Category: People
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When Efficiency Serves the Human Heart
Back at the beginning of my career in the mid-1980s, our community’s largest employer, Eastman Chemical, was going through a transformative process in total quality management. It was based on the management principles that helped Toyota rise from being viewed as an affordable alternative to American-made cars into a global benchmark for reliability, quality, and…
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Don’t Tell Nobody: What Happens When You Bet on an Appalachian
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Roger Ball, the man behind the redevelopment of the Kingsport Mall (now East Stone Commons). Our paths first crossed in 1997. I had just been promoted to Development Services Director at age 35, and Roger had acquired one of Kingsport’s most prominent development sites at the…
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Finding My Way Back to the Kingsport Spirit
Lately, I’ve focused too much on data, metrics, and measures. When I started this blog, I intended it to be about my unique take on the Kingsport Spirit with stories of faith, family, people, places, & the history of my hometown. In order to understand that statement, you have to understand what “Kingsport Spirit” means.…
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Before Jamestown: The Forgotten Road Between Beaufort and Appalachia
We’ve spent quite a bit of time in Beaufort, South Carolina, in recent years because of our connection to the beaches of nearby Fripp Island. We fell in love with Beaufort because it offers much of the history and charm of Charleston or Savannah, but on a far more human scale. With fewer than 15,000…
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Remembering Bill Dudney
John Dudney was Kingsport’s Postmaster and the original Santa Claus on the Santa Train. He instilled a sense of community service in his family. His grandson, Bill, chose to live his life in his hometown of Kingsport, giving back every step of the way. As a student at Dobyns-Bennett, he was selected to work for…
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Church Circle: Kingsport’s Town Square
There’s just something about town squares. They are the settings of Hallmark movies and Christmas cards—the places where parades pass, lights are lit, and communities recognize themselves. They evoke warm memories of home, family, faith, and belonging. A true town square is not just a location; it is an emotional center, a shared reference point…
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1948: Appeal to the Great Spirit
Do you ever see a photograph that triggers a memory? Recently, I discovered that Ancestry.com has digitized many of our nation’s yearbooks. In the process, I stumbled on the 1948 Maroon & Grey—my mother’s final yearbook at Dobyns-Bennett. It offers a remarkable window into student life in that era. Twenty school years later, in 1967–68,…
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Fairacres: The Lasting Value of a Well-Planned Neighborhood
Recently, my ‘cousin-in-law’, Lucy Fleming (of Fun Fest fame), shared that her native neighborhood, Sequoyah Hills in Knoxville, was recently named one of the “170 Most Envied Places to Live in America” by RE/MAX (August 2025). She recalled fond memories of growing up there — and noted how her longtime Kingsport neighborhood, Fairacres, reminds her…
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Tennessee in 10 Minutes
I was recently talking with colleagues about the early development of modern Tennessee and why the first counties were incorporated in two pockets: East Tennessee along the upper Tennessee Valley and Middle Tennessee along the Cumberland River basin, initially leapfrogging Southeast Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau. I couldn’t find a succinct description, so I decided…
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We Always Rise to the Occasion During Difficult Times
Have you ever thought about the difference between a city and a community? A city is a legally defined, structured entity with the authority to enforce laws. It operates under a charter, with elected officials and public services focused on managing resources and the well-being of its residents. A city has taxing authority. And if…
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