President’s Message

Watson, Roach, Batson & Lauderback, P.L.C.

With my fingers poised over my keyboard as I sit down to type this month’s President’s column, it occurs to me that I really hope that I still have all these fingers when this edition of DICTA arrives in your mailbox. I realize that seems like an odd thing to say, but allow me to explain…

A few years back, when I was just beginning my service on the KBA Executive Committee, our amazing Executive Director Marsha Watson 1 was, of course, looking ahead several years, because she is always several steps ahead of any of us, and she posed a question to me at an Executive Committee meeting. The look on her face suggested she was about to ask me for something quite big and important. “Hanson, is it OK if we do our next Habitat build in YOUR [presidency] year?”

Marsha was probably impressed that I said “Yes” so quickly, but it honestly never even occurred to me that “No” was an option, for several reasons: 1) How could anyone say no to working with Habitat for Humanity, one of the most beloved and worthwhile charitable organizations in the world?; 2) How could anyone say no to Marsha Watson about ANYTHING?; and 3) How could I say no to the very first thing asked of me in my (still a couple of years away) KBA presidency?

Thus began the long road toward the 2020 KBA Habitat build. In the spring of 2019, we had the first meeting of what Marsha called the “KBA Habitat Dream Team,” which includes 2020 Habitat Steering Committee Co-Chairs Sam Doak, The Hon. Greg McMillan, and Norm Templeton. Each of these guys has worked on many KBA (and other) Habitat builds in the past, and I was happy to have them on my side. This was to be my first-ever Habitat build, which I suppose makes me the Christian Laettner of the KBA Habitat Dream Team.

That summer I sent out letters to many Knoxville firms that had supported KBA Habitat projects in the past, announcing that there would be a 2020 build and gauging interest in financially supporting the project. I was delighted by the response we received, and we quickly raised the necessary amount of money to begin our build. Thank you to everyone who contributed financial support!

This year, the KBA is partnering once again with First Presbyterian Church and will share building duties with our partner thanks to coordination with KBA member Bruce Anderson. At the very first Dream Team meeting, we discussed the fact that this build would be our first one without beloved KBA member and Habitat supporter Bob Stivers who unfortunately passed away in March of 2019. We decided that dedicating KBA Build #9 to Bob would be a fitting tribute to him and a great way to recognize how much Bob gave to Habitat for Humanity. We accepted financial contributions made in Bob’s memory. We also spoke to Bob’s widow Beth in the fall of 2019 and told her about dedicating the build to Bob. She was very touched by the gesture and agreed to join us for the home dedication.

With the money collected and the Dream Team in place, we received our first build schedule from Habitat in February of this year. KBA Build #9 was set to begin with Blitz Day on May 16 th . As we all know, the spring of 2020 brought a whole lot of continuances, postponements, and cancellations, and Habitat for Humanity was no exception. In order to ensure the health and safety of all Habitat volunteers and to comply with local regulations for COVID-19, many builds were delayed, including ours. After a couple more delays, we finally got our new Blitz Day date of September 16 th . To make sure all volunteers are protected during the pandemic, Knoxville Habitat has also limited the number of volunteers allowed on-site and has implemented social distancing protocols. By the time you read this column, we should have already had most of our KBA construction days but there will still be a couple of days remaining, including installing vinyl siding, interior painting, and trim & cabinets. If you would like to join us for these days, information and registration can be found online through the KBA website at www. knoxbar.org. We would also love for KBA members to join us for the home dedication once it is scheduled. Stay tuned to DICTA and Marsha’s Friday e-mails for that information. The KBA and First Presbyterian Church are partnering to build this home for Teresa Raysin. Teresa is a grandmother who loves spending time and making memories with her family. She cares for five of her eight grandchildren every weekend. Building and owning a home through Knoxville Habitat will provide Teresa with an opportunity to safely care for her grandchildren, decorate her home to make it her own, and finally enjoy planting flowers in her yard – a hobby she has longed to be able to do for many years.

Since 1994, the members of the KBA have been responsible for building eight Habitat homes in the Knoxville area. It has become part of the KBA tradition and is an accomplishment of which all of us can be proud. As lawyers, it is rare that we have the chance to work with each other outside of the courtroom or get to know one another on some basis other than a dispute between our clients. The KBA’s involvement with Habitat over the years has provided its members with a real opportunity to build relationships. 2

All of which brings me to fearing for my fingers, as I mentioned in the opening to this column. When I told my wife that I was going to participate in building a Habitat house, she just laughed at me. I will be the first to admit that I am not the handiest fellow. But I’m willing to learn, and with the Dream Team guiding me I am excited to build my first house for such a good cause. I just hope that all of my appendages survive the experience.

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2 Please be sure to congratulate her and thank her for 30 years of fantastic service with the KBA if you have not already done so. Just ask Jason and Carol Anne Long, who first got to know each other on a KBA Habitat build!