Tag: life
-
Son, Never Forget
Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around Kingsport’s Independence Day parade. We lived one block from the parade route. I remember the rush of anticipation when the American flags started going up on the light poles. By dawn’s early light on the Fourth of July, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas…
-
The Children Behind The Numbers
Sometimes we get desensitized to the noise. We are bombarded from every direction with snippets, tweets, posts, shares, headlines, and half-truths. So many people I know have either tuned out or turned it all off at the very time we most need to be paying attention. I understand that. It is a defense mechanism. But…
-
Reflections of the Father of the Bride
One thing about my daughter: she does not like being in the spotlight. But I believe moments matter…and if I let this one pass without speaking from my heart, I’d miss the chance to tell her how much she means to me—and to all of us, really. So here goes. Katelyn knows this is one…
-
April 15: A Date That Forever Changed My Life
To most people, April 15 is Tax Day, but to me, it’s a day that changed my life forever. Let me explain. I was a candidate to be Kingsport’s next city manager. After 3 ½ months of deliberation, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen was scheduled to make a public announcement that I had been…
-
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…
-
A Lesson in Grace, Learned at Food City
Some of the most important lessons our kids learn don’t come from classrooms, coaches, or report cards. They come from time clocks, name tags, and difficult customers. When our son was 14, we thought it would be a good idea for him to get a part-time job. Our daughter, too—but I’ll save that for another…
-
Why Are Homes & Apartments So Expensive?
I’m a lifelong student of city management, planning, history, demographics, and socioeconomics. Honestly, sometimes I wish I wasn’t—it can be exhausting. I can’t just “turn it off.” I still have a folder filled with maps of fictitious cities that I drew in middle school. I spent more time naming streets, designing parks, and placing schools…
-
Happy Birthday, Mayor Phillips
I was asked to share a few words about Dennis at a live event last Friday. I thought you might like to see. I was just randomly talking to Stephen LaHair one day and said, “You know, Dennis Phillips is one of my favorite people in this world.” He said, “Have you told him that?”…
-
Cousins
Rarely do you get this opportunity—a reunion of two cousins, now men, born three years apart, of sisters who were born three years apart. We hadn’t seen each other in nearly 50 years. My grandfather and uncle worked for Mead Paper in Kingsport. In 1946, Mead teamed up with Inland Container Corporation to form the…
-
A Letter to Dad, 11 Years Later
Dear Dad, It’s April 15. Hard to believe it’s been 11 years since I got the call that stopped me in my tracks. They held off on announcing my appointment as city manager that day, but you already knew it was coming. The mayor had tipped you off ahead of time—maybe that was your sign…
Kingsport Spirit 