Benchmarks 2018 | Section E | Community

The Greeneville Sun, Benchmarks Edition — March 31, 2018

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Remains Of World War II Soldier Returned Home

BY LORELEI GOFF AND MICHAEL S. RENEAU The story of the 2017 return of Pfc. Reece Gass’ remains to his home in Greene County from an unmarked World War II grave in Belgium gripped the attention of the county and made headlines and touched hearts across the country.

Gass was killed on Jan. 14, 1945, during the Battle of Bulge. He was a member of the U.S. Army’s Company E, 33rd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, moving from the Lomre area toward Cherain, Belgium, in a three-pronged advance against enemy forces, documents given to the family by the Army said. As fighting drove them back, five tanks from the regiment were lost, including at least two from Gass’ company. He was reported to have been killed in action after his tank was hit by enemy fire.

For 72 years, he was lost to both his family and the U.S. Army, his remains never having been identified. Then, in a string of providential events, he was located in an unmarked grave in a cemetery not far from where his tank had been blown up by German troops. The family received word and in June 2017, the U.S. Army brought Gass home.

On Saturday, June 10, his remains were finally buried next to siblings and feet away from his parents in Cross Anchor Cemetery, off Babbs Mill Road. Next to his brother’s headstone is a marker that had been placed in memory of Reece Gass. That marker has been moved to his grave, along with a whole other headstone.

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In His Own Words

SUN FILE PHOTO BY MICHAEL S. RENEAU

Roberta Gass accepts a United States flag during a graveside ceremony to honor her uncle, Pfc. Reece Gass, in June 2017.

Pfc. Reece Gass

and friend of the family Trudy Wallack happened to be on the same flight that Gass’ remains came into the Tri-Cities Airport on Thursday, June 8. She said when the plane landed, the pilot asked via the intercom system that everyone remain seated out of respect for military personnel. Passengers thought the pilot referred to a soldier disembarking

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at that time and applauded. When the pilot spoke again asking passengers to remain seated while military personnel completed a ceremony, they realized they had flown with a fallen soldier.

“It went somber very quickly,” Wallack said. “It was a most riveting moment, being overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts, and then the ceremony in itself was just humbling. I wept. Other passengers were weeping also.”

Wallack described the moment as “one of the top 10 spiritual moments” of her life.

Kerry Fuller, one of Gass’ great-nieces, described a poignant moment during the ride from Tri-cities Airport to Greeneville with her great-uncle’s casket.

“It was after dark, and there were still people with flags on the sides of the roads,” she said. “The thing that got me was when we got out of Boones Creek.

There’s a little church, Marvin’s chapel. A Boy Scout troop was there with flags and their hands over their hearts. It was just really something. And all the motorcycles (from Rolling Thunder). When we pulled into the drive [of Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home], the [Greeneville] fire

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families have to go through.

That feeling just overwhelms you.”

She added: “Some have said it reminded them so much of their service and things that happened to them. They have that emotional attachment. It’s really something.”

Many residents of the county paid respects to Gass at Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home on June 9 and 10 and the graveside service at Cross Anchor Cemetery.

One veteran of the Iraq War said, “He’s finally home. That’s why I’ve come, to pay my respects. He’s finally come home. We have a lot of MIAs still. I just thank God one of them has made it home.”

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body that’s been gone this long,” she said. “You wake up in the morning and think, ‘This is not real. This is not happening to our family.’

But it did happen.”

She said she hopes it will be an inspiration to other families still waiting for their loved ones to be identified.

Another niece, Jo Ann Jones, said the family has been surprised by the response the return of their uncle has drawn from the community and beyond.

“All these … lives have been given for us,” she said “War goes on. We still have Afghanistan, Iraq. I feel great sadness that we’re still going through war. The ones that are over there now are risking their lives every day. We don’t fully realize the sacrifice of what

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department had the huge flag coming down from the ladder.”

Rolling Thunder, a veterans advocacy group, provided a motorcycle escort to from the airport to the funeral home. Dozens of motorcycles participated.

The group also participated in the processional from Gass’ funeral at Doughty-Stevens to the cemetery in Cross Anchor.

Bittersweet is the word Gass’ niece, Betty Jo McAmis, used to describe her feelings when the family was presented with Gass’ Purple Heart and other military awards during a private ceremony the day before his remains were interred.

“It was bittersweet,” McAmis said. “Bittersweet.”

“I think he would have been so proud,” she said, her own eyes glowing with pride.

“I just think he would have.

He was my husband’s uncle.

My husband looked up to him very much. They talked about him — good things.

Everything I heard was good things. I think he was kind of a prankster, too. Telling stories, you know.”

Roberta Gass, one of Gass’ nieces, described events surrounding his return as surreal.

“DNA has come so far that they could identify some-

When 20-year-old Reece Gass left his rural home in Greene County, the year was 1943 and much of the world was embroiled in World Warr II. Gass was drafted into the U.S. Army, along with one of his brothers.

He wrote often to one of his sisters, who had raised him after the death of their mother in the 1930s. In one letter dated April 17, 1944, from Fort Meade in Maryland, Gass wrote, “Well, Sis, I guess I will be leaving here pretty soon. I heard that we was going to England, but I don’t know for sure. … I guess it will be a long time before I am home again.”

It proved to be a very long time.

Gass was one of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, and of the more than 400,000 that died during the war.

In another letter sent from France on Aug. 6, 1944, Gass, who is said to have carried around two letters from his sister in his combat helmet, gave her a glimpse of life on the battlefield.

Dear sis, I will try to answer your letter I received a few days ago and sure is good to hear from you and to know that you are all OK. And feeling fine. This sure is a lonesome place here. Not getting any mail. Sis, I want you to write as often as you can. For a letter in this place sure does mean a lot here. ... I live in a fox hole and take a bath in my helmet and do my washing in a half gallon bucket. ... Tell Earl hi and to be a good boy. Say, Sis, I want you to send me a box of candy for I would give anything for some good candy. Well, I guess that is all I can think of this time so I will close hoping and hoping to hear from you soon. Good night.

Love, Reece.

It’s not known how many more letters Gass’ sister received from her younger brother, but she received one from the U.S. Army reporting that he was missing in action and, soon after, one dated Feb. 16, 1945, from the Adjutant General of the Army that read: Dear Mrs. Gass, It is with profound regret that I confirm the recent telegram informing you of the death of your brother Private First Class Reece Gass … who was previously reported missing in action on 14 January 1945 in Belgium. ...

I realize the burden of anxiety that has been yours since he was first reported missing in action and deeply regret the sorrow this later report brings you.

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SUN FILE PHOTO BY LISA WARREN

Lt. Stephen Byrd speaks with Mosheim student Kylie Malone in April 2017. Malone’s grandfather, Dale Long, is president of USS Greeneville Inc. and circulation director at The Greeneville Sun.

SUN FILE PHOTO BY DARREN REESE

The family of Pfc. Reece Gass await the return of his remains in June 2017 on the tarmac of the Tri-Cities Airport.

GASS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Another county resident said he went to the funeral home after reading about Gass’ story.

“I’ve been reading about this guy and I just got attached to it,” said Roger Ford. “I didn’t know them but I feel attached to (the family) because of this guy here and his story.”

Ford choked back tears as he talked. “It’s because of people like this guy right here that you and me are here today,” he said. “He died for us.”

BY CAMERON JUDD SUN PROMOTIONS COORDINATOR The historic and cordial relationship between the local community and the USS Greeneville submarine flourished in early 2017, when four members of the boat’s crew, including its then-captain, visited the town for which their Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine submarine is named.

The faces and uniforms of Capt. Anseeuw, Master Chief Chris Martell, Assistant Operations Officer Lt. Stephen Byrd and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesus Fernandez became familiar in Greeneville and Greene County as the four toured the community and met residents in various settings.

These included visits to local colleges, schools, public offices such as the Greeneville Fire Department, local historic sites, and other locales.

For Anseeuw, the public nature of the 2017 trip was quite different than his first Greeneville visit in 2014.

FINDING GASS Identifying Gass’ remains required a persistent effort and technological breakthroughs.

According to materials released by the Army in 2017, in June 1947, a U.S. War Department investigator recovered a set of human remains from the remnants of a tank at Mont-le-Ban, near Cherain, Belgium. The remains were designated as Unknown X-5867 Neuville.

Several attempts to identify the remains were unsuccessful.

The remains were eventually interred in the U.S. Military Cemetery Hamm, Luxembourg (now Luxembourg American Cemetery) in March 1952 under a headstone that read “Here Rests in Honored Glory a Comrade in Arms Known but to God.” Fuller said a fellow Greene Countian and close friend of Gass, J.C. Watts, who was also fighting in Europe, tried to find his friend’s grave.

Watts reported to family and friends back home that he head seen Gass’ dogtags hanging on a headstone at the Belgium cemetery.

Watts died in 2005.

Decades passed with the

USS Greeneville Sailors Spend Time With Local Students

SUN PHOTO BY DARREN REESE

SEE SAILORS ON PAGE 4

An Army Honor Guard carries the remains of Army Pfc. Reece Gass, who was killed in World War II, from a plane to a hearse at the Tri-Cities Airport in June 2017.

Gass family not knowing much about what actually happened to Gass’ remains.

Through the years, all of Gass’ siblings died.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody left at Cross Anchor that would remember him or not,” Fuller said.

Her grandmother was one of Gass’ sisters.

“My grandmother always would talk about him,” she said. “She kept a picture of him. She would always point to the picture and say, ‘That’s my younger brother, Reece. He was killed in the war.’ She was very proud of the fact that he had served.

There was never that closure for them, as far as his remains being sent back.”

Today, his closest surviving relatives are nieces who never knew him. “From my understanding, he was quite the character,” Fuller said.

“He was a cut-up and liked to have fun, just like any 20-year-old. When he got the call to serve, he went.”

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Months before Gass’ remains were identified, a family of one of the other men inside Gass’ tank petitioned the Army to try to use DNA testing to confirm the identity of their loved one.

The result was a surprise.

The remains that had been tested didn’t belong to the man in question. They belonged to Gass, tests revealed.

“It’s a whirlwind,” Betty McAmis, one of Gass’ nieces, said. “It’s just hard to believe. Who would have ever thought?”

To identify Gass’ remains,

scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA, which matched his niece; anthropological analysis matching Gass’ records; and historical evidence, according to the Army news release.

Gass could have been buried at Arlington National Cemetery or the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery.

But his family opted for the cemetery in Cross Anchor.

“We said no,” Fuller said.

“He needs to be home with his family.”

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

SAILORS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Upon learning he would be taking command of the only United States submarine named after a small town, Anseeuw decided he needed to see that town for himself, and along with his family made a quiet, covert visit.

That visit, he said, persuaded him he’d stumbled into something particularly good in his associations with the USS Greeneville and the town for which it is named.

Anseeuw told his audience at a luncheon in the Christian Activities Center of Greeneville First Baptist Church, that service on the USS Greeneville is a sought-after status for a U.S. Navy submariner, and that the crew he leads is, in his view, one of the most disciplined and skilled seagoing teams anywhere.

“We walk around with a little bit of a swagger,” he said. “And I dare say we are a little better than most.”

Speaking a day earlier to students of Greeneville High School, Anseeuw had described the role of USS Greeneville crews as ambassadorial. He said, “We are your ambassadors; we are the ambassadors of Greeneville, Tennessee. We are representatives of the U.S. Navy.

We are, in fact, ambassadors of the United States.”

Two crewmen, Byrd and Fernandez, visited Mosheim Middle School while in the county. The pair told assembled students on April 19 about their day-to-day lives and work in the Navy.

“Being inside a submarine is really not that different than being inside a school like this,” Fernandez said.

Nor are sailors a lot different than young American school kids, according to Fernandez.

After their daily work is completed, USS Greeneville personnel often can be found playing games or watching movies, Fernandez told the middle-schoolers.

At the Kiwanis luncheon the day before the sailors were to depart Greeneville, Anseeuw spoke of his admiration for the town and the submarine that bears its name.

Anseeuw also gave a quick historical tour of the history of the Navy submarines, the part the

SUN FILE PHOTO BY KEN LITTLE

Commander Gabe Anseeuw, left, then-captain of the submarine USS Greeneville, receives a Greeneville High School logo sticker from Principal Patrick Fraley in April 2017 after Anseeuw and Master Chief Chris Martell, chief of the boat, gave a presentation to students in the high school lecture hall. Martell looks on at right.

USS Greeneville has within that history, and a quick list of some of the places the boat has visited: Singapore, Korea, Guam, the Philippines and many other locations around the globe.

After their officer’s comments, the uniformed trio of Martell, Byrd and Fernandez provided an entertaining, free-wheeling and individualized look at life on and under the sea, talking about everything from the technology that makes the submarine work to the realities of claustrophobic situations on a submarine and the status of their boat as “a floating American embassy,” as Byrd phrased it.

Byrd said, “If the world was more like a Southern town it would be a bit easier for all of us to get along.”

Byrd, from Florence, Kentucky, spoke of feeling at home as soon as he saw the East Tennessee hills when landing at the airport in Knoxville.

Submarine life, he said, taught him the value of “brotherhood ... the trust that you have in the guy next to you.”

Fernandez’s portion of the presentation delved into how the sailors have tried to do good things in other areas they have

visited, including, at one location, befriending and helping out young residents of a home for young women who had suffered abuse in their earlier lives. The opportunity to help brighten the lives of those young women was “heart-touching,” he said.

He said it also touched him and his fellow sailors to see how the town of Greeneville has “welcomed four strangers with open arms.”

He went on: “On the boat we have adopted the hospitality of the town of Greeneville and try to exhibit it at all our deployments.”

Martell, who grew up in the tiny town of Van, Texas, said he joined the Navy as a way of escaping small-town life into a more-or-less guaranteed job.

Martell told the Kiwanians and other luncheon attenders that, since leaving home, he developed a different attitude about small towns, in fact liking the Town of Greeneville partly because it reminded him of his own small-town roots.

Martell left behind with the Kiwanians a physical token of the sailors’ visit: a plaque made in part from actual metal from

the USS Greeneville.

At the close of the luncheon, the sailors did an informal meet-and-greet, shaking hands, sharing conversation and posing for photos.

Earlier activities of the Navy visitors included attendance at a meeting April 18 of the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Anseeuw and the other sailors presented Greeneville Mayor W.T. Daniels and the town ’s four aldermen fleece pullovers emblazoned with the USS Greeneville logo.

Since that visit last spring, other members of the Greeneville crew have visited the town privately to see local friends individually, according to USS Greeneville Inc. President Dale Long, but no visits of the public magnitude of the 2017 sojourn have occurred.

USS Greeneville (SSN-772) is a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine. The contract to build the boat was awarded to Newport News Shipbuilding, which formerly had a plant in Greeneville.

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SUN FILE PHOTO BY LISA WARREN

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jesus Fernandez speaks to students in April 2017 at Mosheim Middle School about his job aboard the USS Greeneville.

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 5

SUN FILE PHOTO BY KEN LITTLE

Abi Bolton, 3, enjoys one of the kiddie rides at the 2017 Greene County Fair.

Greene County Fair Increases Safety Measures

BY KRISTEN EARLY ASSOCIATE EDITOR Increased safety measures and a new carnival provider brought about a better year for the Greene County Fair in August 2017.

In 2016, four people reported injuries in a fall from Family Attractions Amusement LLC’s Ferris wheel when a gondola overturned. Federal lawsuits are pending, and the court has set jury trials to hear the case.

Belle City Amusements Inc. provided the fair’s 2017 carnival without incident — and without a Ferris wheel.

The Greene County Fair Board and Family Attractions announced just days following the Ferris wheel incident that

they had agreed to terminate their midway contract, effective immediately.

The fair board then selected Belle City, which had a 2016 safety-related incident in Memphis in which several people were treated for broken bones after a ride operator accidentally released safety restraints before the ride came to a stop, according to media reports.

To combat concerns within the community about ride safety, the fair board hired two ride inspectors certified by the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials to inspect the rides prior to their opening at the 2017 fair. Belle City brought in another NAARSO-certified third-party inspector as well, John Dodson, a former NAARSO president.

The fair board’s inspector, Wayne White,

remained at the fair for a day or two to continue observing the ride operation, Greene County Fair Board President Rick Clark said.

“We think that having three sets of eyes examining the rides this year will demonstrate to the public that everything possible is being done to mitigate the risk of ride accidents this year,” Clark said during a news conference in August with Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Burns Phillips and State Rep. David Hawk, R-5th, of Greeneville.

The state department’s Amusement Device Unit expanded in 2017 to include safety compliance officers — one for each grand division — who after a year of training will be able to do inspections of their

own, as needed.

The unit also planned to add a new sticker system in fall 2017 that marks every device permitted and property inspected for operation in Tennessee for one year, Phillips said, and had already opened a 24hour hotline for if an amusement device incident takes place.

“I am 100 percent confident, with all of the eyes as we set up the Greene County Fair this year, that we are safe,” Hawk said. “I will be bringing my daughters to the fair this week to ride the rides and to enjoy everything about this fair and to build those memories that I had as a child coming to the Greene County Fair all those years ago.”

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Saturday, March 31, 2018

FAIR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Some on social media said they wouldn’t take the risk, even with the extra inspections.

“We won’t be going to any more local fairs,” Travis Shults wrote on the Greene County Fair’s Facebook page. “Not worth the risk to walk around a gravel lot and worry about my kids’ safety.”

But there were still those on the fairgrounds on opening day, ready to ride the rides without fear or concern.

And as vendors and exhibitors packed up their booths and the last few thrill seekers enjoyed rides early Sunday night, Clark offered his perspective on the 68th edition of the Greene County Fair.

“I think we had a pretty decent year. We fought the weather all week and had a rainout on Monday night, but overall everybody put there had a really good time. They enjoyed it,” Clark said.

The weekly attendance for the 2017 fair, including an extra day on Sunday, totaled 27,232 people, Clark said.

That compares to a total fair attendance of: 21,604 in 2016; 30,582 in 2015; and 29,481 in 2014.

SUN FILE PHOTO

Firefighters work to free people stuck on the Ferris wheel following the August 2016 incident at the Greene County Fair.

her angle in an adjoining gondola. Videos of the Ferris wheel prior to the accident show empty gondolas “swinging normally,” Lewis concluded.

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THE LAWSUITS Separate jury trials have been scheduled for February 2019 in the federal lawsuits filed by the families of those injured in the Ferris wheel incident at the Greene County Fair in August 2016.

In September, Family Attractions filed responses to the three lawsuits, in which the company blamed one of the children injured on their Ferris wheel for a gondola overturning.

In the responses, the company denies responsibility in the incident and places blame on a minor child who was in the gondola when it overturned, dumping three girls to the ground. Any further liability, they state, “is barred or reduced by the comparative fault” of the manufacturer.

The responses claim the minor child, whom a report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission identified as having “a severe but unspecified learning disability,” stood and rocked the gondola, therefore allegedly negligently causing the incident.

“The actions of the minor … were the sole legal cause of the accident and any resulting injuries,” the responses state.

The Greeneville Sun has declined to name the child at the wishes of her parents, who are among

ILLUSTRATION SPECIAL TO THE SUN

An aerial view shows the Greene County Fairgrounds, which the fair board has agreed to put up for sale in order for a broker to market the land along Jeff Woods Memorial Drive for retail development.

those who sued the ride company, the ride manufacturer and the owners of each. Their lawsuit, filed separately from the other two, will be heard in a Greeneville jury trial on Feb. 26, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Phillips.

The Reynolds family and Lorena Cowhy, who each also filed a suit, have Greeneville jury trials set for Feb. 5 and Feb. 12, 2019, respectively. Both will also appear before Phillips.

Family Attractions’ responses to all three suits call for a dismissal of the lawsuits with prejudice — which means they can’t be filed again — as well as demanding a 12-person

jury trial and that “they be awarded all costs and other relief the court deems appropriate.”

Those injured included then-10-year-old Kayla Reynolds, her 6-year-old sister, Briley, and the 16-year-old girl.

Kayla broke her arm, while Briley suffered a traumatic brain injury. The other child suffered “fractures of four lumbar vertebra, a collapsed lung, a lacerated liver” and more, according to the lawsuit.

Like the Reynolds girls, she was hospitalized for a time and may continue to require treatment, the lawsuit says.

Lorena Cowhy, a woman in an adjacent gondola that jolted when the

girls’ gondola overturned, reported injuring her arm and shoulder.

The federal product safety commission noted wear and damage to the gondolas, and multiple ride inspectors said a mechanical failure was the cause of the incident. The Greeneville Police Department’s final report determined the cause to have been the metal plate on the bottom of the gondola catching on a crossbeam and tipping the gondola.

A number of witnesses have testified that none of the girls rocked the gondola. The federal product safety commission report included one interview with an independently contracted vendor of FAA who

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said he saw the child stand and rock the gondola.

The final report by the Greeneville Police Department into the incident found no evidence that the girls had done so.

Officer David Lewis wrote in the report: “I can find no evidence to corroborate witness statements that the girls were swinging the bucket prior to the accident.”

Lewis goes on to detail that Cowhy was cited in a report from Family Attractions’ third-party inspector as having seen the girls rocking the gondola. Cowhy told Lewis she did not speak to the company’s inspector, nor could she have seen if the girls had been rocking the gondola from

In February 2018, the Greene County Fair Board announced plans to put the current fairgrounds property up for sale and relocate the fair. A real estate firm will market the fairgrounds and adjacent parcels together for 182 total acres.

The Greene County Fair will continue to operate in its current location until a deal is complete.

SVN Interstate Brokers, a commercial real estate brokerage firm, will coordinate the relocation of the Greene County Fair in Greeneville, a news release says.

The fairgrounds consists of about 33 acres and will only be sold under the condition that the fair operates there until it is up and running on new land not yet located or purchased, according to Clark.

He said others involved in the deal approached the fair board in late 2017 about the possibility of relocating the fair and selling the land.

Because the fair is in need of more parking space and desires to expand the motorsports arena, the board agreed. There has been no negotiation yet regarding price, Clark said.

“I think if this thing goes through and does like we hope it does — you never know on these things — it would be nice. It would be nice to do some things we’d like to do,” Clark said. “It may be five, six, seven years.

It may never happen. But if it does, we’re excited about it.”

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Greene Devils Bring Football Championship Back To Greeneville

BY DARREN REESE SPECIAL TO THE SUN When it comes to the proverbial “dream season”, Greeneville High School football coach Caine Ballard couldn’t have scripted anything better than what transpired in 2017.

In late November, Ballard watched his son and GHS junior quarterback Cade win the Tennessee Titans Class Class 4A Mr. Football Award, which goes to the state’s top player.

Then, later in the week, on Dec. 1, 2017, the Ballard duo helped led the Greene Devils to the third state championship in program history with a 54-13 rout of Springfield at Tucker Stadium on the campus of Tennessee Tech University.

The Greene Devils set a new state championship game record for points in a half as they raced out to a 40-7 lead at intermission.

The younger Ballard tied a state championship game mark with his seven total touchdowns in the contest.

But as the popular quote by poet Ralph Waldo Emerson goes, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” And as sweet as celebrating on the turf in Cookeville that night was, the Greene Devils will remember much more about the season than just the final chapter.

You could say the journey started many years ago, when a lot of this year’s Greene Devils were playing youth football together and dreaming of those Friday night lights at Burley Stadium.

You could say the journey started 12 months earlier, when the Greene Devils suffered a heart-breaking loss to Knox Central on a last-second Hail Mary that ended their season on that same Burley Stadium turf.

And then the journey really got cranked up in January 2017, when the weight lifting and early-morning workouts began.

Even back then, coach Ballard saw something special in this group. Unlike some previous teams, there was no lack of leadership or camaraderie or togetherness that can plague the best of would-be cham-

SUN FILE PHOTO BY DARREN REESE

Greeneville linebackers Ty Youngblood and Kenny Kershaw celebrate following the Greene Devils’ win over Springfield in the TSSAA Class 4A state championship game in Cookeville in December. It marked the third state title in school history.

pionship contenders. As senior Nathaniel Moon put it, “We’re just different.”

“The commitment the guys made to the program every day, there was no way they were going to put in all the work they put in and then go out there and fail,” Ballard said. “They were there for each other, they leaned on each other, they encouraged each other, they fed off each other. It was a fun thing to watch.”

All of those attributes were there despite the fact that the 2017 Greeneville roster featured just a dozen seniors, and only four of them started, including place kicker Eli Shepherd.

The other three starting seniors — receivers/defensive backs Seth Crawford and Jamian Thompson, and lineman Nick Rideout — were captains for the state championship game.

But despite the fact that not many of the members of the senior class were in

the starting line-up didn’t mean they weren’t an integral part of the team, Ballard pointed out.

“That senior class did an outstanding job,” the coach said. They were very unselfish. The Nathaniel Moons, the Jonathan Freshours, the Ethan Zooks — I could go all the way down the list. They were great teammates and great leaders.”

The leadership didn’t come from just the graduating class, though.

The junior class featured several guys who had been playing since their freshman seasons, and even the sophomores provided key performers and vocal leaders. Despite its youth, the 2017 Greeneville squad was a very mature team.

“We are blessed to have really good leadership throughout our program right now,” Ballard noted. {span style=”font-size: 16px;”}The coach stacked the early non-region part of

the 2017 schedule to help better prepare his team for what would await them in a postseason run. And, boy, did the Greene Devils answer the call.{/span} They started the season by rallying from a second-half deficit to defeat Class 6A foe Dobyns-Bennett at home in front of one of the largest crowds Ballard said he could remember at Burley Stadium.

That was only the opening act for the Devils, though, as they went on to demolish two more 6A rivals over the next three weeks. They beat Morristown West 38-14 and Science Hill 42-26, both on the road.

It was after the game in Johnson City that Ballard began to believe his team was destined for great things in 2017.

“As a coach, you always kind of look for that point in the season where you can say, ‘OK, here we are’,” he remembered. “For me, it kind of started the first game of the year.”

“We were behind in a big game against a team that we don’t get to beat very often, and to come back and win that one. And then to go on the road to Science Hill and play as well as we did up there, that has to make you feel good.”

The question marks for Ballard entering the 2017

campaign revolved around the offensive and defensive lines, where the Greene Devils had to replace several talented players.

As the season progressed, though, it became apparent that the guys in the trenches were going to be a strength and not a liability.

On the offensive line, two juniors on the left side in Tommy Taylor and Trent Knight were joined by a pair of sophomores in right guard Chris Everhart and center Devin Dye. Rideout and Everhart earned All-State recognition from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association. But Ballard said that the play of the group as a whole far exceeded his expectations.

“Devin Dye as a sophomore continued to get better and better, and Tommy Taylor, I can’t say enough about how well he played,” Ballard noted. “Trent at left guard is undersized, but he may be the toughest of the whole group.”

“Chris is a great athlete and a big presence up there, and Nick had an incredible stretch of games, particularly in the playoffs.”

Some of those guys turned around and played the defensive tackle positions as well. But the breakout seasons on that side of the ball belonged to defensive ends Jacques Gillespie-Taylor and Logan Shipley.

Gillespie-Taylor played sparingly in 2016, but in 2017 he tallied 113 tackles and led the team in tackles for a loss (18), sacks (11) and forced fumbles (6).

He also earned All-State honors at season’s end.

Shipley, despite missing a couple of games due to injury, finished with 98 tackles and 10 tackles for a loss.

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“Defensive line was a question mark, too,” Ballard said. “I told the coaches before the season started that our success on defense would be determined by how Jacques played, and he delivered for sure. I knew if Jacques and Logan played well, we were going to be reallygood. They both had outstanding seasons.”

But this year’s Greeneville defense had playmakers on every level, which certainly made defensive coordinator Eddie Spradlen rest a little easier at night.

Sophomore linebacker Ty Youngblood and senior defensive back Seth Crawford were also named to the All-State team. But both of them had equally talented teammates around them at their positions.

Youngblood finished with a team-high 148 tackles. He was joined by starting linebackers Kenny Kershaw and Garrin Shuffler to form one of the most sure-tackling groups in the state.

Kershaw finished with 138 tackles. Shuffler missed a big portion of the regular season due to injury but gave the defense a big boost with his return for the postseason.

In the defensive backfield, Thompson played the corner position opposite of Crawford.

At the safety positions were two hard hitters in Cameron Hite and Dalton McLain.

Hite had 98 tackles, including seven tackles for a loss, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.

Crawford broke the school record for interceptions in a season with 12, and seven of those came in the final three games of the year. He had four alone in the state quarterfinals to help the Greene Devils rally from a 21-point deficit against Anderson County. He had two more against

SUN FILE PHOTO BY DARREN REESE

Greeneville junior quarterback Cade Ballard (left) looks on as his dad and GHS head coach Caine Ballard talks to the team following a game at Elizabethton in 2017.

Springfield to earn Defensive MVP honors of the state championship game.

Other top tacklers for the Greeneville defense were Will Albright (78), Tyler Marsh (41), and A.J. Greenway (44).

The Greene Devils recorded 26 interceptions as a team this year.

Offensively, Cade Ballard led the way as he became the fourth player in program history to win the Mr. Football Award. He completed 188-of-229 passes for an 82 percent completion rate while totaling 3,148 yards, 38 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

“When Cade was named a finalist, we both looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s not be at Mr. Football and not playing in the championship game,’” coach Ballard said. “We’ve done that before and it’s not fun. You don’t want to be down there for the award and not playing in the last game.

“But it was certainly a great honor for Cade,” he continued. “The way everything came together the way it did, it was a blessing for us.”

Coach Ballard said he could tell the game slowed down for his son during his junior campaign.

“The game was just so fast to him as a freshman and even a sophomore,” the elder Ballard said. “The experience he has on the field, you could see him be more comfortable. He sees things quicker.”

“As a quarterback, the quicker you can see things, the quicker you can get rid of the ball and get it where it needs to be on time.

That helped him. He is obviously surrounded by tremendous guys, as well.”

The Greeneville wide receiving corps proved to be one of the best in the state as five players tallied 19 catches or more.

Junior Dorien Goddard led the

way with 64 catches for 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns. Crawford had 47 catches for 957 yards and 14 scores, with a team best 20.4 yards per catch average.

Cameron Hite had 32 catches for 541 yards and nine touchdowns.

Thompson caught 24 passes and Moon 19.

The running game was highlighted by a pair of bruisers in Youngblood and Jaevon Gillespie, who rushed for 749 and 700 yards, respectively. Youngblood found the end zone 15 times and Gillespie 12.

Ballard was the team’s leading rusher with 985 yards and 21 touchdowns on 173 carries.

Senior Eli Shepherd highlighted the kicking game as he made 86-of-89 extra points and 3-of-6 field goals.The fact that the Greene Devils only lose a handful of starters leaves expectations high for the program in 2018 as well.

Coach Ballard knows his toughest coaching task will be to keep his guys from getting complacent in their bid for a repeat. It’s something he’s had to do before as a coach as Greeneville won back-to-back state championships in 2010 and 2011.

“I just have to remind the guys how they’ve felt after this one, getting to sign autographs and being heroes to all these young kids,” Ballard said. “If they want to feel that way again, we’ve got to do it again. They have to know that all the other teams and coaches want to feel like we felt this year.”

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Theatre Guild Launches Capital Campaign; Nears Halfway Mark

BY LORELEI GOFF SPECIAL TO THE SUN A capital campaign to raise $250,000 to renovate the Greeneville Theatre Guild building on Depot Street is nearly halfway to its goal. The campaign kicked off last December with a goal of raising the money within a year.

“We’re up to $100,000 on our $250,000 goal,” said Paige Mengel, the guild’s business coordinator. “That includes a $10,000 grant from the Mary G. K. Fox Foundation and a $10,000 gift from the Dorothy Greene Trust.”

The campaign received a generous lead gift at the announcement of the campaign from the children of John M. and Arne Jones, for whom the auditorium will be named.

John M. Jones Jr., a son of John M. and Arne Jones and former editor of The Greeneville Sun, said the project appealed to his family as a memorial to his mother and father.

“It was because of the strong connection that our family has had with the Little Theatre, and especially Mother’s,” Jones said.

Arne Jones was a founding board of directors member of the Little Theatre of Greeneville in the 1960s, which was the forerunner of the Greeneville Theatre Guild.

“We see (the Greeneville Theatre Guild) as a successor to the Little Theatre of Greeneville, which remains a very warm and special memory for us,” Jones said. “I hope that it will become a SEE CAMPAIGN ON PAGE 10

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Appearing in the Greeneville Theatre Guild’s March production of “Always A Bridesmaid” are, from left: Sandy Nienaber, Deborah Seidel, Cathleen Charleson and Susan Craig.

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

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Capitol Theatre Marquee Again Becomes Downtown Centerpiece

BY LORELEI GOFF SPECIAL TO THE SUN Hundreds of people thronged Main Street in front of the Capitol Theatre on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 27, amid a line of classic cars brought in by Volunteer State Auto Club in anticipation of an historic event for the downtown.

At 8 p.m. the iconic marquee of the Capitol came to life in brilliant color, reminiscent of its neon heyday.

The re-lighting of the marquee was the culmination of a years-long effort and the vision of the Capitol’s owner, Tracy Solomon.

Other improvements since 2015 have included painting of the theater’s exterior from beige to the gray color it is today, placement of TVs on the building’s exterior to display upcoming events and showtimes and the rewiring of lights on the underside of the marquee itself.

“It’s been a long, long time coming,” Solomon said that night. “It’s kind of overwhelming.”

Solomon and his wife, Pattie, purchased the theater after Solomon returned to the area in 2010.

“I bought it because it was there and it needed saving,” said Solomon, who says he loves theater and dance. “It was on its way to ruin when I bought it. It was literally raining on the stage and flooding in the hallway from the roof next door. It was sitting empty most of the

SUN FILE PHOTO BY LORELEI GOFF

The Capitol Theatre marquee was re-lit in September 2017.

time.”

Solomon described purchasing a home on Main Street and driving by the darkened marquee every day. He missed one opportunity to buy the theater and jumped at a second chance.

“Opportunities present themselves, and if you don’t seize it, they pass you by,” he said. “It’s a rare occasion

that it comes back around.”

Solomon, who grew up on a family farm in the South Greene area of the county, credits a “fantastic team” of people for completing the project about four months ahead of schedule.

The theater has been a centerpiece of downtown since 1934 and Solomon said many people have shared

behind the ambitious renovations to the building and marquee reaches into the future as well as the past.

“This theater is a beacon of light for the revitalization of downtown Greeneville,” he said. “That marquee needs to be lit up, and that was my No. 1 goal in this adventure.”

Solomon called the state-

their memories with him.

He recounted the story of an 81-year-old couple who didn’t want friends to know they were dating when they were young. The two often arranged to arrive at the theater separately and then met up in the balcony.

Solomon shared his own memory of seeing movies.

But his driving motivation

of-the-art LEDs that now adorn the marquee gorgeous.

“It’s beyond my expectations,” he said. “To me, it looks classic.”

Some opposed the use of LEDs when the project began — as opposed to neon bulbs — but he chose them

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SUN FILE PHOTO

BY LORELEI GOFF

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

thriving community theater with productions that the community will enjoy and educational aspects which will also be enriching, especially to those interested in the arts.”

Other naming opportunities are available.

The guild is pressing forward on the project with the funds already raised.

“We’re going ahead with the construction drawings so we can get some permits to begin doing some work,” Mengel said. “The architect is working on them now.”

The planned renovations include a moveable stage with flexible seating for up to about 125. The flexible seating will allow for a variety of configurations, including a theatre-inthe-round arrangement.

“The audience will never be more than four or five rows away from the action,” Mengel said during the December news conference. “It just gives you a whole lot better feel.

It’s easier to hear. It’s easier to see faces. We’re excited about being able to offer that type of experience.”

When completed, the renovations will furnish a little more than 4,000-square-feet on the one-story side of the building and about 5,000-square-feet per floor on three floors on the other side.

Over the years, several businesses have occupied the building, including the Greeneville Tobacco Manufacturing Company. During the time it housed the tobacco company, the building was cut in half to accommodate Cutler Street.

The guild hopes to add a cafe in the future.

Mengel said taking on the project hasn’t slowed the guild’s production schedule.

“We’re progressing with our season,” she said. “We’ve got a full season scheduled that we’re doing along with the building project. We’re not letting up on our productions.”

In comments during a news conference last year, Dr. Tom Beckner, chair of the guild’s board of trustees, said that the guild has been renting the Capitol Theatre for several performances a year since it first organized in 2014.

State Rep. David Hawk and Greeneville Theatre Guild Board of Trustees member Dr. David Hendricksen chat before a news conference to kick off the guild’s Destination: Theatre Depot capital campaign.

Rent has been one of the biggest items in the guild budget, he said.

He noted that the Greeneville Theatre Guild and the Capitol Theatre are separate organizations that have worked cooperatively to offer theater arts to the community. He said the new theater will complement other area theaters, rather than compete with them, as well as help to build momentum for downtown revitalization efforts.

Greeneville Theatre Guild Board of Trustees member Dr. David Hendricksen pointed out during the 2017 news conference that another reason community theaters are important is that they allow people with no theater back-

ground and no experience to come out and get involved, as well as playing a significant role in strengthening the social fabric of the community.

“All of a sudden, we stop being labels and we begin being people again,” Hendricksen said. “An organization like this has a purpose that cuts across all these lines that helps knit communities together.”

For more information about the guild, volunteering or donating to the campaign, call 423-470-2792. Additional information can also be found at greenevilletheatreguild. org and on the Facebook pages Greenville Theatre Guild or GTG Volunteer Depot.

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Greeneville Soccer Makes History With State Title

programs the TSSAA Class A/AA state sweep for the 2016-17 academic year.

“I can’t put it into words,” senior Ethan Ellis said.

“Me and my friends — Brandon (Waddell), Riley (Alexander), Gray (Hull) — we’ve talked about it since freshman year, how we’re going to be so great, how we were going to win state our senior year. It feels amazing.”

Ellis had to make one final throw-in in Patriots’ territory with the clock stopped with six seconds remaining in the championship game.

As the final seconds ticked off and the large contingent of Greeneville fans loudly and enthusiastically counted down, Ellis said only one thought was going through his mind.

“I was thinking, ‘I can’t

wait to get my ring,’” Ellis grinned.

The 2017 senior class helped lay the foundation that got the program to the pinnacle of high school soccer in the state of Tennessee.

It was the seventh consecutive state tournament appearance for Greeneville.

They suffered identical 5-0 defeats to private schools Christ Presbyterian Academy and Christian Academy of Knoxville in both of their semifinal showings — the first two in school history.

This was the first time Greeneville had ever reached the state finals.

This was also the last time that the Devils had a shot at besting the private schools, as many of them will be moving to TSSAA’s Division II. That fact made 2017’s championship extra sweet for the Devils, even though they defeated a public school in the finals.

“This is the first time a public school has won it in 15 years,” Greeneville head coach Jerry Graham noted.

“The first time two public schools have went at it for the championship.

“We are on top of the world right now.”

The game didn’t start ideal for the Devils (20-4-2) as Page needed just seven minutes to get on the board with a Andrew Mekler goal.

Andy Ross also viewed the relighting of the marquee as both touching the past and reaching into the future.

“I think this is another important step in the evolution of the Capitol,” said Jones.

“The lighting of the marquee tonight, it’s sentimental.

It’s bringing back something that has been a part of Greene County for a very long time.”

Jones said the event was nostalgic for him personally.

He’s lived in the area all his life and attended movies as a child.

Ross said the event makes a statement about the theater’s place in the town going

forward.

“Lighting that marquee is a way of saying, ‘We’re here and we’re not going any place,’” he said.

Ross added that the beacon is a metaphor for the opportunity the downtown area has to come back to life.

He said those involved in the effort are custodians of the history surrounding the theatre.

“Every town had a downtown movie theatre,” he said.

“Over time, many of those places — if they still stand — they’re not being used or they were turned into parking lots. This is a precious and wonderful location that

we have that we should cherish.”

The restoration of the marquee was funded in part by a facade grant aimed at revitalizing the downtown area.

“This has been a two-year process in order to take advantage of the grant,” Main Street: Greeneville Executive Director Jann Mirkov said during ceremonies. “The funds come through [the Department of Housing and Urban Development], then trickle down through Tennessee Economic Development, through the Tennessee Main Street program and then to Main Street: Green-

BY DARREN REESE SPECIAL TO THE SUN For a while, the same thoughts hung over both the Greeneville High School girls’ and boys’ soccer teams.

“Are we ever going to get over that hurdle?”

The Lady Devils had their season ended by Christian Academy of Knoxville in the state sectional round four straight years prior to 2015 before they broke through and won back-toback state titles.

The Devils had advanced to the state tournament six straight times coming into 2017. The first four times they lost in the opening round and the next two they bowed out in the semifinals.

But now, like their female counterparts, the Greeneville boys have to answer that question no longer.

Back in May, the Greene Devils laid claim to their first ever state championship when they defeated Page 2-1 in the Class A/AA state championship game at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro.

Ryan Thompson and J.P. Vital both scored second-half goals and keeper Quinten Mitchel recorded eight saves as Greeneville rallied from an early deficit.

The title gave the GHS boys’ and girls’ soccer

SUN PHOTO BY DARREN REESE

Greeneville players celebrate with the state championship trophy following a 2-1 win over Page in the Class A/AA state championship game in Murfreesboro in May 2017.

MARQUEE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

because he was building for the future.

“I’m trying to imagine this 40 years from now,” he explained. “I have a longterm vision of sustainability.

There are are a few people around today who can work on neon. That will not be in five years.”

He also noted that electricity is the highest monthly expense for the theater, and he wanted the marquee to be lit every night.

Capitol Theatre Board Members Shane Jones and

Both teams took four shots in the opening half, but the Patriots maintained a 1-0 advantage at the break.

The second half saw a different Greeneville team take the pitch, though, and the Devils gained the momentum when Ryan Thompson took a ball that was redirected off a defender in front of the goal and fired it into the corner of the net.

“At halftime, we told each other that we needed to pull together,” Thompson said. “Play as a team, win as a team.”

“That first goal we scored was just what we needed to light a ire and get us going.”

Greeneville moved in front six minutes later when J.P. Vital scored off an assist from Seth Crawford.

Page had several good looks at the goal down the stretch. Mitchel had to make two great saves around the 68th minute to preserve the victory.

“We knew they could transition well,” Graham said of Page. “They have a great team, are super talented and are well coached.

They got that early goal and I think it took the wind out of us a little bit.”

“At halftime, we just had to regroup. We were able to make our diagonal runs and got in behind them.

We got that first goal and got the momentum back, and then we were able to get that second goal pretty quick, which was huge.”

Graham said the key for the championship squad was experience, and the fact that there was no intimidation factor for his players.

“The guys have a lot of experience at the state level, seeing what it’s like and what it takes to get to this point,” the coach explained.

“We’ve been put out by CPA, we’ve been put out by CAK. This year, we faced enough tough competition during the regular season — four nationally ranked teams — that they weren’t intimidated by anybody.”

The senior class consisted of Brandon Waddell, Gray Hull, Riley Alexander, Ellis, Jackson Renner and Jack Kilday.

“It’s been rough the previous years, coming down here and getting beat,” Waddell said. “We’ve all put in a lot of work, not just the seniors but everybody on the team.

“This game meant more than any I’ve ever played in, and to come home with a state championship, I can’t put it into words.

It’s so special. To make history, it’s something we’ll take with us the rest of our lives.”

eville.”

That grant totaled about $49,000. Contributions from the “Light Up The Capitol” capital campaign added another $31,700 to the project, according to Solomon.

Mirkov said she is excited by what this will mean to the community.

“It’s wonderful to see that what we did on paperwork and what we’ve gone through is now coming to fruition,” she said. “We’ll have bright lights and our own little broadway in Greeneville, Tennessee.”

City administrator Todd Smith said it’s a step forward for revitalization.

“It’s a big event for downtown knowing that we’ve got a business that spends money investing in downtown in partnership with the state of Tennessee,” he said.

“It’s exciting to see people out here enjoying the festivities. That’s what it’s all about is getting more people and more activity downtown.”

Still, for Solomon, the nostalgia is as powerful a motivator as economic development.

“I want a vibe,” he said. “I want people to walk through that door and be transported. I’m hoping, with everything we’re doing, we can get some of that magic back.”

Link Hills Country Club is a family-oriented country club offering golf, tennis, swimming, dining facilities, and special activities to its members.

Low Country Boil

Wine Tasting

Outdoor Dining And Relaxing

Link Hills Country Club 1325 East Allens Bridge Road, Greeneville, Tennessee (423) 638-3114 • www.linkhills.com

Pumpkin Carving

Easter Egg Hunt

Page 12

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Greeneville Loses The Astros, Gains The Reds

BY MICHAEL S. RENEAU EDITOR Arthur Ricker, the well-known World War II veteran and Greene County native, has been a fan of Cincinnati Reds baseball since the mid 1930s, back when he could hear the Reds play over radio here.

Sitting in the conference room of Tusculum College’s Meen Center on Friday, Jan. 26, Ricker was decked out in a Reds jacket and ball cap.

He wasn’t alone. About 300 people packed the room as Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini joined Tusculum College officials in announcing the creation of the Greeneville Reds, the newest franchise in Minor League Baseball’s rookie-level Appalachian League.

The announcement was months in the making following the September 2017 news that the Greeneville Astros were closing down the former Greeneville Astros franchise all together.

Talks between local officials and Reds leaders continued for months before the official announcement came in January that the Reds were beginning a new franchise in Greeneville. It proved a popular one.

Bob Pratt, of Morristown, was another who came to the January announcement to support the team he’s loved since he was a kid.

Craig Garren, who lives in Knoxville, has been a Reds fan since moving there in 1970. His career has taken him to several places — including Kingsport — but when he retired years ago and settled in Knoxville, he remained a devout Reds fan. He said he’ll be coming to Greeneville more often in the summers.

Reds fans also stood behind the podium during the announcement that day.

Tusculum College President Dr. James Hurley was born in Cincinnati and grew up loving the Reds.

“This is Reds country,” Hurley told the crowd before introducing Castellini.

He also pointed out Ricker,

SUN FILE PHOTO BY DARREN REESE

Tusculum College President Dr. James Hurley announces that the Greeneville Reds will be paying baseball at the college’s Pioneer Park in 2018.

96, saying his years of devotion makes him a Reds “superfan.” Castellini presented Ricker with a new, signed Reds baseball cap.

Businessman and philanthropist Scott Niswonger, who led the push to get Minor League Baseball back in Greeneville after the Houston Astros pulled out last year, is an Ohio native and also said he is a lifelong Reds fan.

“What an exciting day to be a baseball fan in Greeneville, Tennessee,” Niswonger said to the crowd. “We always wanted a Reds team, and now we have one.”

In September, the Astros announced they would close down the Greeneville Astros team all together.

Via Twitter, Reds officials announced soon after that there would be a Reds Rookie League affiliate in Greeneville, but shortly after, Niswonger said the announcement came prematurely and that no deal had been finalized.

That’s where things officially stood until the official announcement, despite signs that a deal was imminent. In December, the Appalachian League released a schedule including the Greeneville Reds after league owners voted to allow the Reds to operate the Greeneville franchise in the league. Then in early January, the Greeneville Reds joined the Greene County Partnership.

The trickle of information leading up to the official announcement built up anticipation among area Reds fans, and Castellini acknowledged the club’s fan base in East Tennessee.

“Greeneville, Tennessee, lies in the southern reaches of Reds Country,” he said on Jan. 26. “It is especially gratifying to add a minor

Redlegs.

Several elected officials were on hand, and Greene County Mayor David Crum read a proclamation welcoming the Reds, which paid homage to baseball’s historic place in Greene County and the fact that the Reds are Major League Baseball’s first team.

BOYD SPORTS When the team was initially announced, a separate third-party organization, Main Street Baseball, was named the vendor to manage the Greeneville Reds’ day-to-day operations on behalf of the Cincinnati organization. But in February, that plan changed, and in March the team got a new general manager.

At the end of February the team announced that Boyd Sports, based in Knoxville, would take over the handling of day-to-day operations of those Greeneville Reds.

With that move came the announcement that general manager Paul Kleinhans-Schulz was leaving the team, and that former Tennessee Smokies general manager Brian Cox will be handling those duties in Greeneville.

“Brian comes with a ton of experience. He was the GM with the Smokies for years and is part of our leadership team,” Boyd Sports President and COO Chris Allen said. “We wanted someone with some experience to really plant the seeds in the community and to get things started the right way.

“When it comes to baseball operations and the stadium operations side

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league team that operates on our home turf. Reds County is special. The people living in Reds Country have a passion for baseball that has been handed down for generations. Greeneville, Tennessee, and the supporters of Tusculum College personify that deeply rooted love of the game.”

The Reds organization paid homage to both its own franchise and Greene County. One of the Greeneville Reds logos will be a stylized “G” in the same font as the Cincinnati Reds’ trademark “C.” Another will be the trademark Mr. Redlegs mascot head. But instead of wearing a baseball cap, he’ll be wearing a red and white coonskin cap, an obvious nod to Davy Crockett.

“We want the Greeneville Reds logos to demonstrate our connectivity,” Castellini said.

The room laughed when Castellini originally said the hat represented Daniel Boone, but quickly corrected himself with a laugh, saying his son, Phil, had misinformed him. The crowd laughed along. Phil Castellini is also CEO of the Cincinnati Reds.

The festivities Friday were part of a stop of the Reds Caravan, a tour of the different parts of the country with Reds players and management. Signing autographs and greeting fans Friday, in addition to the Castellinis, were broadcaster Thom Brennaman, outfielder Phillip Ervin, minor league outfielder TJ Friedl, roving catching instructor and former catcher Corky Miller, Senior Director of Player Development Jeff Graupe and mascot Mr.

of things, Brian does not need to learn any of that.

When its comes to sales and marketing, we will have people in place to help with that, but Brian knows how to do that, too. Brian knows the ins and outs of how to run a baseball team. That is irreplaceable when you are starting a team like this.”

Boyd Sports owns and operates the Southern League’s Tennessee Smokies and also the Appalachian League’s Johnson City Cardinals. The company is owned by Knoxville businessman Randy Boyd, who is also a Republican candidate for governor.

As of mid-March, team officials were still figuring out promotions and logistics for the new team.

Once those items are in place, the Reds will turn their attention to contacting former Astros season ticket holders.

“We need to reach out to season ticket holder and sponsors, and really just get more familiar with the community,” Allen said in early March.

Where Allen hopes fans in Greeneville will see the biggest changes is in their wallets. Allen thinks that Boyd can lower concessions and ticketing prices because of the organizational benefits of having three teams in East Tennessee. Allen said the company will plan on running their own concessions instead of hiring a third-party vendor.

“The first thing we want to is establish our price points,” Allen said. “We want to make it more cost effective for fans to come out and enjoy a ball game.

I know we can certainly do that on the food side of things. We want to improve the overall show, and I think our brand of baseball will serve well in Greeneville.”

With the buying power of three teams, Allen hopes that Boyd can bring more and better promotions to Greeneville. The intention will be to run nightly promotions that are similar to what the Smokies and Cardinals do.

“There will be a number of nightly promotions we look to transfer to Greeneville,” Allen said. “What we bring is a little bit more resources than one team had.

We bring the buying power of three teams. If we do a giveaway in Greeneville that we are doing in two other markets then I think we can get a better price. That may mean we can do a giveaway that in the past, or in other markets, is not doable.”

The Greeneville Reds will play their inaugural game at Tusculum College’s Pioneer Park on Tuesday, June 19, and will host the Bristol Pirates.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 13

Church Guide Campground Church of God 4570 Asheville Highway, Greeneville, TN Rev. Stephen Aiken, Pastor Bronson Carter, Youth Pastor Dustin Cobble, Worship Pastor 423-638-6822 or 423-823-2259

Cedar Creek Church of God 2800 Cedar Creek Road, Greeneville, TN 423-639-3468

Andy Christiansen, Senior Pastor E.J. Swatsell, Youth Pastor Worship Opportunities

Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Church: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening worship: 6:00 p.m.

Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Worship: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MINISTRIES Youth Ministry: 6:45 p.m.

Adult and Children’s Bible Study: 7:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: 6:30 p.m.

Children’s & Youth Ministries - Adult Bible Study Nursery provided for all Services

Christ United Methodist Church Oldest Methodist Congregation in Greeneville 307 South Main St. 638-6224 Norman Wilhoit, Pastor

email - christum307@yahoo.com

Worship Opportunities 10:30 a.m. Traditional Sunday Worship 4:30 p.m. Life Tree Children & Youth

Cedar Hill Cumberland Presbyterian Church 4170 Newport Hwy., Greeneville • 639-0268 Rev. Andy Eppard

Wednesday Night Activities: 4:45 p.m. Life Tree Children & Youth 5:15 p.m. Fellowship Meal 6:30 p.m. Choir Rehearsal

Thursday Night 6:30 p.m. Prayer Service

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 10:45 a.m.

Sunday Evening: Bible Study 6:00 p.m.

Youth: 6:00 pm Choir Practice: 7:00 p.m.

First Saturday of the Month: 10:00 a.m. Artisan & Crafters

First Church of God 1505 West Main Street

423-638-4818

Dr. Nathan Leasure, Senior Pastor Ralph Shipley, Associate of Pastoral Care Rachel Galarneau, Associate of Student Ministries

195 Serral Drive, Greeneville, TN

423-639-2582 www.eastsidebaptist.info

David Fox, Senior Pastor Dillon Wiltshire, Youth & Music

WEEKLY SERVICE SCHEDULE: Sunday School 9:30 am Morning Worship 10:30 am Sunday Evening 6:30 pm Wednesday Evening 7:00 pm (Kids4Truth & Impact Teens on Wednesday night; Loving childcare provided in every service)

“To Know Christ, and Make Him Known”

Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian Church 201 N. Main St.

423-638-4119

James W. Lively, Pastor Andy Blackwelder, Director of Youth & Children Abby Cole Keller, Associate Pastor for Community Life

Worship Times Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship: 8:15 & 10:30 a.m.

Ministries for All Ages Nursery Provided www.GCPChurch.org

Limestone Free Will Baptist Church 3709 Old State Route 34, Limestone 423-257-3163

Tim Roach, Pastor Larry A. Kelley, Outreach Coordinator

Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship: 10:55 a.m.

Evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Bible Study & Children/Youth Group: 7:00 p.m. email: office@limestonefwb.org www.limestonefwb.org

Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church 1121 Shiloh Road, Greeneville, TN 37745

(423) 639-3763 Pastor: Tammy Greene Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday School (for all ages): 9:30 a.m.

CPC’s: Wednesday 5:30-7:00 p.m. (Sept.-Apr.) (for children kindergarten through 5th Grade)

Youth Group: Wednesday 5:30-7:00 p.m. (Sept.-Apr.) (For Grades 6th-12th)

Chancel Choir Practice: Wednesday 7:15 p.m.

Bible Study: Tuesday 7:00 p.m.

211 N. Main Street

423-639-3194

JOIN US ON SUNDAYS 8:00am • 10:30am • 6:00pm SUNDAYS ON THE RADIO 1450 AM-WSMG @ 10:15AM • 1340 AM-WGRV @ 12:15PM

First Presbyterian Church 110 N. Main St., Greeneville

423-638-4533 www.firstpresgreeneville.org

Sunday 8:30 a.m. Worship with Weekly Communion 9:30 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages 10:45 a.m. Worship (broadcast beginning at 11:00 a.m. on WSMG 1450 AM) Youth Fellowship Weekly MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES Vocal and Handbell Choirs WEDNESDAY After School Youth Program, Family Supper, Worship & Education for all

Harris Memorial Free Will Baptist Church 4110 Sunnydale Road, Greeneville, TN 37743

Serving infants, 6 weeks thru 12th grade

423-638-2217

“Reaching the world for Christ, one child at a time!”

We use the Accelerated Christian Education Curriculum 9800 107 Cutoff, Greeneville, TN 423-638-6521 Willis Bowers, Pastor

Kingsley Avenue Free Will Baptist Worship Opportunities

Worship Times

Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship:10:30 a.m.

Sunday Evening: 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday: Bible and Youth: 7:00 p.m.

Children & Adult Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday Worship Service & Children’s Church: 10:30 a.m.

Men’s Group Every Other Monday: 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Evening Studies at 6:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Notre Dame Catholic Church 212 Mt. Bethel Road, Greeneville, TN

(423) 639-9381 www.notredamechurchtn.org Mass Schedule: Saturday Easter Mass at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday: 8 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

3:00 p.m. in Spanish

St. James Lutheran Church 3205 St. James Rd., Greeneville

638-3008 Pastor: Paula Smith Sunday Morning Service: 10:30 a.m.

Tusculum Baptist Church

www.toweringoaks.org

Service Times: Sunday School 9:30 am Sunday Morning Service 10:30 am Sunday Evening 6:00 pm Wednesday Night 6:00 pm Greene County Christian School & Daycare Center

Pastor: Ken Smith

775 Erwin Hwy., Greeneville, TN tusculumbaptist.org

WEDNESDAY All Adult, Youth and Children’s Activities Begin By 6:00 p.m.

Flag Branch Church of God Where Salvation Makes You a Member

Email: pastorteacherken@yahoo.com

1985 Buckingham Rd. 638-7464 • Fax 638-6026 email: office@toweringoaks.org

Sunday School: 9:00 a.m.

Sunday Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Nights: Small Groups: 5:00 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Childcare & Preschool

213 Kingsley Ave. 423-639-6785 Doyle Pruitt, Pastor

(423) 620-3893

Towering Oaks Baptist Church Dr. James K. Pierce, III, Sr. Pastor Worship Opportunities

Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 9:00 a.m. Morning Worship: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Evening Worship & Life Groups: 6:00 p.m..

Celebrate Recovery Every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Night Ministries & Activities for All Ages: 6:30 p.m.

Home of Noah's Ark www.greenevillefcog.org and Facebook

423-638-8361 Worship Opportunities Sunday Worship: 8:45 am (Traditional) 11:00 a.m. (Contemporary) 5:30 p.m. (Evening Service) Sunday School: 10:00 a.m.

Sunday Team Kid: 11:30 a.m.

Wed.: 6:30 p.m. Prayer Meeting

Dr. David Smith, Pastor

Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church 2320 Old Tusculum Blvd.

423-639-9241 • oakgrovegreeneville.com

Billy Gragg, Pastor Stuart Harmon, Youth Pastor Sunday Services 9:30 a.m.: Sunday School 10:30 a.m.: Morning Worship 6:00 p.m.: Evening Worship/OGYM (7th-12th Grade)

Wednesday Services: 6:30 p.m.: AWANA Club (Preschool-12th Grade) 7:00 p.m.: Prayer Meeting

loving GOD.. loving SELF... loving OTHERS. 210 Luther St. Greeneville, TN 37745 (423) 639-9754 www.sanctuarytn.org Pastor: Jeremy J. Carver

Victory Church of God 166 Sanford Circle, Just Off Asheville Hwy.

423-798-1992

Rev. Jim Fillers, Pastor Worship Opportunities Sunday School: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship: 10:30 a.m.

Children’s Church: 10:30 a.m.

Evening Worship: 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday Evening: 6:00 p.m.

Youth Programs: Sun & Wed 6:00 p.m.

Page 14

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Brandon Waddell

Emilee Starnes

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Sarah Maupin

Kristen Dixon

Wesley Dotson

John Eiskamp

Student-Athletes Honored At Best Of Preps Event Outstanding student-athletes took center stage at The Greeneville Sun’s second annual Best of Preps ceremony on Sunday, May 7, 2017.

Students from each major sport at the five public high schools in Greene County were rewarded for their accomplishments on and off the field at the event, held at the Annie Hogan Byrd Theatre on the campus of Tusculum College. The event was sponsored Robert’s Furniture, Bedding and Gifts.

Nominations were submitted by coaches from each school for a variety of sports. An independent panel of five judges selected the winners based on multiple criteria. The blind judging process did not reveal either the student’s name or the school they attend.

In addition to the winners in each individual boys’ and girls’ sport, six specialty awards were presented. These included Overall Male Student-Athlete of the Year Brandon Waddell, from Greeneville High School, and Overall Female Student-Athlete of the Year Emilee Starnes, from North Greene High School. Both awards were sponsored by The Greeneville Sun with the winners each earning a $500 scholarship.

Also receiving special designations were Chuckey-Doak High School’s Sarah Maupin, who earned the Community Excellence Award; Chuckey-Doak’s Kristen Dixon, who was honored with the Academic Achievement Award; North Greene High School’s Wesley Dotson, who was named the Comeback

SUN FILE PHOTO BY TATE RUSSELL

Tusculum College Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Doug Jones speaks at the 2017 Best of Preps event.

Player of the Year; and Greeneville High School Girls Soccer Coach John Eiskamp as the Coach of the Year. All those awards were sponsored by Gateway Ford-Lincoln-Mazda.

The guest speaker for the event was new Tusculum College Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Doug Jones.

“My philosophy has been, let’s make sure we win today,” Jones said. “No matter what the challenge is that we are in, let’s take time to enjoy it and let’s take time to win.

“You have an opportunity to make an impact in the world in which you live and with the people that you are with on a

daily basis just based on how you approach things with your attitude. Every day we wake up we have two choices, and only one person controls that decision. We either choose to approach the day with a positive attitude or a negative attitude.”

Jones encouraged student-athletes to be countercultural in finding ways to make life better for people around them rather than finding ways to put the spotlight on themselves.

“I want you to be the type of person that will climbs mountains so you can see the world, but don’t climb them so that the world can see you,” he said. “Unfor-

tunately we live in that type of beat-on-the-chest, look-at-me-type society. Be different, be a role model.

Be a role model with your work ethic and how you approach things in class.

Be the best student you can possibly be. Be the best athlete you can be. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t accomplish something.”

Following Jones’ comments, the spotlight turned to the student-athletes.

Greeneville Sun Advertising Director Artie Wehenkel and Sun Editor Michael Reneau, co-emcees, welcomed the award nominees to the stage and announced the winners.

The winners in the

individual sports categories were: • Baseball, sponsored by the Greeneville Astors: Spencer Marsh, of Greeneville High School; • Boys Basketball, sponsored by Heritage Community Bank: Jake Standridge, of South Greene High School; • Girls Basketball: Sydni Lollar, of Greeneville High School; • Boys Bowling, sponsored by Greeneville Oil and Petroleum: Lucas Weems, of Greeneville High School; • Girls Bowling: Tracy Painter, of Greeneville High School; • Cheerleading, sponsored by Hometown Realty

of Greeneville: Megan Kirk, of North Greene High School; • Boys Cross Country, sponsored by LMR Resources: Will Cronin, of Greeneville High School; • Girls Cross Country, sponsored by LMR Resources: Addie Leonard, of Greeneville High School; • Football, sponsored by Takoma Regional Hospital: Nash Newberry, of Greeneville High School; • Boys Golf: Zane Potter, of North Greene High School; • Girls Golf: Adia Bulawa, of Greeneville High School; • Boys Soccer, sponsored

by Laughlin Memorial Hospital: Brandon Waddell, of Greeneville High School; • Girls Soccer: Sarah Maupin, of Chuckey-Doak High School; • Softball: Emilee Starnes, of North Greene High School; • Girls Swimming: Katelyn Anguish, of Chuckey-Doak High School; • Boys Tennis: Caleb Brady, of Greeneville High School; • Girls Tennis: Ellie Pectol, of Greeneville High School; • Boys Track, sponsored

by Andrew Johnson Bank: Isaac Hybarger, of Greeneville High School; • Girls Track, sponsored

by Andrew Johnson Bank: Bailey Cheek, of West Greene High School; • Volleyball, sponsored

by Greenelawn Memory Gardens: Faith Julian, of West Greene High School; and • Boys Wrestling: Bryson Hux, of Greeneville High School.

Each nominee received a certificate, and the winners earned a trophy.

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GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 15

Big Changes Taking Place At Crockett Birthplace State Park

BY CAMERON JUDD SUN PROJECTS COORDINATOR The year 2017 was one of change at Greene County’s only state park, the Davy (now David) Crockett Birthplace Park, which as of early 2018 has a different look and more focused interpretive emphasis than the park of years past.

Though the change process was at times rocky and locally controversial, the results evidently were welcomed by the state department that oversees Tennessee’s state parks, as evidenced by an award given to the Crockett Birthplace Park in 2018. The Limestone-area park was honored in February with the 2017 Award for Excellence in Interpretation by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

The work at the park is part of a state-backed re-emphasis of the 105-acre park’s historic aspects in hope of making it a more attractive destination for “heritage tourists” who travel to areas of historical interest for recreational and educational purposes.

Brock Hill, TDEC deputy commissioner of parks and conservation, in answer to a Greeneville Sun inquiry this month, said that there had been particular “challenges” facing the Crockett site in seeking to bring it into harmony with a state desire to heighten the history focus of eight particular Tennessee parks that are, in Hill’s words, “associated with actual events of historical significance.”

According to Hill, that challenge derived largely from the physical placement of some recreational amenities of the birthplace park near the entrance, making them visually dominant over the history-focused features farther in.

Hill wrote in March 2018: “Tennessee State Parks began a renewed focus on each park’s interpretive story beginning in 2012 … Getting the story right and presenting the historic park theme as accurately as possible has always been our goal. Prior to David Crockett Birthplace State Historic Park, we focused on several other State Historic Parks.”

He continued: “Johnsonville State Historic Park and Fort Pillow State Historic Park, both sites of Civil War battles (associated with the Civil War Sesquicentennial) were our focus initially followed

by Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park (associated with the Great War Centennial) and now David Crockett Birthplace.

“Crockett Birthplace is a unique challenge since, unlike the others I mentioned, it has a campground for overnight stays and a swimming pool. Presenting an accurate portrayal of young Crockett who

SUN FILE PHOTO BY CAMERON JUDD

Seth Webster, of Sparta, Tenn., peers down through a gap in the then-unfinished roof of the new cabin at David Crockett Birthplace State Park in March 2017.

was born in 1786 and the very dangerous world in which he lived was a challenge due to the modern park amenities that greet you as you enter the park.

“Balancing the desire to keep those modern amenities while establishing a sense of place associated with the park’s interpretive theme of David Crockett’s birthplace and the frontier farmstead has been beautifully and accurately portrayed by Park Manager Jackie Fischer and her staff,” Hill’s email continues.

“Costumed interpreters and living history events at the park developed the 18th century homestead, corn crib, hunter’s cabin and heritage vegetable gardens. An existing log cabin and picnic shelter on site were moved to the campground for programming use. No existing amenities or features not associated with the park central theme were removed. Jackie and her staff are very deserving of the award,” Hill’s email concludes.

In a series of hearings and open meetings in 2016 into 2017, proposed changes at the park were discussed with park patrons and stakeholders, receiving a mixed response.

While some heralded the idea of focusing park design and interpretation in a more historical direction, others who liked the park best for its recreational offerings, such as swimming, family picnicking and other activities, expressed concern that such uses of the park

might be lessened. Repeatedly expressed was a fear that a boat ramp allowing river access might be removed.

Even those favoring a dominant historical emphasis were divided on some points, for example over the originally planned movement of a circular monument in the center of the park to a spot nearer the park office. Several feared the monument, itself a historical item, might be damaged during movement.

Ultimately it was decided to leave the monument where it is. The boat ramp also was left in place, as promised, the only change being the addition of a darker gravel in the area to blend more naturally with the surrounding terrain.

Controversy also arose over a plan to move the representational Crockett cabin to the entrance of the park and replace it by a cabin to be constructed on-site by volunteers clad in frontier garb of the late 1700s.

The moving of the cabin, built in the mid-1980s and replacing a previous one, would later prove logistically difficult and slow to progress. Even so, it occurred and the moved cabin now stands at the entrance of the park, making it the first sight seen when approaching the park entrance straight-on.

Near the place the cabin formerly stood is its replacement, a more primitive, low-profile cabin that was built almost to completion in

SUN FILE PHOTO BY CAMERON JUDD

Mark Luni, North Hollywood, Calif., works at a “shaving horse” in March 2017, using a draw knife to trim out and smooth shingles, or “shakes,” for the David Crockett Birthplace State Park cabin being constructed just beyond him.

the manner Fischer envisioned: by period-dressed volunteers working with 18th century tools over a weekend in March 2017.

“Riving” wood shingles and putting them in place, notching, carrying and hoisting logs and other cabin-raising tasks kept about volunteers, including some from as far away as California, busy.

Some features of the cabin, such as the chimney and door, were not fully finished that weekend, but were added later to complete the project.

The cabin, now a year old, has weathered considerably over the past months, darkening its color.

How closely it, or the moved cabin it replaced, resemble the actual Crockett birth cabin is unknown, as no images of the true Crockett cabin exist.

Some citizens with a history of park support protested some of the changes last year, including opposing the moving and replacement of the prior cabin and charging that the cabin built to replace it is inadequate and more like a hunter’s shelter than a family cabin of the period.

Fischer has said the cabin represents the sort that would have been constructed by a frontier family of the era with limited resources.

In an interview earlier this month, Fischer said that the goal of creating a realistic farm “homestead” on the Crockett site is still in progress. Besides the newer

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cabin, garden sites have been given period-accurate fencing, a corn crib has been built and used to hold some of the corn from the first corn crop at the site.

Earlier announced plans to bring farm animals to be kept on-site have not yet come to fruition, but still remain in place, Fischer said.

Progress toward that will be seen in coming months, she said.

Other changes at the park include the planting of cane in various areas, reflective of the wild cane that grew in “canebrakes” in Tennessee river country in the frontier era. Crockett himself, during his political life, was sometimes called “the gentleman from the cane.”

A board fence has been built around the swimming pool area, providing more privacy for pool users and also making the contrast between the historical features and the modern swimming pool less stark.

A picnic pavilion formerly near the river now stands at a site nearer the park entrance and campground. In that campground a camp store now exists, with a covered area used for educational programs, and some of the small modern structures there are now covered by “D-log siding” that imitates the look of a log cabin.

The next major phase of the project is an expansion of the building housing the offices and a small Crockett museum and meeting/education area.

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Page 16

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

Stolen Flag Puts Spotlight On Greene County

BY MICHAEL S. RENEAU AND SARAH R. GREGORY When Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf showed up in Greeneville in March 2017, he had one intention: to plant a flag in Rachel Bewley’s Greene County backyard.

On the flag were the words: “He Will Not Divide Us.�

LaBeouf’s appearances around the area stirred a frenzy of speculation on social media, and on Monday, March 6, 2017, photos of him at places such as Aunt Bea’s restaurant began circulating online.

At that time, only Bewley and a few others knew why LaBeouf was in town.

By Friday, he was gone.

But so was the flag he and a collaborating artist mounted on Bewley’s property.

The flag, the latest iteration of a series of performing art pieces LaBeouf and fellow artists had displayed previously in New York City and Albuquerque, New Mexico, had been taken by a group of people opposing the “He Will Not Divide Us� art pieces.

Bewley, meanwhile, said in interviews in March 2017 that since the flag went on her property — and was subsequently aired on a livestream web feed as part of the project — she and her family dealt with people trespassing there and even a small fire in one of her fields, started after fireworks were shot into her yard.

‘HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US’ The art piece, “He Will Not Divide Us,â€? was the latest collaboration between LaBeouf and artists Luke Turner and Nastja RĂśnkkĂś, who have been working together on several art projects since 2014. “He Will Not Divide Usâ€? originally began as a message written on a wall at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. There, participants were encouraged to speak the words repeatedly into a camera mounted on the wall. The piece went up the day of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.

A description on the artists’ website, thecampaignbook.com, says, “Open to all, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the participatory performance will be live-streamed at www.hewillnotdivide. us continuously for four years, or the duration of the presidency. In this way, the mantra ‘HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US’ acts as a show of resistance or insistence, opposition or optimism, guided by the spirit of each individual participant and the community.�

But, according to the Associated Press, in mid-February 2017, after LaBeouf got into an altercation with someone protesting the art piece, it was moved to Al-

2013

2014

PHOTO COURTESY RACHEL BEWLEY

The “He Will Not Divide Usâ€? ag that stood on a Greeneville property in March 2017 was part of a continuing art project by actor Shia LaBeouf and artists Luke Turner and Nastja RĂśnkkĂś.

buquerque. At the time, all LaBeouf said to a reporter there was, “We are anti the normalization of division,� the AP reported. “That’s it.

The rest of the info is right there, chief, I got nothing else to say to you.�

LaBeouf faces a misdemeanor assault charge in New York after the incident there.

But just days after the piece went up in New Mexico, after gunshots were heard nearby, it was taken down again.

GETTING TO GREENEVILLE It was soon after that that Bewley said she got a call from the artists, wanting to move the piece and continue it — in an undisclosed location.

Instead of inviting participants to speak, “He will not divide us� into a camera, this time the piece would consist of a livestream of a white flag, with the phrase written on it in all capital letters. Nothing would be visible in the camera shot other than the flag flying in the sky.

It wasn’t the first time Bewley had worked with LaBeouf, Turner and RÜnkkÜ. She met the trio at an art show in Colorado in 2016. Bewley, who said she majored in art in college and has always had an interest in art, then volunteered for another collaborative art piece last year in which random people volunteered to drive the trio from one point to another as they hitchhiked across parts of the U.S. Bewley picked them up in Tallahassee, Florida, and drove into North Carolina.

They drove right through Greene County.

When she got the call that LaBeouf, Turner and RĂśnkkĂś, wanted to move “He Will Not Divide Usâ€?

2015

onto her property, she quickly said yes.

Within a few days, Turner and LaBeouf were in Greeneville, and soon LaBeouf was spotted around town. The fact that LaBeouf was seen the day of U.S. Rep. Phil Roe’s town hall meeting at the Greene County Courthouse and two days before a planned march and rally to mark International Women’s Day were pure coincidence, according to Bewley.

She said Turner and LaBeouf supplied the flag.

They all worked to erect a flag pole on Bewley’s property and mounted a camera for the livestream on a wooden post nearby.

FLAG STOLEN The flag went up and the livestream began at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 8.

Nothing was visible in the liveshot other than the flag and the sky.

But by the early morning hours of Friday, March 10, the flag had been stolen.

According to a report filed at the Greene County Sheri’s Department, Bewley indicated that at approximately 1:30 a.m. March 10, she saw on the livestream video that the custom-made flag was missing. The individual who removed the flag was not seen on camera.

Bewley reported seeing on an online forum references to the flag and anonymous individuals who wanted to take it and also told oďŹƒcers she’d seen a vehicle on her property and was able to take a photograph of the license tag, which a records check tied to an unnamed couple in Roane County.

Another truck had been seen driving slowly by the property’s driveway and a partial license tag number was obtained and listed in

the report.

Authorities were able to find references to the flag, seemingly linking users at 4chan.org to the heist. “I did go online to see what the flag looked like and I did see multiple websites talking about someone named 4chan capturing the enemy flag, talking about a ‘He Will Not Divide Us’ flag,� Deputy Travis Hoxie’s report says. “I am unsure if they are talking about the same flag but they were put up recently.�

That narrative in Hoxie’s report aligns with several blogs and other online media outlets that apparently incorrectly attributed multiple anonymous 4chan. org posters involved in the scheme Friday as “a hacker called 4chan.�

Chatter posted on the board itself indicates a number of anonymous individual users participated in eorts to triangulate the flag’s location using clues in the livestream video.

HOW THEY DID IT When the project’s website, hewillnotdivide.us, and LaBeouf’s Twitter profile were updated March 8 to announce that a livestream had returned to show a “He Will Not Divide Us� flag flying at an “undisclosed location,� anonymous users on the image posting forum 4chan.org took it as a challenge.

The site contains numerous forums where users can post anonymously, bound by fewer rules than most other mainstream forums with tens of millions of active users globally each month.

In recent years, the website has gained a reputation as both a site where many popular, viral “memes� are born and one rife with controversy, like posts containing hacked material,

documented incidents of cyberbullying and hoaxes and comments of a profane, derogatory nature.

Threads on the site’s political forum referencing the flag and the ensuing heist showed numerous anonymous users collaborating to determine the flag’s location using the livestream video showing just the flag and sky above it. “HWNDU Season 3 is happening. Can we find where the flag is?� one thread by an anonymous poster, or “anon,� posted March 8 begins. “Capture the flag,� reads a similar archived post from around the same time.

According to the archived threads, over the next several hours, users monitoring the hewillnotdivide. us livestream logged clues from airplane contrails, weather and winds, background sounds and stars to triangulate the flag’s location. “Anons� honed in on Greeneville as the target after finding social media posts indicating LaBeouf was in the area, including one showing him at a local restaurant, and seeing that flights to and from the Greeneville-Greene County Municipal Airport matched the timing and frequency of planes in the background of the livestream feed.

Continued exchanges on 4chan.org and Twitter indicate at least one user traveled to the general area identified as the flag’s likely placement. The person honked their vehicle’s horn while driving around until the sound was picked up by the livestream camera.

An “anon� confirmed the flag’s location by posting an image that showed the flag and flagpole in a field, apparently photographed through binoculars.

Just hours later, the hewillnotdivide.us livestream video, saved and reposted on other sites, showed the project’s flag being lowered. Minutes later, a red hat, believed emblazoned with Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again� slogan, and a T-shirt, reportedly with an image from the Pepe the Frog meme embraced by numerous Trump supporters and proponents of the “alt-right� online, are shown hoisted to the top of the flagpole.

‘PERFORMANCE ART PIECE’ Bewley said she hopes people will understand that while the theft of a flag may not seem serious, the stress that goes with having your property trespassed on repeatedly isn’t something people should take lightly. “There’s an element of everything that’s been taken as a game, and I’m quite concerned about the theft and the fire,� she said.

Bewley maintains she wasn’t trying to be overtly political. “In bringing this project here, specifical-

ly, there was never any intention to create more controversy or be divisive in some way,� she said. “It was just a little performance art piece. “I just look back and see original statements accompanying this work.

I think it’s ambiguous,â€? she said. “It’s a phrase that can be interpreted a lot of dierent ways. That’s how I looked at it. I don’t know if the meaning I attached to those words — for me it doesn’t really have much to do with politics.â€?

Bewley looked at the piece as a way to spark discussion and dialogue.

She had visited “He Will Not Divide Us� while it was on display in New York.

She said she witnessed important discussion among people visiting the piece — people who disagreed on politics and on Trump.

That’s what she hoped would happen more when the flag went up on her property. “I really just completely stand by the artists and their work and their practice,� she said. “At the same time, I also have an interest in the local community.

I’m not trying to incite anything or create controversy. My hope in any of this is that people are able to communicate with each other. Especially when they don’t agree — or at least don’t think they agree — and find some sort of common understanding.�

COUPLE ACCUSED Though the “He Will Not Divide Us� project has moved on to places such as Liverpool, England, and Nantes, France, since the flag was stolen in Greeneville, the project’s organizers released the statement in December 2017 outing the two people they say are responsible.

The statement, released on the group’s social media pages, says that two people from East Tennessee drove to Greeneville on March 10 and stole the flag. The statement also claims the two are connected with anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi groups.

The statement links commenters on online forums and social media accounts to the two people LaBeouf, RĂśnkkĂś & Turner allege stole the flag from Greeneville. “Disturbingly, the authorities in Tennessee have so far failed to show the will to bring the perpetrators of this hate crime to justice, despite boasts online about their actions, their anti-Semitic motivation, and the fact that they lied to police,â€? the statement says. “We hope that bringing attention to this will finally result in the authorities pursuing the matter, and aďŹƒrm that there can be no place in society for neo-Nazi hate crimes,â€? the statement says.

No one has yet been charged in the case.

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 17

Barefield, Gregg, Boyd Among Locals Honored With Awards

BY SARAH R. GREGORY LIFESTYLES EDITOR Grady Barefield, Carolyn Gregg and Dollie Boyd were among Greene Countians recognized with awards in 2017.

Barefield was the recipient of the Greeneville Exchange Club’s Book of Golden Deeds in recognition of his work to honor local veterans. Gregg was presented the national Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal for her promotion of American history on the local, regional and national level.

Boyd was honored by the Greene County Heritage Trust for her work in historic restoration and preservation.

BAREFIELD ‘HUMBLED’ BY CLUB’S TOP HONOR The Book of Golden Deeds, the highest honor conveyed each year by the Exchange Club of Greeneville, was presented to Barefield during the club’s annual awards banquet, held in June 2017.

As is Exchange Club custom, his selection was kept a closely guarded secret until the moment the award was presented. Barefield said he was surprised by the honor, having only been told in advance that the club wished to recognize him for his work with the Veterans Memorial Park Committee, Greene County Veterans Association, Greene County Honor Guard and American Legion Post No. 64.

“I don’t deserve this. It’s not about me. I feel humble,” Barefield said after receiving the award. “It’s about all the men and women that served in our armed forces of our great nation, preserving for us all the freedom and rights that we enjoy today.”

Late, outgoing Exchange Club President John Duggins explained that the presentation of the Book of Golden Deeds — given locally since 1966 and nationally since 1919 — is the highlight of the club’s annual gathering.

“When we think about the Book of Golden Deeds, we think about the volunteer efforts that are very important to our society and should not go unnoticed,” said Book of Golden Deeds Chairman

Kidwell King, adding that, per Exchange Club tradition, the recipient is “someone who deserves acclaim but rarely receives it.”

Barefield served in the U.S. Army Reserve, earning the Marksman Rifle Award and an honorable discharge. He is a member of Greene County Honor Guard, the Greene County Veterans Association and Veterans Memorial Park Committee as well as an active participant in Wreaths Across America.

An active member of American Legion Post No. 64, Barefield served as commander from 2011 until 2017. He was selected as Legionairre of the Year in 2008.

OTHER EXCHANGE CLUB RECOGNITIONS In addition to the Book of Golden Deeds award, the club recognized other members’ achievements at its annual banquet.

Bob Southerland was named a lifetime member of the club in recognition of his 50 years of membership. Southerland joins Hugh Wells, a 60-year member, as the only two lifetime members of the Exchange Club of Greeneville. Wells was granted lifetime member status in 2012.

Membership milestones for 2017, recognized at gathering, were: Bill Onkst, 15 years; Bill Riley, 30 years; Tommy Haun, 35 years; Kidwell King, 40 years; Gregg Jones, 40 years; John Kilday, 45 years; Bob Southerland, 50 years; and Hugh Wells, 60 years.

GREGG EARNS NATIONAL DAR MEDAL Gregg received the Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal, a national award given to a nominee whose study or promotion of some aspect of American history on the local, regional or national level has significantly advanced the understanding of the nation’s past. Only five or fewer are awarded annually.

Gregg received the award at the Nolachuckey Chapter DAR meeting in May 2017. Gregg joins the late Richard Harrison Doughty

SUN FILE PHOTO BY SARAH R .GREGORY

Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds Chairman Kidwell King, right, presents the club’s highest honor to Grady Barefield, left. Outgoing Exchange Club President John Duggins looks on at center.

as Greene Countians who have received the honor. Doughty received the DAR History Award Medal in 1998.

Gregg began her history projects by adding Greene County history to her third-grade curriculum at Tusculum View Elementary School and creating workbooks for children to learn about local heroes such as David Crockett, William Dickson, Samuel Doak and Andrew Johnson.

She wrote and directed musical plays for the students to perform each spring from 1988-2001.

She also taught a summer Greene County history class that included field trips daily for several weeks to local and regional historic sites. Gregg and her students mapped seven cemeteries during the classes, and she added five more cemetery maps before submitting them all to the USGenWeb Tombstone Project. After retiring from Tusculum View Elementary School, Gregg began researching for “The History of Nolachuckey Chapter NSDAR,” the first of 17 books that she has compiled.

Some are oral histories, such as SEE AWARDS ON PAGE 18

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Greene County Heritage Trust Board President Laraine King, right, presents an award to Museums of Tusculum Director Dollie Boyd, left, for “outstanding contributions to restoration and preservation in Greene County.”

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Page 18

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

AWARDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

“Stories From the South of Greene County,” compiled with Nolachuckey Elementary School and Tusculum College students, “Reflections From the Past in Chuckey, Afton, Tusculum and Eastern Greene County,” compiled with Chuckey-Doak Middle School and Tusculum College students, “Remembering Greene County Mills,” compiled for Greene County Heritage Trust, and “Tales of the Rails,” compiled for the George L. Carter Railroad Museum at East Tennessee State University.

For other books, Gregg researched community and church histories, such as “Saint James Lutheran Church Celebrates 200 Years — 1811-2011,” “The History of Asbury United Methodist Church,” “The History of Blue Springs Lutheran Church,” “Blue Springs Church, Community, and Colleges,” and six volumes of Harden, North Carolina, Community Research from 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.

Two books focused on Gregg’s family history: “The Ancestors and Descendants of Willie Albert Patterson and Minnie Corriher Patterson” and “The Photo Story of the Gregg Family of Miles and Mandy Tweed Gregg.”

In addition, Gregg wrote plays for the 2011 St. James Bicentennial Celebration and in 2012 for Asbury United Methodist Church’s 100th anniversary of the building. She has written scripts for three “Whispers From the Grave” events of the Greene County Heritage Trust at St. James and Blue

Springs as well as the 2016 “Walk of Fame” event for the Windows to the Past Mural Project.

Gregg also wrote the scripts for “Who ‘Done’ It? — You Be the Judge” for the Heritage Trust 2015 Christmas Dinner, in which diners decided who had participated in the capture of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and for the “Meet the Johnsons” program about the Andrew Johnson family that was presented at a 2017 Nolachuckey Chapter meeting and will be presented again in 2018 for a District Meeting.

Gregg is a charter member of the Greene County Genealogical Society and has contributed articles to the “Pioneer,” the society’s publication. She also serves as treasurer and helps to compile editions of “Pioneer” for final publication.

She and her husband have provided the maintenance for the historic 1793 Caney Branch Cemetery in Greene County since 2007.

HERITAGE TRUST HONORS BOYD Boyd, Museums of Tusculum director, was honored for her contributions to restoration and preservation in Greene County by the Greene County Heritage Trust in January.

Board Member George Blanks and Board President Laraine King presented the award.

“I am honored and humbled by this recognition,” Boyd said at the time. “It means a lot to be recognized by such a vital organization.”

Boyd joined the Tusculum College staff in September 2009 as the man-

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

SUN FILE PHOTO BY SARAH R. GREGORY

Exchangites recognized by the Exchange Club of Greeneville in 2017 for membership milestones included, from left: Bob Southerland, named a lifetime member for 50 years of involvement; Gregg Jones, 40 years; John Kilday, 45 years; and Kidwell King, 40 years.

ager of school programs.

She developed several new curriculum-based offerings for the public and homeschool audiences.

A native of Franklin County, Boyd taught grades 9-12 from 1994 to 2007, served as a graduate research assistant at the Albert Gore Research Center and was an interpretive ranger at Tims Ford State Park.

Boyd has also made several professional presentations at the National Council of Public History, the Southeast Museums Conference, the Tennessee Association of Museums and Phi Alpha Theta Regional Conference.

Boyd is currently serving as president-elect for the Tennessee Association of Museums.

FILE PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Carolyn Gregg, left, is presented with the Daughters of the American Revolution History Award Medal by Kathleen Cannon, right, at the May 2017 meeting of the Nolachuckey Chapter National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution.

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The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

Page 19

Community Reaches Out After Deaths Of 2 Boys

BY KEN LITTLE STAFF WRITER The compassion of Greene Countians toward two families after the unthinkable loss of a child provided some degree of solace.

Holden Thomas and Cody Landers were each 5 years old. They died as a result of separate accidents.

Holden Thomas, of the Debusk community, suffered injuries while a passenger in a car involved in a Jan. 25 crash on Asheville Highway. The kindergarten student at Debusk Elementary School passed away Feb. 3 as a result of the injuries.

Cody Landers, a kindergarten student at Nolachuckey Elementary School, lost his life in an All Terrain Vehicle accident on Sept. 14, 2017, in the Shelton Laurel community of North Carolina.

The tragic passing of the little boys touched the hearts of many in Greene County, drawing many expressions of sympathy and support as the communities grieved with their families.

HOLDEN THOMAS After Holden was injured in the vehicle crash and airlifted to Niswonger Children’s Hospital in Johnson City, a large crowd of about 150 gathered on the night of Saturday, Jan. 27, in the gymnasium at DeBusk Elementary School.

Those at the prayer service wore white ribbons and held candles during the service.

Each member of the

Holden Lee Thomas

Cody Landers

crowd gathered in a circle and individually approached a table with a candle in the center of the gym, offering a silent prayer for Holden’s recovery.

Each person placed a hand on a Tennessee-orange “prayer cloth” on the table. After the service, the prayer cloth was taken to Holden’s parents, who are kept vigil with their son at the hospital.

Mother Donna Thomas and sister Savannah Thomas were not injured in the crash, which happened at the intersection with Debusk Road as the car driven by Donna Thomas was struck from behind by a pickup truck.

The truck driver was cited for failure to exercise due care.

Other fundraisers and events to help defray medical expenses for the family were held in the days and weeks after Holden suffered the injuries, which ultimately took his life on Feb. 3.

Those who participated in a fundraising dinner on that date did not learn of Holden’s passing until later.

His courageous fight to live had a deep impact on the community. In the days after his passing, students at DeBusk and numerous other local; schools wore orange T-shirts, the colors of DeBusk Elementary School, to honor Holden’s memory.

DeBusk Principal Diann Musgrove said on the night of the prayer service for Holden that she was impressed with the compassion shown by those present.

“I just thought it was sweet how a community can come together. It wasn’t just people from the school helping,” Musgrove said. “When the community wants to do something, prayer is not the last resort. It’s the first resort.”

Several other fundraising and benefit events were held in the weeks after Holden’s passing.

There is also a GoFundMe page that continues to accept donations at gofundme.com/hope-forholden.

Several “HoldenStrong” items are also available, including orange wrist bands, orange T-shirts

and black T-shirts and car decals.

Donna Thomas used social media to ask for prayers from the community after Holden suffered the injuries in the crash.

She was thankful for the concern shown after his passing.

In a brief post to share funeral service information, Donna Thomas expressed appreciation.

“The support we have been shown is just amazing,” she wrote.

CODY LANDERS Cody Landers lost his life on Sept. 14, 2017, in an ATV accident in the Shelton Laurel community of North Carolina.

His sudden passing touched the hearts of many in Greene County, drawing expressions of sympathy and support as the community grieved with his family.

The accident occurred when Cody was a passenger on an ATV and the vehicle overturned, according to Greene County Sheriff Pat Hankins. One other person was injured in the accident.

Hankins became aware of Cody’s death when several people forwarded a Facebook post to him. The post, written by Cody’s mother Ashley Landers, asked for an officer to stand by Cody’s casket.

Hankins had sent a K-9 unit to Nolachuckey Elementary School where Cody attended pre-K and then kindergarten.

“The child had seen the dog and the handler and just fell in love with it and always said after that that he wanted to be a police

officer and a K-9 handler,” Hankins said.

“That was his dream,” Landers told The Greeneville Sun. “He wanted to be a K-9 officer. He told me, ‘Mommy, I want to be a K-9 officer so I can help people one day.’ And then he stopped and he kind of grinned and said, ‘Oh, and so I can get a cool dog, too.’”

The Greeneville Police Department proclaimed Cody an honorary K-9 officer. The announcement coincided with a balloon release at Nolachuckey Elementary School in his honor. The balloons were blue — Cody’s favorite color.

Before the final game of the season between Cody’s YMCA T-ball team, The Blue Tigers, and The Tennessee Black Bears, Cody was remembered with a banner and a release of blue balloons.

Hankins coordinated with Shane Matthews at the Greeneville Police Department and other agencies to grant the family’s wish for Cody. There were K-9 units standing watch at the casket and an escort made up of multiple agencies accompanied the funeral procession from Kiser-Rose Hill Funeral Home to the Landers family cemetery in Shelton Laurel, North Carolina.

“It’s so tragic to lose a child at that age and the child wanting to be a K-9 officer — our hearts just went out to them. Whatever we can do to help this family through this grieving time, we want to do it,” Hankins said at the time.

Nolachuckey Elementary School Principal Amy Brooks said that teachers

helped students cope with the tragedy.

“We had a little time when we got together with the kids (on Sept. 15) with the teachers and counselors from across the county and tried to explain as best we could what had happened,” Brooks said.

“The counselors tried to help the kids get through the rest of the day.”

Ashley Landers described the raw emotions connected to losing a child several days after Cody’s passing.

“There’s no way for a parent to cope with the loss of a child,” Landers said. “There’s nothing to describe the pain and just complete torture of knowing that you’re not going to be able to hold your child again.

“Pretty much we’re just taking it minute by minute,” Landers added. “Not day by day, but minute by minute. We’re just trying to get through the day, trying to basically stay strong and hold our heads up. Everybody’s just taking it really hard.”

Ashley Landers described her son as “the best ever.”

Brooks said Cody’s memory will live on at Nolachuckey Elementary School.

“The loss of any child is devastating,” she said.

“It’s been devastating to us to lose Cody. We had him for two years. He was just always a jolly little boy and always smiling and very happy.”

Cody’s smile was “contagious,” Brooks said.

“He was loved by all the staff and students,” Brooks added. “He will be greatly missed.”

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Page 20

The Greeneville Sun Benchmarks Edition

GreenevilleSun.com

Saturday, March 31, 2018

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