VOL. 8 NO. 30
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Eye on Farragut
Thompson to Farragut High
Stephanie Thompson is the new interim principal of Farragut High School, replacing Mike Reynolds, who was appointed by Superintendent Jim McIntyre as principal at Central High School. Thompson Thompson has an excellent record as a high school administrator and has distinguished herself as an instructional leader at the high school level, McIntyre said. Her most recent assignment was as supervisor of federal programs for Knox County Schools. Thompson taught business at Halls for one year, then taught business at Farragut for two years. She was administrator for Freshman Focus for inner city kids for one year and then became Title I administrator. “Over the next several months, we will conduct a comprehensive search and selection process to appoint the long-term principal at Farragut High School,” McIntyre said, adding that Thompson may be an applicant and potential candidate in that process.
‘ROUND TOWN
➤ Lasting tribute The town of Farragut is offering the community a way to remember loved ones while also helping to beautify the town’s parks and greenways. The Plant a Tree Program offers a choice of more than a dozen types of trees that can be purchased and planted in honor or in memory of a special person. The town staff assists with choosing a location and with the planting, and a small marble commemorative plaque is set in concrete at the base of the tree. The town also provides year-round maintenance. Cost is between $200 and $250. The trees are planted in November and December. Deadline to purchase a tree for this year’s planting is Tuesday, Sept. 2. On-line purchases are available. Info: www. townoffarragut.org/formcenter or call Jay Smelser at 966-7057.
➤ Upcoming at
Town Hall Farragut/Knox County Schools Education Relations Committee: 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5 Economic Development Committee: 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6.
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Museum loans admiral’s telescope to Constitution Center By Betsy Pickle A historic piece from the Admiral Farragut Gallery at the Farragut Folklife Museum is helping to tell an important part of America’s story in an upcoming exhibit at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. A Civil War-era telescope used by Admiral David Farragut has been loaned to the Constitution Center for its Hispanic Heritage Month programming. National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 each year. Farragut’s father, George Farragut, was born in Minorca, Spain, and came to America in 1766. He served as a naval lieutenant in the Revolutionary War and afterward moved with his wife, Elizabeth, to East Tennessee, where son David was born in 1801. David Glasgow Farragut was the first rear admiral, vice admiral and admiral in the U.S. Navy. Museum coordinator Julia Barham doesn’t have the specifics on the connection between Farragut and the telescope. “It came with a larger collection of artifacts that were purchased by the museum and the town of
Julia Barham, Farragut Folklife Museum coordinator, stands at the Admiral David Farragut exhibit in the museum. Photo by Sherri Gardner Howell Farragut in 1989,” she says. “We actually have two telescopes. One is still on display downstairs. It’s slightly different than the one that we loaned to the National Constitution Center.
A telescope used by Admiral David Farragut during the Civil War has been loaned by the Farragut Folklife Museum to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
“We have a very large Admiral Civil War and the role that he Farragut collection. They’re all played in it.” really interesting in their own The Admiral Farragut display right, but the telescope is definitely at Town Hall changes frequently. an interesting piece that’s really “There’s no way we could fit neat and representative of the To page A-3
Meet the candidates By Wendy Smith Farragut will elect a mayor and aldermen for Wards 1 and 2 in the upcoming municipal election. Current Ward 1 representative Bob Markli is being challenged by John Underwood, and Ron Pinchok and Ron Williams are vying for the Ward 2 seat, formerly held by Jeff Elliott. Mayor Ralph McGill is unopposed.
Early voting is 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, through Friday, Aug. 1, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2. Voting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Thursday, Aug. 7. For more information: www.knoxcounty. org/election.
Ward 1 Bob Markli, a general contractor, has lived
McGill
Markli
in Farragut since 1987. He served several years on the town’s Visual Resources Review Board and the Development Review Process Evaluation Committee and has served one term as alderman. His says his past accomplishments on the board include work on the town’s
Underwood
Pinchok
retirement plan and helping hire Town Administrator David Smoak. He’s also proud of his efforts to make Farragut an address of choice for businesses and his work to save the Russell House at the corner of Kingston Pike and Campbell Station Road. If elected to a second
Williams
term, Markli says he would like to work with Farragut/ Knox County Schools Education Relations Committee to seek partnerships with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. He’d also push for connecting To page A-10
Burchett not happy with new Beck director By Betty Bean Last week, the board of directors of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center chose independent consultant Renee Kesler as its new executive director. She was elected by a 9-2 vote after an executive committee selected her from a pool of candidates for the position. Kesler resigned Renee Kesler under fire in 2006 after a lengthy investigation into personnel and grant issues in the city’s department of community development, which she headed.
Always FREE Checking
Board chair Sam Anderson said he’s comfortable with this decision, but Kesler’s hiring is not sitting well with Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, who has tangled over budget matters with Beck’s leadership in the past. “I’m gravely concerned. We’ve had some issues with the leadership and the bookkeeping at Beck, and we’ll just have to see what kind of relationship we’ll have going forward,” Burchett said, adding that he believes the Beck Center is “grossly underutilized.” The Beck Center is at 1927 Dandridge Ave. in the former home of the late James Garfield Beck and Ethel Benson Beck, who were
leading African-American educators and entrepreneurs. The Beck Center has been renovated and expanded in the past decade and contains extensive collections of history and artifacts of East Tennessee’s African-American community as well as a large meeting hall and space for children and others to access computers and tutoring services. The Beck Center is slated to receive $25,000 each from the city and county (a total of $50,000) this fiscal year. Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero (who replaced Kesler as the city’s community development director in 2007) was more positive in tone than Burchett:
“The Beck Center is a community treasure for all of Knoxville. Its archives hold materials of great historical and cultural significance, and the city is committed to supporting its mission and future growth. On personnel matters, we respect the decisions of the Beck Center board of directors, and we will continue to work with the board and staff.” The Beck Center saw its county funding slashed from $150,000 to $12,000 in 2011, the first budget prepared by Burchett. The center’s founder and heartbeat, Robert Booker, has been serving as interim director. Fundraising is one of the executive director’s primary duties.
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