Information from WYSH Radio
The Anderson County Hall of Fame will continue its tradition of honoring the area’s finest community members at the dinner and induction ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 21, at the First Baptist Church of Clinton.
Stephen Bargatze, internationally acclaimed comedian and motivational speaker, will serve as the keynote speaker of the 7th annual celebration. Each year, individuals with ties to Anderson County are inducted into the Hall of Fame in ten categories, and the Class of 2013 is as follows:
- Judy Bates—Coach/Youth Mentor
- Jeanie Bertram—Lifetime Achievement
- Rev. Tom Byrge—Lifetime Ministry
- Bobby Delozier—Athlete
- Byron Hale—Elected/Public Official
- Mary Sue Harris—Visionary
- Bobby Leach—Community Volunteer
- Col. Thomas Shank—Military
- Bob Smallridge—K-12 Education
- Paul Smith—Business Leader
- Carl Swisher—Business Leader
- Robert Swisher—Business Leader
Bobby Delozier, Athlete
As a Lake City High School senior, Bobby Delozier was selected as an All-Conference football player and an All-State running back. He was the third-leading scorer in the state that year, setting a Lake City High School record that has never been broken. Upon his graduation in 1964, he accepted a full scholarship to Carson-Newman College to play football where he lettered all four years. He was selected to the Knoxville New Sentinel All Area Small College Team all four years of college.
Byron Hale, Elected/Public Official
Byron Hale served as an alderman for the town of Clinton from 1959-1973. He was elected as mayor of Clinton for the first time in 1975 and served in that position until April of 1984, never losing an election. He has served on the Clinton Planning Commission, Clinton Utilities Board, Anderson County Industrial Development Board, Oak Ridge Methodist Medical Center Board, Anderson County Equalization Board, and the Anderson County Jury Commission. He was director of both the Economic Development Board and East Tennessee Human Resource Agency for a 16-county area.
Mary Sue Harris, Visionary
Mary S. Harris has dedicated more than 50 years of service to Anderson County as a historian, archivist, author, and genealogist. In 1993, she became the Anderson County archivist, a position she still holds. She currently serves as Anderson County historian and is often consulted by those researching Anderson County and East Tennessee. She has authored, compiled, and/or published seven books on Anderson and Marion Counties in Tennessee. She has served on the Anderson County Records Committee, Slover Chimes Restoration Committee, and Pellissippi Genealogical and Historical Society, and she worked with the committee for the TN Bicentennial Program.
Judy Bates, Coach/Youth Mentor
Judy Bates has served as youth director, Sunday school teacher, women’s ministry co-leader, and has played piano and organ for more than 50 years at Main Street Baptist Church. She is presently the worship leader and directs the worship choir and three youth choirs. She helped found the Joy Singers, a ministry that combined Christian service with choral performance. She served as director of the Joy Singers for almost 25 years, during which time they grew from a small group of youth at MSBC to a group that welcomed all young people. In two decades, more than 1,200 youth have participated in Joy Singers.
Jeanie Bertram, Lifetime Achievement
Jeanie Bertram was named executive director of the Anderson County Health Council in 1992. She enacted a variety of wellness programs including services for dental health, adolescent sexual abstinence, wilderness experience for troubled teens, ropes courses, and team building for recovering drug and alcohol clients, and a home visitation program for high-risk first-time parents. Under her leadership, the agency participated in Operation Health Check, Red Ribbon Week, Activities Day Fair, and CPR Classes. Bertram retired in 2000, but continued to supervise the Health Clinic’s dental clinics twice a month. The clinic is now called the Jeanie Bertram Dental Clinic.
Robert Swisher, Carl Swisher, and Paul Smith, Business Leaders
Bob Swisher, Carl Swisher, and Paul Smith led the longest privately held coal mining corporation in Tennessee history from 1954 until its sale in 2008. They built a family atmosphere that carried over in their community. They supplied coal to schools, made their equipment and men available for grading ball fields and roads, and helped the community of Stoney Fork in the flood of 1965. They were one of the first coal mining companies in this area to install a coal processing facility to make the coal a cleaner product. The biggest contribution to Bob, Carl, and Paul’s success was their business model of mining conservation. They were good stewards of the land and received numerous reclamation and safety awards from the federal governing agencies.
Rev. Tom Byrge, Lifetime Ministry
Tom Byrge served in the U.S. Air Force from Oct. 21, 1957-Nov. 1, 1977 in France, Tennessee, and Korea, as well as many other tours. He was the youth/associate pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, and pastor of the Graceland Baptist Church from 1977-1985, Clinch River Baptist Church from 1985-2006, and intern pastor of Edgemoor Baptist Church from 2006-2009. He has been the director of missions of the Clinton Baptist Association since 2009. He currently serves as co-chair of the Community Advisory Board and on the board of directors of the Office on Aging, Child Advocacy Center, East Tennessee Human Resource Agency, and North Anderson County Boys and Girls Club. Byrge and his wife Minnie have been married for 54 years and have two children, Millie Arender and Thomas Byrge Jr. They have seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
On the night of the dinner and induction ceremony, the doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for the silent auction. Dinner will begin at 6, and the induction ceremony will follow at 7. Tickets are $100 ($85 is tax deductible), and tables are $700 ($580 is tax-deductible). Tickets are available by phone at (865) 232-1070, on the website at www.AndersonCountyHallofFame.com, or mail c/o Boys and Girls Club of North Anderson County, P.O. Box 537, Lake City, TN 37769.
The Boys & Girls Club of North Anderson County, a member of Boys and Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley (BGCTNV), began providing services to children in 2005. BGCTNV offers programs that increase academic success, encourage healthy lifestyles, and encourage good character and citizenship among youth. The Boys and Girls Clubs believes that each young person we serve has limitless potential that we must discover, ignite, and foster.
Along with providing educational support and leadership opportunities, clubs empower youth to support and influence their club and community, sustain meaningful relationships with others, develop a positive self-image, participate in the democratic process, and respect their own and others’ cultural identities. There are 14 club locations in Knox, Blount, Loudon, and Northern Anderson Counties.
Information in this story brought to you through an agreement between Oak Ridge Today and WYSH. See more local news headlines on the WYSH website at http://www.wyshradio.com/local_news.html.
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