff. He’s also sued Knox County because of alleged mold in his offi ces at the City County Building.

As one senior offi cehold-er put it, “Ah, mold. It just follows Foster wherever he goes.” Perhaps it will follow him home. His term ends in 2018.

6 • JUNE 8, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES ■ Carter Senior Center

9040 Asheville Highway932-2939Monday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: card

games; exercise programs;

arts and crafts; movie mati-

nee Fridays; Senior Meals,

noon Wednesdays.

Register for: Veterans

Services offi ce visit, 10 a.m.

Tuesday, June 14; RSVP:

215-5645. Super Seniors

meeting, 10:30 a.m. Tues-

day, June 14.

■ Corryton Senior Center

9331 Davis Drive688-5882knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-FridayHours vary

Off erings include: ex-

ercise classes; cross-stitch,

card games; dominoes,

crochet, quilting, billiards;

Senior Meals program, 11

a.m. each Friday.

Register for: Super

Seniors meeting, 10:30 a.m.

Tuesday, June 14; enter-

tainment: piano concert

by Larry Clapp. Oakes Day

Lily Walk, Tuesday, June 21;

meet at 9:45 a.m. at Center.

■ Larry Cox Senior

Center

3109 Ocoee Trail546-1700Monday-FridayHours vary

Off erings include:

exercise programs; bingo;

arts and crafts classes.

■ John T. O’Connor

Senior Center

611 Winona St.523-1135knoxseniors.org/oconnor.htmlMonday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: Card

games, billiards, senior

fi tness, computer classes,

bingo, blood pressure

checks 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Monday-Friday.

By Sara BarrettSeniors from all over

Knox County mingled and munched during the fi rst Beyond Bingo held at Sher-rill Hills in West Knoxville.

Sponsored by the Shop-per News, Beyond Bingo featured a slew of vendors and speakers discussing everything seniors want to know about.

Fitness Together, Ten-nessee Orthopaedic Clinic,

Random Acts of Flowers and Placing Animals with Seniors (PAWS) were just a few of the booths available on “Main Street” at Sherrill Hills.

A bevy of gifts were of-fered to fi ll Shopper News tote bags, and door prizes were awarded to a lucky few who completed their Bingo cards by collecting stickers from each vendor.

A fabulous lunch of crois-

sant sandwiches, fresh fruit and delectable cookies was served by Sherrill Hills, and most attendees walked away with armfuls of good-ies including water bottles, note pads and coffee mugs.

Feedback from Beyond Bingo goers was positive, with requests for more speakers at the next event.

Maybe the next event should be called Bigger Be-yond Bingo.

Dee Ruediger straightens her shot to win a free Morgan Stan-

ley hat. She made the shot; she’s golfed since she was 14.

Click Funeral Home funeral director Ina Roberts talks to Bea and Tom Davis about

burial options. Tom won a gift card to Chop House awarded as a door prize.

Lois Emmons and Inez Ratcliff make their way to each vendor

to collect stickers for their Bingo cards. Photos by Sara Barrett

Knox PAWS coordinator Julia

Jackson brought PAWS mem-

ber B.J. to meet new friends.

to them, we started to feel more optimistic about the

future and realize now that God was work-ing to carry and lead us even when we weren’t lis-tening with our whole

hearts.”After three years in the

church offi ce, Day was of-fered the position of chil-dren’s director when the other director left to branch out in her ministry. Day is three months into the min-istry. She and Chad wel-comed a healthy baby boy, Sullivan, last December.

“My second pregnancy was beautiful. I am thank-ful every day for the oppor-

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • JUNE 8, 2016 • 7 faith

cross currentsLynn Pittslpitts48@yahoo.com

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner…. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with fl esh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and fl esh of my fl esh. (Genesis 2:18, 21-23a NRSV)

I am reading a book about the War of the Roses in medieval England, and am about to embark on an-other one. Those were perilous times for everyone in the country: men were subject to conscription by their lords, women were largely subject to their husbands, and children were subject to their parents, but also to diseases and early death.

We tend to think of that period as one of chivalry and honor, a glamorous, romantic period. It was, in some ways, depending on one’s status.

However, as I read, I found myself considering the lack of toothbrushes and toothpaste, antibiotics, and Kleenex, for heaven’s sake! (It spurred me to plan a “goodie box” to send to someone, anyone – near or far – who doesn’t have such amenities.)

I also considered the way we take such things for granted, ignoring the needs of others. I thought about how we categorize people, based solely on where they live, how much money they have (or don’t have) – with-out giving a thought to what they might need.

The truth is, sometimes the best gift we can give someone is recognizing them as a fellow human being, who has feelings, aspirations and dreams!

We need each other

FAITH NOTES ■ First Comforter Church, 5516 Old Tazewell

Pike, hosts MAPS (Mothers At Prayer Service)

noon each Friday. Info: Edna Hensley, 771-7788.

■ New Life UMC, 7921 Millertown Pike, will host

free Family Fun Night 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 24.

Free food and games. Register for VBS to be

held 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, June 25. Theme:

“Joseph in Egypt Biblical Village” with tents,

games, crafts, stories, food and more. Info:

newlifeumcknoxville.com.

By Cindy TaylorUnique in its East Knoxville loca-

tion, Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church has a handhold in downtown Knox-ville and an outreach in the sprawl-ing foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Rev. Chuck Morris joined the church staff more than 15 years ago as associate pastor of education/disciple-ship. Morris hails from California and comes well-equipped for the position. Even so, he says he spent years ignor-ing God’s call to ministry.

“I sensed God calling me to full-time Christian ministry while I was still in college, but I always found reasons or excuses for why I shouldn’t obey that calling,” said Morris. “It wasn’t until I married and became the

father of two that I could no longer ne-glect that calling.”

That was almost 20 years ago. When a friend at Morris’ home church in California was called to pastor at Chilhowee Hills, Morris says he was asked to consider joining him in Tennessee.

“The personal connection I had with my friend was the initial rea-son I came, but I confi rmed the move through prayer,” said Morris. “I appre-ciated the challenge of doing ministry in the ‘Bible Belt.’”

Morris says his position is a re-warding one as he gets to take part in meeting the spiritual needs of people. He says helping others learn about God and how to know Him more inti-mately is extremely fulfi lling.

“More than anything, I love the people at Chilhowee Hills,” he said. “They are making a difference and it is a joy to serve alongside them. Our goal and vision is to reach as many for Christ as we can.”

Wendy Johnston is a more recent addition to the church staff. Wendy came on board six months ago as chil-dren’s director. With VBS starting June 22, she has her hands full. Mor-ris says Johnston is a VBS expert who will bring a great deal to her fi rst VBS at Chilhowee Hills.

Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church will host VBS 6-8:30 p.m. June 22 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 23-24. The church is at 4615 Asheville Highway. Info: www.chilhoweehills.org or 522-2422.

VBS NOTES ■ Christ UMC, 7535 Maynardville Highway, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

June 13-17. Ages: preK through fi fth grade. Theme: “Cave

Quest.” Dinner provided. Info: 368-6115.

■ Hoitt Avenue Baptist Church, 2121 Hoitt Ave., 6:30-8:30

p.m. June 13-17. Classes for all ages, including an adult class.

■ New Beverly Baptist Church, 3320 New Beverly Church

Road, 6-9 p.m. June 13-17. Theme: “Cave Quest.” Info: 546-

0001 or newbeverly.org.

■ New Life UMC, 7921 Millertown Pike, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Satur-

day, June 25. Theme: “Joseph in Egypt Biblical Village” with

tents, games, crafts, stories, food and more. Free Family Fun

Night 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 24, includes food and games and

VBS registration. Info/registration: newlifeumcknoxville.com.

■ Valley View Baptist Church, 3521 Old Valley View Drive,

6:30-8:30 p.m., June 13-17. Theme: “SonWest Roundup.” Info/

registration: vvbcknox.com or 523-0062.

The Rev. Chuck

Morris, Chilhowee

Hills Baptist

Church associate

pastor of educa-

tion/discipleship,

and children’s

director Wendy

Johnston get

ready to hang the

2016 VBS banner. Photo by Cindy Taylor

Reaching many for Christ

By Cindy TaylorAs a child growing up

in Sweetwater, Sarah Beth Day often played teacher using stuffed animals as make-believe students. She would read, spell and plan trips all around the world during geography class.

“I saw myself in the fu-ture as a quirky classroom teacher with pencils stick-ing haphazardly out of my hair, she said. “Looking back I can see how God or-dered each and every one of my steps to lead me where I am today.”

Day says all the make-believe, followed by a lot of hard work, paid off when she graduated with a bach-elor’s degree in elementary

Always a teacher

Sarah Beth Day

education from Tennessee Wesleyan College and began teaching real students.

These days she is work-ing, although she doesn’t call it that, as children’s director at Christ United Methodist Church in Halls. As a mem-ber of the church, Day start-ed out as a greeter for visitors on Sundays and administra-tive assistant through the week. The administrative position came during a very diffi cult time for Day and her husband, Chad.

“We lost our fi rstborn son. Our family at Christ UMC could not have been more supportive,” said Day. “I can honestly say that we wouldn’t have made it through that period of our lives without them. Thanks

tunity God has provided, the amazing prayer war-riors in our church and the people who give their time to volunteer in the chil-dren’s ministry,” said Day. “We are doing some really exciting things.”

The community is invited to join in VBS June 13-17 for Cave Quest, a glow-in-the-dark caving adventure.

Day says many other fun events are on the horizon this year such as the Fall Family Fun Fest and a Santa brunch.

Christ UMC is at 7535 Maynardville Pike. Info: www.christumcknox.com or 922-2890.

8 • JUNE 8, 2016 • NORTH/EAST Shopper news

Story So Far: As the special soccer team continues to loose, the school community refuses to accept defeat. More and more pressure to win is applied.

The game against Pennington Prep was interesting. Crisp, bright weather. It almost made me want to be there. Sure enough, there was a bunch of people who came to watch. Some parents. Ms. Appleton brought our whole class. Mr. Sullivan was there. So was Mr. Tillman. I think he was wearing new beads for the occasion.

After we pretended to get ready, Mr. Lester got us over by a corner and gave us a talk.

“Gentlemen, Pennington isn’t such a great team. They’ve won a few and lost a few. More like you guys.”

“We didn’t win any,” Porter reminded

him.Mr. Lester looked toward the sidelines.

“Today you will,” he said.“How do you know?” asked Barish.“I feel it.”“Where?” Dorman wondered.“And what about tomorrow?” Lifsom

wanted to know.“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lester, “we can

turn the season around if you really desire it. Why not win for those nice people who have come to cheer?”

“Let them do it for themselves,” said Saltz.

“Now,” concluded Mr. Lester, “come out fi ghting and keep on fi ghting.” He made a pathetic fi st.

Right from the start, we tried. Really. We got together in a circle, touched hands and

started to roar, except just when we began, Eliscue sneezed. So instead of screaming “Fight!” what came out was “Fi . . .” Sneeze! “God bless you.” “God bless you.” “Thanks.”

Not what I’d call a mean team.

As for the game, well . . . there were one or two things. The big moment was when we scored a goal. Really. It was the only score (for our side) so far that season.

I’d like to tell you that Porter brought it smart-ly down the right line, snapped a crisp line shot to Lifsom, who brilliantly passed cross-fi eld to Hays, who smashed it by the helpless, confused goalie . . . except it didn’t happen that way.

As much as I saw it, the goal came about when Lifsom was trying to get the ball out of our territory. That time he actually got his foot on it. The ball even started to go in the right direction. A major improvement.

Then one of their guys intercepted, drop-ping the ball along his body. He began run-ning it back. Our side moved into our auto-matic full retreat.

Somehow, their guy tripped. The ball got away. Dorman realized that the ball was free. He got it moving deep into their turf. I could see how excited he was by the notion that he was actually on the move with not much between him and their goal except their goalie, because of what he did.

What he did was stop and watch.Fenwick came up and — not wanting to

waste a shot because we didn’t get too many — stole the ball from Dorman (who might have fallen asleep for all he moved) and gave a boot. In fact, Fenwick only topped the ball. The ball squirted forward. As for Fenwick, he had kicked so hard and up, he fell down.

What happened next? Their goalie cracked up, laughed so much that he let that little dribbler of a ball keep coming. Meanwhile, Radosh came up from the left and gave the ball a thump, again, right at their goalkeeper.

Their goalie punched it right back. The ball bonked Hays on the head and bounced into their goal.

Mind, I did not say Hays headed the ball in. I said the ball hit him on the head and bounced back. Into the goal. In fact, Hays was so dizzy from the shot that he was ac-tually walking around in circles for a few minutes.

It fi gured: we fi nally score a goal and the guy who scored it never knew what hap-pened.

From the reaction of the people on the sidelines — our people — you would have thought we had just won the Super Bowl and World Series. They went wild.

Actually, I was much more interested in the way Hays was wobbling, like a crazy duck. That was interesting.

As for the other high point, it involved me. It wasn’t so complicated, but since it was me, I had the best view, sort of.

It came about because during the third period my shoe became untied. Normally, I’d wait for a lull in the action to retie it. However, there never were lulls, so as time

went on I was sure my shoe was going to fall off. I had to do something. I bent over to tie it. The shoelace broke. That meant more work. And concentration.

Next moment there was this terrible thud against my back-side. It sent me headfi rst into the net one way, and the ball another way, also into the net.

Buddy Saltz helped me un-tangle myself from the net. “It’s probably not a bad idea to face the fi eld,” he sug-gested.

“Do you want to play goal?” I snapped.

“Not tall enough,” he reminded me.Final score: 18–1.In the locker room, there were some

guys from our other teams. Of course, they had to know what happened to us. We told them.

At fi rst, there were the usual jokes, and then this guy, Roberts, who was captain of the eighth-grade fi rst-string team, stood on a bench and yelled for quiet.

“Look here,” he said, looking right at us. As usual, we were bunched together for self-protection. “The joke’s over,” shouted Rob-erts. “When are you jerks going to get your act together? You’re making us look stupid!”

Fortunately, Mr. Lester came in just then. There might have been a riot. Anyway, Mr. Lester shooed us over into a corner to give us some kindly pointers. Not that anyone listened. It had gotten too frustrating.

Then Mr. Tillman burst in. “Listen up, you guys,” he said to us. We gave him our attention. He would have taken it anyway. There was an angry glint in his eyes that suggested trouble.

“I think I’ve learned my lesson,” he said. “I admit it. I tried to sweet-talk you guys into feeling better about yourselves. That was wrong. What you need to be told is how rotten you looked out there today. I’ve never seen worse. Not around this school. And you need to hear something else. I’ve checked. In the entire history of South Orange River Middle School sports, no team, I repeat, no team, has ever lost all its games.” He paused for effect. “Do you guys want to go down in history as the worst team? Do you?”

There was absolute, stunned silence.“Do you?” He insisted on an answer.“Odds are that we can,” said Fenwick.Mr. Tillman turned savagely. “That’s

a defeatist attitude, Fenwick. Can it!” He stalked out.

Mr. Lester looked embarrassed. “I know you try,” he said softly. “I appreciate that. I just think it would be good to win one game. We play Parkville next. Last game. You should know something. Parkville hasn’t won a game all season either.”

With those words of encouragement, he left us.

“My gosh,” said Barish, “another team as bad as us.”

“Awesome,” said Dorman.“We’ll be playing for ‘Worst in the Uni-

verse,’” said Radosh.There was almost, not quite, a thrill of

excitement.(To be continued.)

Text copyright © 2012 Avi. Illustrations copyright © 2012 Timothy Bush. Reprinted by permission of Breakfast Serials, Inc., www.breakfastserials.com. No part of this publication may be reproduced, displayed, used or distributed without the express written permission of the copyright holder.

CHAPTER TEN: Are we the worst team ever?

“a breakfast serials story”S.O.R. Losers Written by Avi and Illustrated by Timothy Bush

Pellissippi State students place fi rst in math competitionPellissippi State Community College placed fi rst in this year’s statewide Student Mathematics

League competition. The event has two rounds with fi ve winners each, and those students’

scores constituted the college’s fi nal standings. Among the 11 top fi nishers are Joey Allston,

Michaela Shoff ner; (back) Trent Walker, Brendan Sweet and Michael Bryant. Photo submitted

Early bird sale for Fair ticketsConcert and discounted admission tick-

ets for the 97th annual Tennessee Valley Fair are on sale for a limited time. Guests can save an average of 20 percent by pur-chasing tickets early.

Specials include: Adult admission, $8 (regularly $10); child admission, $6 (regu-larly $7); family fun pack, $28 (regularly $39), includes two adult admissions, two child admissions and a parking pass; fair

fun pack, $32 (regularly $47), includes four adult admissions and a parking pass.

Other specials include: a 3-day pass, $20 (regularly $30); all-you-can-ride wrist-bands, $14 (regularly $22), for opening day, Sept. 9, only; wristbands, $16 (regularly $20), Monday-Thursday; or $21 (regularly $25), weekend special.

Buy a reserved seat to any headline con-cert at Homer Hamilton Theatre before Sept. 8, and receive a fair admission for $5. Info: tnvalleyfair.or g or 865-215-1482

SUMMER CAMPSAdditional listings and information at

ShopperNewsNow.com.

Week of June 12 ■ All American Camp, 9-11:30 a.m. Monday-

Thursday, June 13-16, Angela Floyd Schools,

10845 Kingston Pike. Ages 6 and up. Cost: $125.

Info/registration: angelafl oydschools.com.

■ Concord Park golf camp, 9 a.m.-noon Tuesday-

Thursday, June 14-16, Concord Park, 10909 S.

Northshore Drive. Ages 9-17. Cost: $100. Info/

registration: 966-9103.

■ Guest Artist Intensives Session 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Monday-Friday, June 13-17, Studio Arts for Danc-

ers, 1234 Rocky Hill Road. Cost: $250. Info/regis-

tration: StudioArtsForDancers.net or 539-2475.

■ Jurassic Kids Camp, 9-11 a.m. June 14-15,

McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park Drive. Ages

2-3 with caregiver. Cost: $25, caregiver free/$20

members. Info/registration: mcclungmuseum.

utk.edu or 974-2144.

■ Justice League camp at Ijams, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Monday-Friday, June 13-17, Ijams Nature Center,

2915 Island Home Ave. Ages 5-8. Cost: $225

members/$250 nonmembers. Info/registration:

Lauren, 577-4717, ext. 135.

■ Mini-Intensive for Young Dancers, 9 a.m.-2

p.m. Monday-Friday, June 13-17, Studio Arts for

Dancers, 1234 Rocky Hill Road. Ages 10-14. Cost:

$200. Ballet experience necessary. Info/registra-

tion: StudioArtsForDancers.net or 539-2475.

■ Phillip Fulmer Hall of Fame Camp, 9 a.m.-4

p.m. Thursday-Saturday, June 16-18, Rocky

Top Sports World, 1870 Sports World Blvd.,

Gatlinburg. Ages 7-17. Cost: full camp, $225;

partial camp, $90 per day. Info/registration:

RockyTopSportsWorld.com or 325-0044.

■ Princess Camp, 9-11:30 a.m. Monday-Thursday,

June 13-16, Angela Floyd Schools, 6732 Jubilee

Center Way. Ages 2-5. Cost: $125. Info/registra-

tion: angelafl oydschools.com.

■ TN Adventures camp at Ijams Nature Center,

10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, June 13-17,

2915 Island Home Ave. Ages 9-14. Cost: $225

members/$250 nonmembers. Info/registration:

Lauren, 577-4717, ext. 135.

Week of June 19 ■ Concord Park golf camp, 9 a.m.-noon Tuesday-

Thursday, June 21-23, Concord Park, 10909 S.

Northshore Drive. Ages 9-17. Cost: $100. Info/

registration: 966-9103.

■ Cooking up Science, 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday,

June 20-24, The Muse Knoxville, 516 N. Beaman

St. Ages 7-8. Cost: $85/$75 members. Info/

registration: themuseknoxville.org/content/

summer-camps-2016 or 594-1494.

■ Dig It! Fun with Fossils, 1-4 p.m. Monday-Friday,

June 20-24, McClung Museum, 1327 Circle Park

Drive. For ages 9-11 (rising fourth, fi fth and sixth

graders). Cost: $110/$99 members. Info/registra-

tion: mcclungmuseum.utk.edu or 974-2144.

■ Explorer camp at Ijams, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-

Friday, June 20-24, Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island

Home Ave. Ages 9-14. Cost: $245 members/$270

nonmembers; includes a full day off -site trip. Info/

registration: Lauren, 577-4717, ext. 135.

■ Guest Artist Intensives Session 2, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,

Studio Arts for Dancers, 1234 Rocky Hill Road.

Monday-Friday, June 20-24. Cost: $250. Info/reg-

istration: StudioArtsForDancers.net or 539-2475.

NORTH/EAST Shopper news • JUNE 8, 2016 • 9 kids

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8International Folk Dance Class, 7:30-10

p.m., Claxton Community Center, 1150 Edgemoor Road, Clinton. Info: Paul Taylor, 898-5724; oakridgefolkdancers.org; on Facebook.

THURSDAY JUNE 9AAA’s Roadwise: Safe Driving for Mature

Operators, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St. Eight-hour course approved by the state of Tennessee for insurance premium discounts for eligible drivers. Info/registration: Kate, 862-9254, or Stephanie, 862-9252.

Halls Book Club: “Pigs in Heaven,” 1 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. All welcome. Info: 922-2552.

The Heiskell Seniors monthly meeting, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Community Center, 1708 W. Emory Road in Powell. Speaker, 11 a.m.; lunch, noon; bingo, 1 p.m. Bring a dessert and a friend. Info: Janice White, 548-0326.

“Killer Tomatoes vs Tomato Killers,” 3:15-4:30 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 4438 Western Ave. Presented by Master Gardeners Joe Pardue and Marcia Griswold. Free and open to the public. Info: 329-8892.

Living with Diabetes: Putting the Pieces Together, 2-4:30 p.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

Pizza Ha’s, 8-9:30 p.m., Pizza Hoss, 7215 Clinton Highway. Free stand-up comedy show featuring local comedian Sean Simoneau.

Shakespeare for Kids, 3 p.m., Norwood Branch Library, 1110 Merchants Drive. Presented by the Tennessee Stage Company; featuring “The Merry Wives of Windsor” and “King Lear.” Info: 688-2454.

Super Hero Storytime and Costume Party with Spider Man, 3 p.m., Halls Branch Library, 4518 E. Emory Road. Info: 922-2552.

VFW meeting, 7 p.m., 140 Veteran St., Maynardville. All veterans are invited. Info: 278-3784.

FRIDAY, JUNE 10Concert in the Commons: Anne Mccue, 7

p.m., The Norris Commons, the lawn in front of the

Norris Middle School. Bring a lawn chair, blanket and picnic basket. Info: Facebook.

Movie in the Park, Luttrell City Park. Free. Bring chairs or blanket. Movie starts at dusk. Cancelled if raining. Info: 992-0678.

“Plan to Can and Preserve Food,” 9-10 a.m., Union Farmers Co-op, 3035 Maynardville Highway. Free pressure gauge testing; free food preservation and nutrition information. Bring the canner lid, gauge and seal. Info/appointment: Becca Hughes, 992-8038, rlhughes@utk.edu.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JUNE 10-11The McKameys’ annual Hometown Singing,

Second Baptist Church in Clinton. Friday: 7:30 p.m. special guest The Inspirations from Bryson City, N.C.; Saturday, 6 p.m. special guest The Primitive Quartet from Candler, N.C. Reserved seating, $16; general admission, $13. Info/tickets: 457-3678.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 10-26“Charlie & the Chocolate Factory,”

Knoxville Children’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

SATURDAY, JUNE 11Bark in the Park, 3-8 p.m., World’s Fair Park

Festival Lawn. Fundraiser for the Humane Society of the Tennessee Valley. $5 donation at the gate includes: Kid’s Korner, Grayson Subaru Misting Tent, pet contests and more. Info: humanesocietytennessee.com/bark-in-the-park/.

Chalk on the Walk, noon, Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. Info: 689-2681.

Front Page Follies, 6 p.m., Knoxville Convention Center. Includes: silent auction, dinner, live auction, musical revue. Tickets: $125/ table of 10, $1,000. Proceeds fund journalism scholarships at UT and Pellissippi State community College. Tickets: FrontPageFoundation.org. Info: Melanie Staten, 776-8227.

“Killer Tomatoes vs Tomato Killers,” 1:30-2:30 p.m., Bearden Branch Library, 100 Golfclub Road. Presented by Master Gardeners Joe Pardue and Marcia Griswold. Free and open to the public. Info: 588-8813 or knoxlib.org.

Mid South Navy Nurse Association meeting, 9:30 a.m. Homewood Suites conference room, Turkey Creek. All nurses who served in the Corps are invited. Info: 938-1996.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Dancing Spider Yoga, 11 a.m., Fountain City Branch Library, 5300 Stanton Road. For children ages 3-9 and parents. Info: 689-2681.

Saturday Stories and Songs: Miss Lynn, 11 a.m., Powell Branch Library, 330 W. Emory Road. Info: 947-6210.

Statehood Day celebration, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Marble Springs, 1220 W. Gov. John Sevier Highway. Includes: guided tours, encampments, open hearth cooking demonstrations, 18th century music. Info: 573-5508 or marblesprings.net.

Statehood Day celebration, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Crescent Bend House & Gardens, 2728 Kingston Pike. Free admission. Info: 637-3163 or crescentbend.com.

Statehood Day celebration, noon-3 p.m., Ramsey House, 2614 Thorn Grove Pike. Includes: free tours with a birthday cake celebrating the birthday of the state of Tennessee as well as the birthday of Col. Francis Alexander Ramsey. Info: 546-0745 or ramseyhouse.org.

Union County Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-noon, Wilson Park. Info: 992-8038.

SATURDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 11-12Antique car show and street fair, Historic

Rugby. Car show, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; free to spectators. To preregister vehicles: 423-628-2441; day of show registration, $10, space permitting. Street fair, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days, featuring: crafts, antiques and gift vendors. Info: historicrugby.org.

SUNDAY-MONDAY, JUNE 12-13Open auditions for “The Boor” presentation by

The Moving Theatre, 3-5 p.m. Sunday and 5-7 p.m. Monday, Thomas Episcopal Church, 5401 Tiffany Lane. Auditions consist of cold readings from the script. Resume and headshot are helpful but not required. Info: MovingTheatreKnoxville@gmail.com.

MONDAY, JUNE 13Coffee, Donuts and a Movie: “Creed,” 10:30

a.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

Family Movie Night: “Peanuts,” 5:30 p.m., Burlington Branch Library, 4614 Asheville Highway. Info: 525-5431.

Knoxville Zoomobile, 3 p.m., North Knoxville Branch Library, 2901 Ocoee Trail. Info: 525-7036.

Magician Michael Messing, 2 p.m., Carter Branch Library, 9036 Asheville Highway. Info: 933-5438.

QED Experimental Comedy Lab, 7:30-9:30 p.m., The Pilot Light, 106 E. Jackson Ave. Free weekly comedy show blending stand-up, improv, sketch and other performance styles. Donations accepted.

TUESDAY. JUNE 14Paulette 6th District Neighborhood Watch

meeting, 7 p.m., Paulette Elementary School cafeteria. Info: 992-5212.

Send items to news@ShopperNewsNow.com

ShoppernewseVents

New books for East Knox County Elementary

East Knox County Elementary librarian Joanna Law and prin-

cipal Kristi Woods show new books to pre-K students. Scott

Suchomski, executive director of the Tennessee Valley Fair, vis-

ited the school and donated 20 new books to the school library

on behalf of the Knoxville Chamber Agribusiness Committee.

Tennessee Valley Fair’s Fairest of the Fair, Morgan Leveritt,

reads to pre-K students at East Knox Elementary. Photos submitted

Celebrating students’ successEast Knox County El-

ementary School ended the year with an awards cer-emony to celebrate the suc-cess of its students. The day kicked off with the school ensemble singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” before head-ing into award presenta-tions.

Students in all grades were given awards based on perfect attendance, most improvement, top reading and math, and other out-standing achievements.

Principal Kristi Woods presented Jeremiah Neely

and Kali Lawson with the school’s safety poster con-test awards. Kali was also presented the award for be-ing the countywide winner in the contest.

Co-teachers of the year Carrie Baggett and Aman-da Davis were also recog-nized.

RuthWhite

Kali Lawson was presented

with the award for winning

the countywide safety poster

contest. She is pictured with

Bethanie Harman, offi cer Jimmy

Dance, assistant principal Theresa

Reed and principal Kristi Woods. Photos by R. White

Jeremiah Neely was one of two safety

poster contest winners selected at East

Knox Elementary and announced by assis-

tant principal Theresa Reed and principal

Kristi Woods during the awards ceremony.

Second-grade teacher Carrie

Badgett and special educa-

tion teacher Amanda Davis

were honored as the co-

teachers of the year at East

Knox Elementary.

10 • JUNE 8, 2016 • Shopper news businessthe rotary guy

Tom Kingtking535@gmail.com

Last week The Rotary Guy told you about the Rota-ry Club of Knoxville honoring its two 2016 Teachers of

the Year. This week we’ll tell you about a hard-working and talented student who will join the University of Tennes-see’s Pride of the Southland Marching Band in the fall – Kaleb Emmert.

Kaleb recently graduated from West High School and a few days ago the Rotary Club of Bearden hon-ored him with its Bob Ely-Art Pickle $2,500 scholarship. Ely and Pickle were both District 6780 Governors

and members of Bearden Rotary.Janice Mitchell, chair of the club’s Youth Services/

Development Committee, tells us the selection criteria is simple. “A student, male or female, who represents need and aptitude and is a good student academically.”

Janet says she was “blown away” by Kaleb’s accom-plishments. “He will be majoring in music education and wants to be a band director,” she said. “His major instrument is the clarinet and a whole list of others. In person, he is about 6-5 and a natty dresser. His band director at West High School (Jeremy Lumpkin) was his mentor and inspiration and Kaleb gives high praise to his mother (Amy Zarychta) for giving him great character traits.”

“My mom is my role model … she puts everything she has into whatever she’s doing and I try to do the same,” he said.

Kaleb also plays the cello, double bass, marimba and vibraphone. His goal is to become a high school band director and then move into the same job at the university level.

“I got interested in music in the seventh grade and taught myself to play the double bass, and I also taught myself to read music that year,” he says. “I’m good at memorizing and I learned to read music in about two weeks.” His mom says he’s also into writing music now.

He says he enjoys volunteer work and volunteer s at Ijams Nature Center and at UT as well.

Bearden Rotary presents Ely-Pickle scholarship

BIZ NOTES ■ N. Jean Wilson, FNP, has

joined Summit Medical Group at Farragut as a family nurse practitioner. Wilson graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a master’s degree in nursing in 1981 and earned her MBA from Meredith College in Raleigh in 1988. A longtime family nurse practitioner, she and her husband, Gene, have lived in the Farragut community for 29 years. Info: 865-966-3940.

■ Aram Demirjian has been hired as music director for the Knox-ville Symphony Orchestra after a year-long search and vetting process. Demirjian (Duh-MER-jun) was most recently associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony. He has done extensive guest conducting and previously served on the faculty of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School.

■ Elizabeth Hall, Registered Dietitian with Food City, received one of six Supermarket Dietitian of the Year awards at the recent convention of Produce for Better Health Foundation in Scotts-dale, Arizona. Candidates were selected from hundreds of nomi-nations. The award recognizes achievement in promoting fruits

and vegetables through store programming and signage, social media and more.

■ Lori Hamilton received a Retail Champion award, at the recent Produce for Better Health Foundation convention in Scottsdale. Hamilton, Food City’s director of healthy initiatives, accepted the award on behalf of the company. “We strive to promote fresh, fro-zen and canned fruits and vegetables,” she said, “as all are great sources to incorporate into our diet.”

BIZ NOTES ■ North Knoxville Business & Professional Association meeting,

8 a.m. Friday, June 10, The Gathering Place in the Regas Build-ing, 318 N. Gay St. Networking and breakfast, 7:45 a.m. Program: Compassion Coalition.

Kaleb Emmert By Sherry Witt

Activity in the local real estate market continued its upward trend last month, as 1,212 prop-erties were trans-ferred in Knox Coun-ty during the period ending on Tuesday, May 31. That fi gure represented an in-crease of nearly 200 sales over last May’s

total, and surpassed this April’s ac-tivity by 99.

The aggregate value of property transferred also continued to rise,

climbing to $268 million in May after an April total of $242 million. It was the largest May output since 2007, and bested May 2016 by about $50 million.

Mortgage lending remained steady in May as around $344 million was borrowed against real estate in Knox County, compared to approximately $347 million during April. Last spring lending levels were rather high, with $372 million borrowed through mort-gages and refi nancing.

There were two particularly large commercial transfers recorded in Knox County in May. One was the sale of multiple parcels in the development known as The Marketplace, located on

Kingston Pike. The total sale price list-ed for this transaction was $7,394,625. The other involved multiple lots in The Village at Hardin Valley, which were sold for $7.3 million. The largest mort-gage recorded in May was a loan in the amount of $20,612,500, fi nancing the Woodlands West residential complex off Walker Springs Rd.

As we near the halfway point of 2016, this year continues to be ahead of the 2015 pace in virtually every re-cording category. Property sales are outrunning 2015 activity by around $130 million, and mortgage lending is about $30 million above last year’s levels.

Lending holds steady as real estate sales rise

Sherry Witt

News from Offi ce of Register of Deeds

By Carol Z. ShaneKnox County resident

Chris Boler, newly-ap-pointed president of CUSO – ORNL Federal Credit Union’s Service Organi-zation, also known as CU Community LLC – believes that in this increasingly technology-driven age, “it’s real important to make a personal connection.”

Boler began his career with ORNL in 2010 as a mortgage and loan process-

ing agent. His enthu-siasm has earned him promotions to mortgage sales man-ager, as-sistant vice p r e s i d e n t of sales and

service, and vice president of sales and service. “We are a not-for-profi t fi nancial cooperative, locally owned

and operated by our mem-bers,” he says, and it’s clear that he believes wholeheart-edly in the credit union model.

Boler received his bach-elor’s degree in business management from Carson-Newman University, and his MBA at UT Martin. He is currently fi nishing up his third year of South-east Regional Credit Union Management School at the University of Georgia in

Athens, and will graduate this month.

In March of 2016 he was named president of the ORNL Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO.) It’s a people-oriented facet of ORNL that suits him well. Boler will be responsible for growing and enriching part-nerships with other credit unions, and enhancing available member services throughout the 32-branch system of ORNL FCU.

Chris Boler: providing the personal touch for ORNL FCU

Chris Boler

Jean Wilson Lori HamiltonElizabeth HallDemirjian