Four to be inducted into Clinton High’s Wall of Fame
Prior to the Oct. 20 homecoming football game against Karns, four new members will be added to the Clinton High School Wall of Fame.
Those individuals are Norman Eskridge, Tom Heffern, Rick Meredith, and Dr. Bill Owens.
• Eskridge is a 1968 graduate of Clinton High. He holds the distinction of being the first African American to play football for the Dragons.
After high school, he enrolled at Tennessee Technological University. While there, he participated in VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), a community service program for low-income families. He also enrolled in the ROTC program, the first step toward his military career.
After graduating from Tech in 1974 with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering, Eskridge joined the Army and later the Army Reserves. He served for 20 years, reaching the rank of major.
He spent 34 years in the engineering department of the Tennessee Valley Authority, seven of those years as an engineering supervisor.
Eskridge also is an ordained minister. He has ministered at various local nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. He has also volunteered for several relief assistance crews.
• Tom Heffern spent 44 years as an educator in Anderson County, 21 of those years at Clinton High School.
He received a bachelor of science degree from Carson Newman in 1971, a master of science degree from Union College in 1974, and an Ed.S. Degree from the University of Tennessee in 1980.
Heffern began his career in 1972 teaching math and coaching football at Clinton Junior High.
In 1974, he moved to the high school as a guidance counselor and assistant football coach. He would become athletic director, and from 1980-1991, the assistant principal.
After a short time at Anderson County High School, he returned to Clinton High in 1995 to serve as principal, a role he held for six years.
He finished his career in the Office of Technology, working on topics like improving attendance.
• Rick Meredith, a 1980 graduate, is currently the president of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce.
He was selected as the 2018 Chamber of Commerce Executive of the Year. Under his leadership, the chamber has seen exponential growth in membership and programs.
Meredith attended the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service. He is a certified public administrator.
He has spent more than three decades using that training in myriad leadership positions.
In 1992, he was selected by county officials across the state as the Outstanding Register of Deeds in Tennessee. He was similarly recognized in 1996 and elected Tennessee Registers Association president.
Meredith served in Gov. Phil Bredesen’s administration as assistant commissioner of the Community Development Division of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development from 2003-2010.
He served three terms on the Anderson County Commission. He is a Rotarian and a life-long Clinton resident.
• Bill Owens is a 1967 Clinton alumnus.
After graduation, he enrolled in Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands). He graduated with honors in 1971.
He then attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he received his master of divinity and doctorate of ministry degrees.
Owens has been a minister for 53 years.
He began in Dutch Valley and, during his seminary, pastored two churches in Kentucky.
He then went to Chattanooga’s Riverdale Baptist Church, where he was instrumental in the church’s acquisition of a 50-acre campus.
That campus allowed the church to offer tutoring and after-school programs, athletic facilities, and summer camp programs.
During his 31-year tenure at Ridgedale, it grew from 300 members to more than 2,000.
A major focus of the Owens ministry is visitation to hospitals and care facilities, and in-home visits.
For his service, Gov. Bill Lee declared “A Day of Recognition” in 2020. He was presented with a flag that flew over the Tennessee Capitol.
The Wall of Fame committee is proud of these new members.
It is always looking for deserving nominees.
The Clinton High School web page has a form for anyone interested in nominating someone.