The city’s elected
Councilman Larry Gann
LARRY GANN
He has lived in Clinton most of his life, the exception being when his family moved to South Carolina for two years and while he was in college. His father was a store manager and then later owned his own store, Gann’s Variety Store. Gann still runs into people who remember his father’s popcorn, Icees and Slushees.
Gann is a 1966 graduate of Clinton High School. He graduated from Carson Newman University in 1970 and did some additional work at the University of Tennessee. Gann originally planned to go into law, and took the admissions test for law school. Then he decided to take some time off before starting his law studies.
Gann planned to teach during that time off. However, he fell in love with teaching and remained in that career for more than 35 years.
“I have no regrets about not going into law,” Gann said.
He said it was a great experience to teach at Clinton High, where he had gone to school, and to work with some of the same people who taught him. He taught government and history.
He said, “You teach more than subject matter,” as he related the impact he had on some students’ lives. Gann was also heavily involved in athletics.
For 17 years, he was the girls’ basketball coach
After his retirement, he served as assistant coach for girls’ basketball for seven years. He coached football for four years and also coached tennis and softball.
During his tenure as athletic director, Clinton was runner-up state champion in football in 1992.
When asked why he decided to go into government service, Gann replied, “That is what I was challenged to do.”
He said that upon his retirement, one of his students asked him, “Why don’t you do something with this (his background in teaching government)?”
“That’s the basis of why I am here,” Gann said, adding that some of the councilmen at that time also asked him to run. He is now in his fourth term as councilman.
As in many other fields, Gann soon learned that there is sometimes a difference between the theoretical government he taught and the practical day-to-day operation of a city government.
He credits his success in office, in part, to his dad. He said his dad had a lot of common sense and told him, “You may know a lot about books, but you need to know people.”
Gann said the biggest challenge facing the city today is holding on to its history and heritage, while accommodating growth at the same time.
“Growth is good, but it brings new challenges,” he said. “Housing is an issue.
“Being retired is great, but it does have its disadvantages,” he said.
Gann said he is usually the one willing to serve on committees.
He serves on the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Planning Commission, the Tree Board, the Green McAdoo Board, Historic Clinton Downtown Board, Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, Anderson County Governmental Relations Committee, Anderson County Business Development Committee, and Transportation Planning Organization.
He is also affiliated with the Anderson County Retired Teachers Association and the Rotary Club, and holds several positions at First Baptist Church.
Gann has a son, Christopher, in Nashville who is vice president of product management for HealthStream.
In high school, his son made All Region as kicker on the Clinton High School Football team. Gann hopes to be able to spend some of his retirement time going to Nashville to see his grandchildren in plays and athletic events.