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karns / hardin valley
VOL. 50, NO. 16
APRIL 18, 2011
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Summer Camp! See pages A10-11
The Rev. D.L. Derrickson is a Korean War veteran.
The great debate Hardin Valley Academy senior Brianna Goodlin has her pick of the Ivy League See story on page A-12 Josephine Davis and three other female veterans were presented flowers when they returned to Knoxville.
That’s absurd! David Hunter on the origins of pink flamingos and other oddities in new book See page A-8
Touring Cherokee Caverns Flashlight and lantern tour of historical caverns coming in May See story on page A-12
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10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Larry Van Guilder lvgknox@mindspring.com ADVERTISING SALES Paige Davis davisp@ShopperNewsNow.com Darlene Hacker hackerd@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 33,237 homes in Farragut, Karns and Hardin Valley.
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The hearty welcome as veterans returned to Knoxville touched Cres Fowler. Photos by Joe Rector
HonorAir flies again By Joe Rector
their daylong trip. For most of the soldiers, the trip was the first time they had seen these places that have been erected in their honor. The veterans were welcomed back to the Knoxville airport at 8:05 p.m. in a section that had been specially decorated with a balloon arch. The Tennessee Air National guard band of the Smoky Mountains played patriotic music as friends and family waved flags. More than 1,000 wellwishers packed the airport, shaking veterans’ hands and thanking them for their service to the country. The group was an eclectic one with men and women from all branches of service: Thomas Mose and Jim Estes were in one group. Mose was a sergeant in the Army. Today he is a judge in Vonore and Estes, at 88, is still working as a juvenile court officer with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. Bob Luttrell was a petty officer in
the Navy whose ship was sunk at Okinawa. Sixteen men from the 65-member crew lost their lives. Ashley Valentine served with the Marines in the Pacific. He was wounded in the left arm by mortar fire. John Nipper flew 57 missions over Europe in his P-47 Thunderbolt. The Rev. D.L. Derrickson of the First Church of God in Christ was the only African-American soldier to make the trip. He was a medic during the Korean War. Josephine Davis, one of four women on the trip, was a nurse on a hospital ship in the European theater. Jack Kneer was in the Seabees and spent two years in the jungles of Burma. The sacrifices that these veterans made helped to make the United States strong and safe. The tour is a wonderful gesture of appreciation for their service.
Teacher returns to Karns High
remembers that the old Karns High was a much smaller place and much older. A smaller student body made teaching things that are a part of everyday life easier to do. “Another big difference is that kids back then didn’t have so many distractions in their lives, and they held schools and teachers in higher esteem,” Sharon says. In the end, however, she says teaching is the same. She and Sherril both substitute because they enjoy working with children. Sharon graduated from Halls High School and UT. She lives in the Halls community now with Sherril. They’ve been married 49 years and have three sons, Greg, Mark and Spence, and nine grandchildren. Her free time is spent with family, playing clarinet in the Beaver Dam Baptist orchestra and working with the Halls Women’s League, of which she is a charter member. She and Sherril have two grandchildren living with them now, and that demands much of her time and attention. Every day she tries to live life to the fullest.
During the early morning hours of April 13, McGhee-Tyson Airport was bustling in preparation for the ninth HonorAir flight to Washington, D.C. This one was special because veterans from the Korean War were included for the first time. It also marked the day when 1,000 East Tennessee veterans have made trips to view the memorials in the nation’s capitol. This flight included 129 veterans and 41 volunteer escorts, as well as several other volunteers. Even the customer service staff at the airport pitched in to make the day successful. Before departing, soldiers were divided into small groups and their pictures were taken by Tech. Sgt. David Knable of the Tennessee National Guard. They assembled at the airport and were greeted by Eddie Mannis, president of Prestige Cleaners and chair of Hono-
By Joe Rector Sharon Coker is the epitome of resilience. She’s beaten tremendous odds to come back to Karns High School where she began her teaching career 43 years ago. In 1968 she came to Karns as a home Coker economics teacher. She soon took the duties of junior class sponsor and had students at her home in the evenings as they worked on decorations for the junior-senior prom. In no time at all, she became a student favorite on the faculty. In 1971, Coker and two of her sons, Mark and Spence, were in a car when another one slammed into it from the rear. The boys were fine, but she suffered severe head trauma. Her injuries were so extensive that doctors told the family her recovery would be marred by limited
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rAir Knoxville. Knoxville Mayor Daniel Brown thanked the veterans for their service. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said the moment was bittersweet for him: his father was one of the veterans who taken earlier tour and has since passed away. “I owe you so much because everything that I am or will be is possible because of the sacrifices that you made for this country,” Burchett said. The mayors jointly proclaimed April 13 as HonorAir Day. The plane landed in Washington at 10:45 a.m., and the group began a day of touring such places as the World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Marine and Air Force memorials. They also saw the changing of the guard at the tomb of the Unknowns and drove past the Navy Memorial. Veterans will also receive copies of a DVD that includes footage of
brain function if she survived. Coker surprised them all when she recuperated. Her physical condition improved over time. The worst thing for her was the inability to remember anything. Over the next year and a half, she put her life back together. “It was terrible to have a memory come back and then be gone in a flash. Not being able to remember was torment,” she said. In 1973, Coker was back in the classroom and clicking on all cylinders. For a year and a half she worked at Farragut High School before being reassigned to Halls High School from 1975 to 1984. After her husband, Sherril, was transferred by Rohm and Haas to a position in Houston, Sharon taught in schools there for 20 years. When the family returned to Knoxville in 2004, Sherril told his wife and sons that he was going home where there weren’t any hurricanes to survive.
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Retirement for the couple didn’t last long. In 2005, both signed up to substitute in Knox County schools. Sharon also serves as a supply teacher when others are out for extended periods of time for illness or other personal issues. Now, Sharon is back at the school where her 37-year career began. Of course, the school is different. She
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