The East Tennessee Historical Society’s annual Achievement Awards were presented at the organization’s awards ceremony June 7 at the Museum of East Tennessee History in Knoxville. Several Anderson County initiatives were among the 41 winners.
Since 1982, the Society has annually recognized individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion, programming and interpretation of the region’s history, according to a press release.
The late John Rice Irwin received a Ramsey Lifetime Achievement Award. Born in Union County in 1930, Irwin was forced off the family farm as a child to make way for the construction of Norris Dam and the flooding of Lake Norris. Early on, he was captivated by the cultural history of East Tennessee, and his grandfather’s guidance eventually encouraged him to open the Museum of Appalachia. After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Irwin returned to East Tennessee and earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Lincoln Memorial University. He taught in public schools before being elected Superintendent of Schools in 1962. Irwin spent his free time traveling through Appalachia and collecting “antique artifacts”. The objects and buildings he amassed during these trips led to the opening of the Museum of Appalachia in 1969, which now sees thousands of visitors each year. Irwin has published many books on Appalachia, including studies of baskets, guns, quilts, and music, as well as his most popular work, “Alex Stewart: Portrait of a Pioneer.” Irwin died in January at the age of 91, after living a life dedicated to preserving Appalachian heritage.
The late Lynn Fox received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Living History Education. Fox was recognized posthumously for his enthusiastic participation in countless pageants, many of them for students, and for helping to found the non-profit organization Tennesseans for Living History.
The “Scarboro 85” received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Legacy and Activism. The “Scarboro 85” were recognized for their courage as the first black Americans to integrate schools in the Southeast, creating a legacy of hope for a unified nation and the possibility of change amid racial division, segregation and Jim Crow laws.
Tina Henderson-Porter, then Scarboro Community Alumni Association, were the recipients of a Community History Award for raising awareness and recognition of “Scarboro 85” through outstanding community engagement efforts and for supporting Scarboro youth through scholarship programs that promote continuing education.
Members of the 65th Anniversary Desegregation Committee received a Community History Award for researching and promoting the history of “Scarboro 85” and desegregation in Oak Ridge, as well as for advocating for increased awareness to black history in East Tennessee.
Keith McDaniel and Ray Smith were the recipients of a History in Media Award for the videocast “Hidden History: Stories from the Secret City”, a creative approach that contributed significantly to the understanding and interpretation of Oak Ridge history.
WBIR-TV received a History in Media Award for its exemplary coverage of the anniversary of “Scarboro 85” and the desegregation of Oak Ridge and Robertsville high schools in 1955.
John Spratling received an Excellence in Teaching Award for preserving and interpreting Black history in East Tennessee through community education, specifically through his role as a history teacher at Robertsville Middle School and its work to highlight the legacy of the “Scarboro 85”.
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