Phil Cross

The Hamilton County mayor, a pediatric disease specialist, a Dove Award-winning Southern gospel songwriter and an NFL coach are among the 15 alumni who will be inducted into the Tyner Hall of Fame on April 25.

The Hall of Fame is being founded in conjunction with Tyner Academy of Academics and Technology’s centennial celebration, said principal Carol Goss.

Judy Heacker, change coach at Tyner Academy and Hall of Fame committee member, said about two dozen nominees were submitted. These included graduates of Tyner High School, the school’s name until 1998, and Tyner Academy of Academics and Technology, its name since becoming a Hamilton County magnet school in 1999. Nominations were submitted by residents of the Tyner community, alumni, former teachers and relatives of alumni, she said.

“A committee of faculty and staff selected the honorees,” Ms. Goss said. “This Hall of Fame was an idea we’ve kicked around for quite some time. We’ve got a lot of folks who have graduated from Tyner who have done great things to contribute to our community and to society as a whole.”

The centennial honorees are Jacob Burney, Dr. Buddy Creech, Phil Cross, Scott Davis, Dr. Sunil Geevarghese, William Edward “Eddie” Grant Jr., Gerald Harris, Larry Henry, Rose Ingle, Jim Inglis, Dr. David Millhorn, Chris Monroe, County Mayor Claude Ramsey, Dr. Valerie Copeland Rutledge and Dr. Susan Sloane.

District 7 County Commissioner Larry Henry said he has “cherished memories” of the school, and recalled teachers who made an impact on his career choices.

“Lila K. Johnson was my history teacher, whom I thought a lot of. She inspired me to go on to college and pursue history as a course of study. Bobby Davis, who was my track and assistant football coach, also taught American government and he gave me an appreciation for the governmental system,” the Mr. Henry said.

Staff Photo by Dan Henry -- Gerald Harris, Tyner High class of 1985, is among the 15 honorees selected for the first class to be inducted into the Tyner Hall of Fame. Mr. Harris, who teaches computer productivity at Tyner Academy, said he tries to pass to his students the values his teachers taught him.

“I look back on my days at Tyner and they were some of the most memorable times of my life,” he added.

Eddie Grant credited one pivotal event while a senior at Tyner as inspiring him to his career in nonprofit management.

“There was a student younger than us who was on dialysis and needed money to continue treatments. A bunch of us seniors got together and had a fundraising party in the area across the road from the old Woodland Park Baptist Church location. It was on a May evening right before graduation.

“We had a bonfire and band and raised about $1,000, enough to keep on with his health treatment. That party showed me how I could make a difference in someone’s life and it is what set me on the course of what I do,” Mr. Grant said.

In addition to his current job as chief development officer for First Things First, Mr. Grant was the regional fundraising consultant for 15 Southeastern chapters of the March of Dimes, and was executive director of the March of Dimes. He also served in corporate relations for the American Heart Association in Nashville.

“As a group, the teachers at Tyner provided me with the basics I needed to succeed in higher education and to develop a career thereafter. You can trace it all back to your formative years in high school,” said Dr. David Millhorn, University of Tennessee executive vice president.

“I can remember my English teachers from each year and that’s what I went into as a profession,” said Dr. Valerie Copeland-Rutledge, who heads UTC’s Teacher Preparation Academy. “I can remember even that teachers in classes that weren’t my favorite subject were inspirational enough to convince me that the education profession was what I wanted to do with my life.”

“You always get something as a student from every teacher,” said Gerald Harris, a Tyner alumnus who has returned to his alma mater as a teacher. “Those are life lessons you learn throughout your years that you pass on to your classroom.

“I never thought I would end up back here, but you never know what’s in store down the road. I enjoy giving back to the kids and showing them a way of life I was shown,” the teacher said.

Ms. Goss said the Tyner Hall of Fame will induct its first alumni class at 10 a.m. on April 25 in the academy’s auditorium. The assembly will be open to the student body, teachers and staff as well as family, friends and invited guests of the honorees.

For more information on the Tyner Hall of Fame, call the school at 855-2635.

Saturday April 12 with art, quote rail, audio

TYNER HALL OF FAME

Jacob Burney: Former UTC football star, now Denver Broncos defensive line coach.

Dr. Buddy Creech: Pediatric infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt.

Phil Cross: Southern gospel songwriter and Dove Award winner.

Scott Davis: Retired U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps, now a financial planner in Chesapeake, Va.

Dr. Sunil Geevarghese: In general surgery practice at Vanderbilt, former assistant professor of surgery at Tulane University.

William Edward Grant Jr.: Chief development officer with First Things First and civic volunteer.

Gerald Harris: Tyner Academy teacher, former basketball coach at University of Colorado and Middle Tennessee State University.

Larry Henry: District 7 Hamilton County Commissioner.

Rose Ingle: Former Chattanooga School Board member.

Jim Inglis: Technology teacher at East Ridge Middle School.

Dr. David Millhorn: University of Tennessee executive vice president.

Chris Monroe: History teacher at CSAS.

Claude Ramsey: Hamilton County mayor.

Dr. Valerie Copeland Rutledge: UC Foundation Professor and head of the UTC’s Teacher Preparation Academy.

Dr. Susan Sloane: Director of the Internal Medicine Residency program at Easton Hospital in Easton, Pa.; named one of the most influential women in medicine by National Institutes of Health

Source: Tyner Academy