By Ralphine Major The sense of community for a rural school in northeast Knox County was strong. It was evident by the support they showed to the Gibbs High School basketball team Bob Dagley coached to a 31-2 record in 1965. Many families of the players had strong ties to the school. Gene Cantley was […]
By Ralphine Major ralphine3@yahoo.com Mr. C. B. Chesney was the Principal at Karns High School where Bob Dagley graduated. I recognized the name. Chesney was a member of the Gibbs High School basketball team that won the Knox County Rural League Championship in 1921. The team’s picture was featured in the 1963 Gibbs Yearbook. He […]
By Ralphine Major ralphine3@yahoo.com It is a scene right out of rural America—little Abbey and her grandfather riding on a John Deere tractor on a gorgeous summer evening with those “spacious skies” and mountains in the background and the American flag blowing in the breeze! How much more American can it be? Abbey is her […]
By Ralphine Major “Family—All because two people fell in love!” The beautiful wall art hangs just above the bay window in their home. There are traces of family everywhere I look: a piano, photos on the wall, a tree house in the backyard. Bob and Janet Dagley met at Carson-Newman, both of them aspiring to […]
By Ralphine Major “And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And […]
By Ralphine Major How long could it take to look at a tractor or two? Longer than I had gauged! There were tractors dating back to 1935, an orchard tractor with large fenders over the tractor tires, and a museum-like collection of antiques. Our mother was most impressed with the miner’s lunchbox, probably because her […]
By Ralphine Major What animal can hold a child’s attention better than a mischievous, cunning penguin? Piddle Diddle is such a penguin! Despite her small size, she can be an example to children. Size is an obstacle only if you let it be, and penguins are some of the most entertaining animals on the planet. […]
By Ralphine Major What animal can hold a child’s attention better than a mischievous, cunning penguin? Piddle Diddle is such a penguin! Despite her small size, she can be an example to children. Size is an obstacle only if you let it be, and penguins are some of the most entertaining animals on the planet. […]
By Ralphine Major It is the annual Gibbs Christmas Parade that many associate with the club’s activities. But there is a long list of worthwhile projects that benefit from the Gibbs Ruritan Club’s hard work and generosity. My family and I were honored to be guests at the Gibbs Ruritan Club’s 23rd Annual Community Dinner […]
By Ralphine Major ralphine3@yahoo.com When winter’s wrath paralyzed our nation last February with weeks of snow and ice, ninety-degree days and summer holidays seemed so distant. By the time this column is printed, we will have celebrated our nation’s independence. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “The Star Spangled Banner” can send a chill […]
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