JOHNSON CITY – In July 2001, Tennessee's First Lady, Martha Sundquist, called for nominations to honor many of the estimated three million Tennesseans who volunteer time, expertise and hard work to make the state a better place.
The First Lady notes that those who devote themselves to others exhibit "the indomitable spirit that moved Tennessee's pioneers, and it is emerging again in our times."
Nominations were reviewed by the Tennessee Commission on National and Community Service, which sponsored the project, along with the Council of Community Services.
The resulting book, Tennessee Volunteer Heroes, 2001, prominently features three "local heroes" who have ties to East Tennessee State University:
Mollie Gross is one of the youngest volunteers honored. Now just barely into her teens, she began a dedication to service at age 11 when her grandmother moved into Pine Oaks Assisted Living facility. Through frequent visits to her grandmother, she began meeting and assisting other residents. Her many hours of service include playing the flute and displaying her ballet skills, conversing with the lonely, and even giving hula lessons at the annual luau. When not volunteering, she serves as president of her class at University School on the campus of ETSU, dances with the Johnson City Ballet Company, and keeps up with activities at First United Methodist Church. Her nomination points out, "Mollie never has a bad day. She has a never-ending smile and a heart of gold to go with it. It is difficult to find an individual as young as Mollie who is willing to give as much of herself." She is the daughter of ETSU alumni Steve and Novice Gross.
Scott M. Niswonger, an Ohio native, was employed by Magnavox company as a corporate pilot and frequently flew to Greeneville, a town he liked so much he decided to make it his home. He was the founder and CEO of General Aviation Inc., and later the CEO of two publicly traded transportation and logistics companies, Landair Corp. and Forward Air Corp. Using his resources for philanthropic purposes, he has had a major impact on the region, from arranging a handicapped-accessible home for a young man paralyzed in a high school football game to endowing the Scott M. Niswonger Digital Media Center, a new home for the ETSU technology department's world-class animation graphics and design program. In addition to assisting educational institutions such as ETSU and Tusculum College, he serves in many community capacities, including a term as president of the Greene County Partnership and a United Way board member.
Dr. Deborah White, ETSU's assistant vice president for student life and leadership, began her 15-year career in service-learning with the creation of Volunteer ETSU, an umbrella organization coordinating and matching students and service opportunities. She worked as a tireless participant in the establishment of the East Tennessee Consortium for Service-Learning, an eight-college partnership allowing students maximum opportunities to participate in for-credit and extracurricular projects. Some of the results include improvement of area parks, raising the reading scores of hundreds of children, assisting the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation with vital soil erosion and archeological projects, and an award-winning theatre production. One of her favorite roles is serving as first chair of the board of Greater Johnson City's Promise, part of Gen. Colin Powell's initiative to bring a better quality of life to all the nation's children. White's example shows how one person can make a great impact, with a ripple effect reaching into all corners of the region.
For more information, call the ETSU office of university relations at (423) 439-4317.