Kingsport’s founders built the framework—but it’s up to us to keep the spirit alive through service and generosity.
Have you ever thought about the difference between a city and a community?
A city is a legal structure—it enforces laws, levies taxes, and manages resources through elected officials entrusted with public funds. Paying taxes isn’t optional, which makes stewardship in government a sacred trust.
A community, by contrast, grows from the heart. It’s built on shared values, trust, and belonging. You give to a community because you want to, not because you have to.
As a person of faith, I see taxes as tithes—required support for order—while offerings are voluntary gifts of gratitude. That’s how I view the difference between city government and the United Way. One sustains the framework, the other fuels the soul.
A Model City with a Heart
Kingsport’s founders wanted more than efficiency; they wanted compassion. Having seen the social ills of early-1900s New York—poverty, overcrowding, and corruption—they sought a better model.
They built industrial plants with light and air, not sweatshops. They provided clean water, group health insurance, and fair wages. They kept government small but professional, adopting the Rockefeller Foundation’s Model City Charter and inviting business leaders to serve on boards and commissions.
Public schools were designed by Columbia University to ensure every child had a future. Immigrants and African Americans shared access to education and housing, and families like the Sobels and Mires became part of Kingsport’s fabric. Workers and managers lived side by side.
From that spirit, J. Fred Johnson coined the term “Kingsport Spirit”—mutual helpfulness and a willingness to put community above self.
Hard Times, Steady Hands
Founded in 1917—the year America entered World War I—Kingsport grew through challenge. Local industries produced materials for the war effort. When supplies of German chemicals were cut off, Eastman Kodak created Tennessee Eastman, launching a domestic industry and a 1920s boom.
Growth soon reached beyond city limits—“where the sidewalks end and the storm ditches begin.” By 1934, a third of the Kingsport community lived outside the city.
In 1922, local business leaders organized a Community Chest to coordinate giving for hospitals and charities. Two men—B. M. Brown of Eastman and Dr. E. W. Tipton of Hawkins County—embodied the mix of newcomer and local leadership that defined Kingsport. Brown later chaired the first incorporated Community Chest in 1934; Tipton served as mayor during World War II.
The Times-News praised the effort: “Surely a town that can raise $13,000 for baseball can raise $10,000 for those who are suffering.” By 1928, the Chest was feeding undernourished schoolchildren and reducing street begging. When the 1929 stock-market crash brought the Great Depression, the organization evolved into what we now know as the United Way.
Every Generation’s Storm
The 1930s brought poverty; the 1940s, a second world war. The 1950s saw conflict in Korea, the 1960s in Vietnam—and a nation grappling with civil rights. The 1970s brought fuel shortages and mortgage rates that soared to 18 percent. The 1990s ushered in globalization and job losses after Kodak spun off Eastman Chemical. Each decade tested Kingsport’s resilience—but each time, its leadership met adversity with clarity, compassion, and resolve.
By 1999, civic leaders convened an Economic Summit to “remodel the Model City.” The Academic Village retrained displaced workers downtown. Obsolete housing was rebuilt, and blighted sites like Kingsport Press and Kingsport Mall were reimagined.
When the 2008 recession halted construction, Kingsport pivoted again, investing in new multifamily housing. Eastman’s Project Inspire (2013) and Project Reinvest (2017) reinvested billions and reaffirmed Kingsport as a global headquarters.
Resilience Renewed
The 2020 pandemic brought fresh challenges, followed by Hurricane Helene in 2024. Each time, Kingsport responded with compassion and action.
Today, our community’s strengths—low unemployment, modest taxes, affordability, and minimal climate risk—have drawn national attention. U.S. News & World Report now lists Kingsport among the Top 250 Places to Live in 2025-26.
Thousands of newcomers from all 50 states have arrived in the last five years, with a median age of 29. Nearly one-fifth of Black or multiracial residents and more than a third of Hispanic residents are new here. They’ve helped offset natural population decline and brought new energy to our city.
Keeping the Spirit Alive
At that 1999 summit, leaders quoted Oliver Wendell Holmes:
“The great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving… we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”
Every generation faces headwinds. My daughter once painted a reminder on her dorm wall: “When times are hard and you are doubtful, give more.”
For 90 years, United Way has embodied that principle—helping Kingsport face crisis after crisis with compassion and action. It remains a hand-up, not a handout.
None of us got here alone. God entrusts each of us with unique gifts and talents—not for self-gain, but to serve others. Stewardship means using what we’ve been given wisely and sharing it freely.
Kingsport’s legacy is one of cooperation, generosity, and resilience. Let’s honor it by leading with heart and purpose, ensuring this remains a place where everyone can thrive.
That’s the Kingsport Spirit.And that’s why I hope you’ll join me in supporting the United Way, whose vision is simple and timeless: A better life for all.
Kingsport Spirit 
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