Clyde B. Austin, Sr.

            Greenville native Clyde B. Austin Sr., was such a prankster at Greenville High School, the community could not guess that he would become known as “Greenville’s First Citizen – the man who has done more for Greenville than any other one individual”.

E. Ward King

            Edward Ward King known as the “King of Transportation,” was born in Surgoinsville, Tennessee, the third of five sons born to Methodist minister John Rutledge king and Margaret Collup.

Robert S. Lane

Known as “the dean of community banking” among his peers, Bob Lane was one of 11 children born to Samuel Smith And Catherine Snapp Lane of Stanley Valley near Church Hill, Tennessee.
            He attended Church Hill High School until the death of his father, when he assumed his father’s responsibilities in the operation of the family farm.
            Lane joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to an amphibious landing craft during the Pacific island campaigns of World War II achieving the rank of Machinist 3^rd Class.
            After a brief employment at Tennessee Eastman, Bob joined Citizens Union Bank in Rogersville, Tennessee, as a teller on May 1, 1947.
            Robert Lane and Louise Ellenburg, of Easley, South Carolina, were married in 1948.  Mrs. Lane and daughter, Melissa Lane (Mrs. John L.) Campbell, reside in Rogersville.
            Robert Lane advanced to positions of increasing responsibility with Citizens Union Bank and became President in 1970 and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer in 1981.  During Bob’s 44 years with Citizens Union bank, assets grew to $225 million and the bank was recognized as one of the most profitable in Tennessee.
            Lane served the banking industry as a board member of the Tennessee Bankers Association, as a board member of the Independent Bankers Division, as one of the founders of the Chair of Banking at ETSU, and as a member of its advisory board, and as a long-time member of the ETSU Foundation Board of Directors. In 1987, Bankers Monthly recognized Lane as one of the 33 “most effective chief executives running banks in the U.S. today.”
            From the Hawkins County Industrial Board’s inception in 1957, Bob Lane served as a member and as its chair from 1975 to 1991.  In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Lane was instrumental in planning Hawkins County locations for AFG, Kingsport Press (Quebecor), and Holliston Mills.  He led negotiations in the early 1970’s to recruit TRW, Inc. and Dodge Reliance Electric.
            Bob Lane devoted significant energies to the development of relationships between Hawkins County and the Greater Tri-Cities area.  He spearheaded the effort to create a joint venture between Hawkins County and Kingsport to buy and develop TVA’s abandoned Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant.  The joint venture elected Lane chair and through his leadership 1,170 acres of prime industrial property will be a source of economic strength for the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia for years to come.
            In October 1990, Lane presented Citizens Union Bank’s newest office in the unveiling of the restored Clinchfield Railroad Station of Kingsport’s Main Street.  The 2.5 million project advanced the cause of Kingsport’s downtown revitalization.
            Committed to community banking, Bob Lane never forgot the friends and neighbors who made his hometown bank successful.  His family continues Bob’s vision in the founding and operation of Rogersville’s First Community Bank.
            Recognized for his tremendous life-long accomplishments and service to the community, the Kingsport Times-News described Bob Lane as “a leader and a role model, a gentle man, a wise man – someone who made a large difference.  His presence will be missed.  But it will not be forgotten”.  Bob Lane represents “the kind volunteer spirit that made this region great.”

Joseph W. Lawson, Sr.

            Joseph W. Lawson, Industrial Psychologist, Arbitrator, and Executive Counselor, was born in 1913 in Elkins, West Virginia, the seventh son in a family of ten children.

            Lawson attended Berea College, Berea, Kentucky and graduated with honors from Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia.  Joe was awarded the Doctor of Law Degree for his pioneering work in the labor relations field from Marshall University and Milligan College.

            In 1933, Joe Lawson and Marguerite were married.  Eight children were born to this wedlock.  Joe’s sense of patriotism led him to volunteer for service to his country.  Though looking for combat action, his special talents were recognized and he was assigned as a consultant in the procurement division.

            Joe identified a niche for entrepreneurial service based on his experience in the government.  He left the federal government in 1945 and organized Southeastern Employers Service Corporation (SESCO), a management consulting firm specializing in labor-management problems.  Joe was the first professional consultant in the United States.  SESCO is the oldest and largest labor relations consulting firm in America and has the distinct privilege of having won 97.5 percent of its labor relations contests over the past fifty years.

            Joe Lawson is the author of How to Get Along With Your Employees and What Causes Unionism.  His firm has also written a best seller on labor relations – How to Meet the challenge of the Union Organizer.

            At are 36, Joe Lawson was elected mayor of Princeton, West Virginia.  Under his leadership and vision, Princeton changed direction and moved a city manager form of government and established civil service for all city employees.

            As a community leader Joe built the first Salvation Army home for the city of Princeton and organized the first United Way, serving as its first president.  He received national recognition from the Salvation Army, was recognized by the Governor of West Virginia, and was named “Outstanding Civic Leader” by the U.S. Jaycees.

            Lions International recognized Lawson’s life-long service by electing him district governor, a Director of Lions International, appointing him “Ambassador of Good Will to the World” and bestowing the Melvin Jones Fellowship – Lions International.

            Lawson is a past two-term president of the Board of Directors for the Sequoyah Council of the Boy Scouts of America, a recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, member of the Order of the Arrow and a member of The Brotherhood.  He also served two consecutive terms as President, Bristol United Way, bringing both organizations to national level of per capita giving.

            Joe Lawson, known affectionately as “Uncle Joe” to thousands around the world, is a big hunter and a member of the Shikar-Safari Club International, and Washington Safari Club – having bagged the Big Five of Africa.  Nineteen of the specimens collected qualify for entry into the World Record Book of Big Game.  Many specimens have been given to King College, Milligan College and the Deaf and Blind School, Stanton, Virginia.  Hands-On! Museum in Johnson City received 100 wildlife specimens.

            Joe Lawson’s life has been characterized by his strong belief tat if “one keeps the mind working and learning, one will be inspired.”  His mother, Emma Katherine Wilmouth’s great legacy was, “Joe, you are only limited by inspiration, perspiration and great desire.”  She must be immensely proud of her Joe’s example.

May Ross McDowell

            While pioneering a road of accomplishments never achieved by a woman, May Ross McDowell involved herself in practically every civic project in Johnson City.

            Her list of accomplishments include her becoming the first woman mayor of Johnson City in 1961, first woman vice mayor in 1959, first woman member of the Board of Mayor and Commissioners of Johnson City, first president of the Johnson City Business and Professional Women’s Club in 1924, first woman on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, the first chair of the Metal Fabrication and Manufacturing Apprenticeship Committee of Johnson City (the only woman to serve in capacity in the United States at the time), and the first woman elected to the Washington County Republican Executive Committee.

            The Buffalo, New York native lived in Johnson City 77 years.  May Ross was a member of the fist graduating class of Science Hill High School in May 1915.  In 1934 she earned the LL.B degree in law from the East Tennessee Law School, and engaged in an active practice until 1943.

            May Ross became associated with the Johnson City Foundry and Machine Works Inc. as legal council, vice president and secretary of the foundry in 1943.  She became president and chief operating officer of the foundry from 1968 until she sold the company in 1980.

            When Johnson City affiliated with Guaranda, Ecuador in 1963, May Ross started Johnson City’s Sister Program, and remained involved until the 1970’s.  May Ross served for many years as the official representative of the City of Johnson City on the Sister City board.  She was an incorporator and founding member of the Town Affiliations Families if the United States.

            “I’ve had a real nice time in life,” she said in a 1965 Johnson City Press article.  “I’m a joiner.”  McDowell was certainly a joiner having belonged to more than 38 organizations in her life.  But she was also a leader, founding several organizations such as the Patrick-Henry Allied Families of Virginia, Inc.

            Recognized for her many achievements, May Ross was The First Distinguished Woman in Residence at the University of Colorado/Boulder in 1966, received the Woman of Achievement Award from the Tennessee Federation of Business & Professional Women’s Club in 1966, and in 1970 she was selected as Outstanding Citizen by Civitan International Appalachian District.

            “May Ross McDowell was a very good mayor and did a tremendous amount to make Johnson City what it is today,” said the late Johnson City Publisher, Carl A. Jones in a 1988 article.  “She was an outstanding industrialist and an outstanding citizen.

1997 Laureates

Frank W. De Friece, Jr

            “Frank De Friece is a model of caring . . . of leading . . . of giving.  Frank learned the joy of giving long ago from his parents.’’  His life is indeed a model for business ethics and “giving back.”

            Frank W. De Friece, Jr., a native of Bristol, Tennessee, was the first of three children born to Frank W. and Pauline Massengill De Friece.  After graduating from Bristol Tennessee High School in 1939, Frank spent his college freshman year at Georgia Tech, and attended Roanoke College in 1940-42.

            College was interrupted by Frank’s enlistment as an Air Corps Cadet in December 1942.  Trained as a Photo Lab Commander at Yale University, Frank saw action in the South Pacific first as an Aerial Photo Interpreter and later as Officer in Charge, Ground Combat Photo Team.  Promoted to the rank of Captain in 1945, Frank was honorably discharged in early 1946.  He returned to Roanoke College and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry in August of that year.

            Frank married Majorie Ruth Freels in 1948 and they had three children, Mark William, who lives with his wife Mary Nell in Annapolis, Maryland, Paul Evan who lives with his wife Valerie and two children in Atlanta, Georgia and Ellen Pauline, “Polly,” who lives with her husband Dennis Willis and three children in Decatur, Georgia.  Majorie De Friece died in 1990.

            During high school and college summers, Frank worked in The S.E. Massengill Company, founded by Dr. S.E. Massengill, his grandfather.  In September 1946, Frank began full-time employment in the Chief Pharmacist’s Office.  Subsequently he served in the following capacities: Board of Directors December 1946; Plant Manager 1950; Executive Committee 1951; Vice President and General Manager 1953; Chairman, Executive Committee 1955; and Administrative Vice President 1959.  He was named President in 1960.  In April 1971, The S.E. Massengill Company was sold and renamed Beecham-Massengill Pharmaceuticals.  Frank served as Board Member and Vice Chairman from 1971-73.

            Frank became a Board Member and Fund Administrator of the newly established Maeesngill-De Friece Foundation in 1950.  He presently serves as Foundation President.  For the 47 years Frank has served as Fund Administrator, he has provided visionary leadership and financial support to many groups of the regional community, the states of Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina, and to many national organizations.

            Honored by many, Frank was selected by King College to receive the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award in 1978.  Citing his almost 30 (now nearly 50) years as a corporate leader, directorships and chairmanships with the Barter Theatre, Bristol Memorial Hospital, Bristol Family YMCA, Salvation Army, Bristol United Way, the Presbyterian Board of World Missions, First Presbyterian Church and his involvement with King College, Roanoke College, and Union Theological Seminary, the award “recognizes Frank W. De Friece, Jr. for his wise leadership and valuable council; for his broad community service; and for his generous, tangible support of worthwhile endeavors.  He has helped to give reality and substance to the hopes and highest ideals of his fellow men.”

            In nominating Frank for the state-wide E. Harper Johnson Human Relations award, the Bristol Tennessee Education Association said, “Mr. De Friece has had a life filled with personal commitment to the improvement of education in Tennessee and Virginia. It is not possible for anyone to really know fully the ways in which he gives of himself tirelessly in our community.  His dignified, unselfish manner has become his hallmark.  He wishes not to be recognized or singled out; rather he desires to lend his generosity or creative help in a quiet, often anonymous way.”

            In imitating the Rotary Club of Bristol Outstanding Teacher Awards Program, supporting Public Television, Boy Scouts, working with the American Humanics, Inc., Red Cross or Junior Achievement, Frank De Friece has made a tremendous difference in the world around him.

            Frank and Nancy Baker De Friece were married in 1992.  Thereby, as Frank says he gained a great wife and enlarged his family by a stepson, Chet Sikorski.

            The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award recognizes “fine spiritual and humanitarian qualities practically applied in daily living.”  It has been said that a person is noble when he or she goes outside the narrow circle of self-interest and spends himself for the greater welfare of mankind.  It is this quality of character that defines Frank W. De Friece, Jr.

W.B. Greene, Sr.

            “In my honest humble opinion, opportunities are greater today than ever before – providing that young people prepare themselves and recognize the opportunities when they come.”  William Burton Greene, Sr.’s life mirrors his philosophy.

            Born and raised on a family farm in Mitchell County, North Carolina, Greene as a young boy began raising produce to sell for income.  When only sixteen years old W.B., Sr. joined 15-20 covered wagons crossing Iron mountain to Davis Springs above Unicoi and then onto Johnson City to sell apples, chestnuts and potatoes.  Unable to sell all their produce, the wagons fought axle-deep mud to reach Kingsport, a small town with no paved streets.  Able to dispose of their produce in short order, W. B. immediately had a “warm spot in his heart for Kingsport.”

            During the four years at Bakersville High School, Greene worked on the farm and in the local bank.  Upon graduation, he taught school for one year prior to attending Cumberland University and receiving his Law Degree and Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1925.  Always the hard worker, Greene earned $90 a month working after school in the First National Bank of Lebanon.  Although Greene’s father owned “a large family store in Tocane, N.C.,” W. B., Sr. preferred to work his way through college.

            Greene married Irene Edwards in 1927.  They had two children, Valerie Greene Ketron and William Burton Greene, Jr.; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

            W. B. Greene practiced law in Asheville, N.C. until 1931, when he moved to Detroit to manage the nationwide bond department of Pierce, Fenner, Bean & Smith.  He moved to Winston-Salem in 1933 and opened the first southern branch of the same firm, now Merrill Lynch.

            It was J. Fred Johnson who recruited W. B. Greene to Kingsport in 1940.  Greene opened a retail hardware, furniture and clothing store on Center Street in downtown Kingsport.  During World War II and after, Greene is reputed to have loaned more housing money from his hardware store than most banks in town managed to loan during the same period.

            Trained in law with experience in wholesale and retail marketing, W. B. Greene’s ‘heart was always in banking and finance.”  Greene co-founded Northwestern Bank (now First Union Bank) in north Wilkesboro, N.C., in 1937, co-purchased with W. B. Greene, Jr. and Ed Duncan, Sr., the First Peoples Bank of Johnson City / Jonesborough, and the Carter County Bank in Elizabethton, in 1965.  Greene co-founded the United Tennessee BancShares Corporation, the first state-wide banking organization in Tennessee in 1969 and Bank of Tennessee in 1974.

            Greene served the community with the same gusto he gave his businesses – serving as a Kingsport Alderman, director of the Salvation Army, a two-term president of the Kingsport Merchants Association, a member of the Kingsport Planning Commission, a director of  the Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Community Chest and lifetime member of the Kingsport Kiwanis Club.  W.B. Greene, was a longtime member of First Baptist Church, Kingsport and was actively involved in the children’s Orphanage home in Rutledge, Tennessee and chairman of the board for Kingswood School.

            W. B. Greene never moved far from the farm.  He always kept a couple of cattle farms near Kingsport as a hobby and raised cattle for over 40 years.

            W. B. Greene exemplifies the best of the American entrepreneur: self-made and hard working.  When asked about his success Greene said, “If I were a young man just entering college now. I would take law and business administration courses.  Then get a job and give a good day’s work for a day’s pay.  You save a little of what you make and before long you own your own business.”

            Thanks to J. Fred Johnson’s recruiting skill, W. B. Greene’s legacy continues to make the Tri-Cities TN/VA the best place to live and work in America.

W. Pat Jennings, Sr.

            It is said that “history is biography” … that the story of the advances of our world is reflected by the days and details of individual lives.  Pat Jennings’ days helped shape the history of a region called the fighting Ninth Congressional District, of a Commonwealth called Virginia, and of this American nation.

            William Pat Jennings, Sr. was born in the summer of 1919 to Grover and Oakie Lou Brewer Jennings.  His early years in Camp, Virginia included education in a two-room school and graduation from Sugar Grove High School.

            The year 1938 brought a major victory for Pat.  He married Annabel Cox, his high school sweetheart.  Pat and Anne had four children, G. C., Pat, Jr., Mary Ann, and Richard.

            In 1941, Pat graduated from Virginia Tech and immediately entered the U.S. army in July.  During World War II, he served in the European Theatre of Operations with the Twenty-ninth Infantry as platoon leader, company commander and operations officer.  Pat continued his service as a ROTC instructor at the University of Illinois and was discharged as a Major in 1946.  Later he joined the Air Force Reserves, taught at the National War College, and retired with the rank of full Colonel in 1979.

            Upon his return to Marion and Smyth County, Pat established an automobile franchise with a friend and partner and it was operating at the time of his death in 1994.

            Pat was twice elected sheriff of Smyth County and served for seven years before seeking the nomination for member of Congress of Virginia’s Ninth District.  Though unsuccessful in his first run, Pats determination paid off and in 1954. W. Pat Jennings, Sr. was elected to the house of Representatives.  In Washington, he became a strong voice for health care, voting rights, quality education and economic development programs.

            In 1957 as Congressman Jennings was entering his second term, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce published in its state magazine, the Commonwealth: “The cynical picture of a politician who conducts business in ‘a smoke filled room’ and at a series of  ‘cocktail parties’ does not fit Congressmen Jennings, who neither smokes nor drinks cocktails.  A member of the First Methodist Church of Marion, and of the Kiwanis Club, the Masons, the Shriners, the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, he is more like a typical alert, aggressive young American businessman.  He likes looking after the people’s business and has a sincere appreciation of the trust placed in him.”  “It’s a good feeling to know that you’re in a position to do something practical in helping people solve their problems,” he says.

            Pat championed the interest of the family farmer, the development of the national forest in the 9^th district and sponsored the legislation to create the Mount Rogers recreation Area.  The first bill Pat introduced in Congress called for processing surplus wheat and corn into flour and cornmeal for the school lunch program.  As his career developed, Pat was elected to the Ways and Means Committee.  He consistently sponsored and supported programs to enhance the quality of life for the people of Appalachia.  Jennings supported coal research, the interstate highway system, airport development, and flood control.

            After serving 12 years in Congress, Jennings’ hard work and respectability was recognized by his colleagues who elected him to serve as Clerk to the House of Representatives.  Jennings, the first “modern day” clerk, initiated the House’s introduction to automation in his eight years of service.  He resigned to head the Slurry Pipeline Association, staying in business of promoting coal.

            Pat loved farming, banking and business and remained involved throughout his life.  He was active in civic and professional activities serving on the Board of Visitors of Virginia Tech, as a 25 year Director of the bank of Marion, and a member of the Virginia Mental Health Board.  Pat was honored in 1975 with an Honorary Degree of Law by Hanyang University of Seoul, Korea.  Pat was a delegate to many state and national democratic conventions and was a former member of the Democratic National Committee.  He was known as “Mr. Democrat” throughout Virginia.

            A truly motivational speaker, one of Pat Jennings finest addresses was to the graduating class of Smyth County High School (which included one of his grandsons).  The message: the secret of success is dedication to an ideal, giving it your very best . . .and then some.

            Pat’s love for the House, politics and farming were legend. But his first love was  his family.  William Pat Jennings legacy lives on in his four children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren . . . and then some.

B. Carroll Reece

            Brazilla Carroll Reece was born in Butler, Tennessee, on December 22, 1889, one of 13 children of James Issac and Sarah E. (Maples) Reece.  He was a descendant of Col. Jacob Brown, who founded Nolichucky, one of the first settlements established in what is now Tennessee.  Reece attended Watagua Academy, Butler, and in 1914, he earned a B.A. degree from Carson-Newman College.  In 1916, Reece received his master of arts in business and finance from New York University, where he taught economics for two years.  Reece also studied law at NYU.

            One month after the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Reece enlisted in the Army.  He commanded a battalion of the 26^th Division, American Expeditionary Force, spending time in England and the French Front.  He was decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm and was citied for bravery. 

            While in England, Reece did postgraduate work at the University of London.  Following the war, he returned to New York University as director of the School of Commerce, Accounts and Finance, and as instructor of Economics.  After his election to Congress, Reece was admitted to the bar in Tennessee.

            Reece entered the Congressional race of 1920 against the incumbent, Sam R. Sells, who had held Tennessee’s First District seat for eight years.  Many thought Reece did not stand a chance against Sells, but following a “hard-fought race,” Reece was elected the “baby” member of the 67^th Congress.  In subsequent campaigns, Reece was challenged by hopefuls from across the First District.  Reece retained his seat until 1930 when he was defeated in a whirlwind write-in campaign by Oscar Lovette of Greenville.  He ran against Lovette in 1932 and returned to office, winning each campaign thereafter through 1944.

            Reece was elected National Committeeman for Tennessee in 1939, and he had come to be regarded as the head of the Republican party in his state and in the South.  He was elected as the first southern Chairman of the Republican National Committee in May 1946, accepting no salary for his duties.

            Reece was the first national chairman to demand equal air time (radio) to respond to a presidential address.  During his chairmanship, Reece led his party through the off-year elections of 1946, which saw the Republicans take control of both the House and the Senate, and to the 1948 national convention in Philadelphia where the Republicans nominated Thomas E. Dewey to run against Democrat Harry S. Truman.  Reece ran unsuccessfully for the senate against Estes Kafauver in 1948 and hit the campaign trail with country music star and Tennessee gubernational candidate, Roy Acuff.  Following a heated campaign in the Republican primary and general election of 1950, Reece returned to Congress in 1951, where he remained until his death 10 years later.

            One of Reece’s “pet” projects was his attempt to secure the presidential nomination for his friend, Senator Robert A. Taft.  A son of former President Taft, the senator had represented Ohio since 1939 and had been cosponsor of the Taft-Harley Act which placed restrictions on labor unions.  Reece viewed Taft as taking the party toward more “middle of the road” policies and had hoped he would be nominated in the 1948 campaign.  Taft did not receive that nomination, and Reece and other Taft supporters tried again in 1952.  This resulted in a split in the Republican party with the Taft faction in opposition to supporters of Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Even though his candidate failed to win the nomination, Reece backed his party wholeheartedly, helping place Tennessee in the Republican column for the 1952 election.  After Taft died in 1953, Reece spearheaded the development and construction of the Robert A. Taft Memorial.

            Reece chaired Congressional Committee to Investigate Tax-exempt Foundations in 1954. The committee took on some of the most powerful and wealthy foundations in the country, including the Ford Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation.  Reece’s opponents charged him and the committee with prejudice toward the foundation.  One of the most outspoken opponents was Congressman Wayne Hays of Ohio.  Hays and Reece exchanged verbal fire often, and following an “outburst by Hays” during testimony, Reece closed the hearings.  The “Reece Report” on Tax-exempt Foundations is a document of more than 400 pages; the committee concluded that the majority of these foundations were used as tools of communist infiltration.

            Reece maintained his conservative stance and was the consummate Republican; in fact, he was nicknamed “Mr. Republican” by the press.  He held his seat in Congress in the elections of 1956, ’58, and ’60.  In 1959, Reece was named to the powerful House Rules Committee.

            The 71 year-old Congressman died March 19, 1961.  Fellow Tennessean, The Honorable Howard H. Baker, is addressing the House of Representatives the next day said, “Carroll Reece’s life was filled with achievements in public service, and he served with marked distinction in many other fields as a humanitarian and industrialist.  Carroll had a great heart of gold, filled with understanding, wit, and humor.  He will long be remembered and his memory cherished by each of us.”