CHS Wall of Fame to welcome new inductees Friday
After a COVID-influenced hiatus, the Clinton High School Wall of Fame announces its newest members.
They are Cathy Brown, Dr. Debra Gray King, Dr. Randall Robbins, and Terry Turner.
In addition, Susan Fowler will be recognized. She was a 2019 selectee who was unable to attend her induction ceremony.
The induction will take place on Friday [Oct. 29] prior to the football game versus Karns as part of the homecoming activities.
Cathy Brown is a Clinton High School graduate, class of 1964. She graduated with honors from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor of science degree.
After college, Brown worked in the Oak Ridge office of the Tennessee Department of Human Services as a social worker, supervisor, and office manager. After securing a license as a real estate broker and another to be a real estate appraiser, she left DHS to devote her time to real estate. She has been a broker for more than 50 years and continues in that capacity.
Her life and career include many firsts. At age 31, she became Clinton’s first woman to be on the Board of Mayor and Alderman. In 1984, she became Clinton’s first woman mayor, a position she held until 1990. In 1988, Governor Ned McWherter appointed her to the Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial Development Board. She was the first woman to be on that board as well.
Dr. King graduated from C.H.S. in 1980 where she was a member of the varsity volleyball, softball, and track teams. Her undergraduate and graduate studies took place at the University of Tennessee. In 1987 she graduated with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery.
After graduation, Dr. King moved to Atlanta and established The Atlanta Center for Cosmetic Dentistry where she would become a pioneer in the field of Spa Dentistry. Her patients include people from the entertainment industry, athletes, celebrities, and business executives.
In 1999, Dr. King earned an Accredited Fellowship with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry which is considered the highest level of competency in cosmetic dentistry. She is only the second woman to receive that distinction. Currently only 80 dentists worldwide have earned that credential.
Dr. King has been featured on ABC’s extreme makeover and has appeared on many T.V. shows including Entertainment Tonight, Fox News, CNN, and The Doctors. Her practice has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, Time, and U.S.A. today. Her success has allowed her to donate over a million dollars for various charities. Recently she co-founded Smiles for America where 50 dentists from 50 states donated their talents to give 50 American heroes a new smile.
Dr. Robbins has been a mainstay at Clinton sporting events for decades. His contributions to the school and the community in terms of time, energy, and financial help are difficult to over-state.
He was born in New Orleans, La., and graduated from Louisiana State University School of Medicine. His extensive study continued during an internship and residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He received additional training through a specialized Preceptorship in open and arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
In 1994 Dr. Robbins moved to Clinton, Tennessee. He quickly established himself as a well-respected orthopedic surgeon. His practice treats ailments affecting muscles, bones and joints. He deals with sports injuries, degenerative diseases, tumors, infections, and birth defects. He is versed in arthroscopic surgery, knee and shoulder replacement, fracture care, and all aspects of rehabilitation.
Dr. Robbins makes sure that every C.H.S. athlete in every sport receives a physical free of charge. For almost three decades he has served as the team physician for boys and girls sports. He can be seen on the sideline of every C.H.S. football game.
His reach spans far beyond his community. He has made medical mission trips to Haiti and Ghana, Africa. He has been to Haiti more than 15 times and has two full-time viable clinics presently in Northern Haiti.
Terry Turner is president and owner of All Occasions Party Rentals in Knoxville.
This 1986 graduate of Clinton High has established himself as one of the most successful businessman/entrepreneurs to ever attend C.H.S. He has worked in the event rental business for 30 years.
After working for others in the business, in a sales and customer service position as well as helping with staffing, Mr. Turner decided to create his own company. In 2003 he created All Occasions Party Rentals. In 2011 he began the process of expanding with the start-up of a new sister company called All Convention and Expo Services (ACES) which is the in-house preferred contactor for decorator and trade show services in the Knoxville Convention Center.
His efforts resulted in his business receiving the prestigious Small Business Excellence Award from the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce in 2012. That same year he began working with the University of Tennessee Athletic Department to open Tailgate Tennessee to provide a concierge level of tailgate services for U.T. football.
Throughout the years, All Occasions Party Rentals has been a key player in a variety of major events – both locally and nationally – including Super Bowl XLVI, Bonnaroo, Destination Imagination, The Dogwood Arts Festival, Boomsday, and many others.
Mr. Turner is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Anderson County and a 2013 graduate of Leadership Knoxville. He serves on numerous local and national boards and committees and is currently the Chairman of the Party and Event Services Shared Interest Group.
“Teaching was a full-time commitment and the most important thing in my life.” With those words, Susan Fowler expresses the drive and the focus that helped her achieve excellence in her profession.
Fowler’s parents were from Tennessee, but her father’s job forced numerous moves, in fact, she was born in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated in 1969 from the University of Michigan with a double major in history and journalism. She did a sports reporting internship with the Detroit Free Press before moving to Tennessee.
In 1972, Fowler found her first teaching position at Lake City High School. The following year she moved to Clinton Junior High School. When that school became a middle school in the late 80’s, she moved with the ninth graders to C.H.S. She would also complete her master’s degree at the University of Tennessee.
Fowler’s excellence in the classroom is only part of her story.
She was an advisor to the Student Government Association, a chaperon for numerous class trips to Washington, D.C. and to European countries, a Teacher of the Year recipient, and a valued assistant to Elizabeth “Liz” Cobb at graduation ceremonies and athletic events.
For 25 years, Fowler was a dedicated and tireless worker on behalf of the Anderson County Education Association, serving as Chief Negotiator and President.
She was also the coach of a mock trial team that, during a ten year stretch, won nine regional championships. They competed for seven state championships and won five. They had four top 10 national rankings, including a second place finish.
Fowler spent 32 years teaching in Anderson County, the vast majority at C.H.S. She continues to help educators by supervising student teachers for Tennessee Tech University.
Being inducted into the Clinton High School Wall of Fame is the highest award C.H.S. offers.
Congratulations to those who have earned this honor.