Kingsport Spirit

There’s an old adage about each generation carrying the baton for one leg of the race before handing off to the next generation to carry it for the next leg.

And once we do, future generations may not remember how hard it was to move the needle in a positive direction. It’s human nature to assume that the current condition is a given and it was just always this way. But it wasn’t.

For example, Ridgefields and Fort Robinson have always been core neighborhoods of the City of Kingsport. That’s a given, right? Wrong. They were annexed in 1963 along with Netherland Inn Road and “Old Kingsport” (the original 1822 city).

And they didn’t join the city without a fight–a lawsuit in fact. There were the usual complaints, I don’t want to pay extra taxes, I don’t want someone telling me what I can do with my property, I don’t want a building inspection, I can do it myself. But within a few years, all of the doomsday things didn’t happen, life returned to normal, and annexed citizens became duly elected city leaders. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to work.

City leaders were working hard to build a community with excellent schools, roads, and services. They were discussing the need for a new 2,500 pupil Dobyns-Bennett High School on a new site (remember, this was 1963). Fast forward to 2023 and the “new” Dobyns-Bennett has 2,414 students (according to the Tennessee Department of Education website).

As I read this article from 60 years ago, I can’t help but wonder what future generations will be reading in 2083.

Maybe it’s the city planner in me, but I’m always thinking about our community’s vision for the future and what baby steps we’re taking to get there year by year. It also reminds me that we need to support those currently in the arena for I was once in their shoes, and I remember the long nights, harsh critics, and time irrevocably taken from my family.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall in 2083, reading of the city’s progress…”Remember back in 2023 when they opened the first leg of the Riverbend Park below Fort Patrick Henry Dam?”, “Remember when they built the pedestrian bridge over the tracks to Brickyard Park?”, “Remember when they rebuilt Main Street and what a difference it made?”, “Remember when they built the dental clinic? It’s now a full dental school.”

I won’t be around to read about it, after all I’d be 122 years old. But here’s to those who dare to dream of a better future and put in the work to make it happen. And to those who finished their leg of the race.

There are always critics. I remember some of my own family members thinking the Greenbelt was folly and a total waste of taxpayer dollars. But once the first leg was open, they began walking on the riverfront and praising the visionaries.

The moral of the story is, be a community builder, not someone who sits on the sidelines and throws pot shots. If you want to make a difference, get in the arena, roll up your sleeves and get to work.