Meet Our Staff

Fall 2000


My name is Crissy Allan. I am a graduate of Sullivan East High School and am now a Senior English Major at East Tennessee State University. My minor is management and I plan to eventually work on my MBA, hopefully at UTK.  I was born in Miami, FL, but my family moved to Tennessee when I was very young. I now live in the great metropolis of Piney Flats-you know, that little community between Bristol and Johnson City.  Anyway, I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up. I suppose I'll just keep going to school until I figure it out-call me Hamlet. I happen to really enjoy college so this extended stay will at least be enjoyable.  My goal is to be independently wealthy, have a gorgeous husband, 2 wonderful children, a lovely house, and to look like Sara-Jessica Parker when I am in my 30's. I would also like to have a brief experience of single living in a large city like New York or Los Angeles. I'd probably even settle for Atlanta.  There you have it, some of my past, a little of my present, and a lot of my future, hopefully. By the way, I don't want it all-just a lot of it!
Jessica Canino Brummitt: I've lived in Elizabethton all of my life.  I graduated from Elizabethton High in 1997 much to my happiness. I couldn't take anymore.  That fall, I enrolled at Milligan College where I spent my first two years of my college education.  While there, I worked as a student worker and part-time in the summers at P.H. Welshimer Memorial Library on campus.  After my first semester I managed to stay and remain on the Dean's List the next three semesters.  After a year long struggle with the evil, incompetent financial aid office and coming up with 6,000 odd dollars, I left Milligan much wiser and full of loathing for financial aid.  In Fall of 1999, I entered ETSU as a junior, changing my major to English, with the intent to pursue a Masters degree in Library Science after graduation.  Currently a senior, I am employed part-time in the Youth Services department of the Johnson City Public Library where I have worked for a year. On September 22, 2000, I married Brandon Brummitt, also a senior at ETSU and moved into a brand new house that he and his family built.  I expect to graduate December 2001 and will go on to earned a Masters of Library Science through UT-Kingsport.
My name is Mary Anne Christina Campbell but everybody calls me Crissy. I am 21 yrs old and my 22nd birthday is in 2 weeks. I was born and raised in Morristown, TN. I am the only daughter out of four children. I’m single but I do have a boyfriend. I am currently attending East Tennessee State University. I am an English major as well as a Psychology major. I want to be a therapist when I get out of graduate school. I first attended Walters State Community College where I received my associates’ degree in English and then I came here to East Tennessee State University. I’m in my 3rd semester here at ETSU and I have two more left before I can graduate. I am a member of Phi Sigma Beta sorority here on campus and I tutor and do work-study as well. I am also a member of the English Honor Society, which is Sigma Tau Delta.  
Emily A. Feathers:  Emily is a sophomore English Education major. When she's not poring over ancient texts for this journal she enjoys playing pool.  Emily is also a member of the Society for Creative  Anachronism.  She chose to work on ancient texts because, in her opinion, so much literature today follows plot lines established in oral traditions predating written texts.
My name is Amanda Harris.  I am twenty years old.  I am from a small rural town in east Tennessee - Bean Station.  Currently, I am a senior English major with an emphasis in Secondary Education at East Tennessee State University.  My projected graduation date is May 2001.  Upon completion of my BA degree I hope to attend graduate school at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville.  I would like to pursue a masters degree in School Counseling.  Aside from being a full-time student I also work at Walters State Community College in Morristown.  I am also the Junior High Youth Coordinator at my church.  My interests include reading, spending time with family and friends, and various sports-related activities.
Lara Beth Henderson hails from the quiet province of Loudon, TN.  She is the daughter of Joe and Betty Henderson and has one brother, Charlie.  A 22-year-old senior at East Tennessee State University, Lara Beth is seeking a bachelor’s degree in English while minoring in Appalachian Studies.  After graduating from ETSU, she plans on attending graduate school in either English or Folklore.  Her academic interests include Appalachian Literature, folklore, and culture.  Her dream job would be to work for Appalshop Films and becoming a published author. 

Hi, my name is Craig Hicks.  I was born on February 3, 1973 in  Harriman, Tennessee.  I am the youngest child of three.  I grew up with two  loving older sisters.  We have had out arguments but we have always remained  close. Most of my childhood was spent growing up in Harriman, Tennessee. I  lived there until I was seventeen years old.  Halfway through my Junior year  at Roane County High School in Kingston, Tennessee my parents moved to  Wartburg, Tennessee.  So, I graduated from Wartburg Central High School in  1991. After graduation, I decided to join the Navy.  I was sent to Great Lakes, Illinois for basic training then I was sent to Pensacola, Florida for  Aircrew school.  It was great!  It was like being paid to get into shape and  to go to class.  Perhaps one of the more interesting classes was what they  called "Rambo Week."  We were given a knife and told to survive in the woods  for a week.  Man, I got soo tired of eating cactuses and prickly palm roots.  However, I made some life-long friends. After this training I went to school in Memphis, Tennessee to learn how  to be a jet mechanic.  I pretty much hated this school.  However, the Navy  made up for it by sending me to SERE (Search Evasion  Resistance and Escape)  school.  It was basically a wilderness survival school in Brunswick, Maine  but with the addition of a POW camp at the end.  It was a real eye-opening  experience. After SERE school I was attached to the Naval Research Laboratories  Flight Support Detachment in Patuxent River, Maryland.  I was basically paid  to fly in a plane and help map the ocean floors of the world.  I got to go  to some interesting places. In all, I ended up circling the world six times  over a three year period. Well, I made the decision to get out of the Navy and get a degree. I  first started my education at Roane State Community College where I received  an Associates Degree in General Studies. I transferred to East Tennessee  State University where I am currently studying English and Spanish with a  concentration in Secondary Education.  I plan to graduate in May 2001 and  possibly attend the Universidad de las americas in Puebla, Mexico for a Masters Degree in Applied Linguistics.
Hi!  My name is Erika King and I am a student at East Tennessee State University.  I am majoring in English and minoring in journalism.  I will also become certified to teach English for grades 7 through 12. My pastimes and hobbies include reading, writing, movies, theatre, and music.  My favorite books include Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.  I also enjoy reading and writing all types of poetry.  For example, I like the playful poetry of E. E. Cummings and William Carlos Williams, as well as the dramatic poems of Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. My second favorite pastime that tends to consume most of my time and money is watching movies.  Although I enjoy most all types of movies, I particularly favor classic movies.  My three favorite actors from that era include Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Bette Davis.  I try to collect these movies, as well as pictures and memorabilia from that era. Along with movies, I also enjoy music and theatre.  I love going to our local Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia.  I have recently watched performances of My Fair Lady, Wuthering Heights, and Sleeping Beauty.  I also like to attend concerts and listen to music.  My favorite bands include Sarah McLauchlin, Sting, and the Dave Matthew’s Band. As you could probably tell, I was thrilled to find a major where the workload would actually require me to study the things I enjoy the most.

Jenny Lackey: Born and raised in Chattanooga, let us just say, I grew to love it there.  I  would have remained there for the rest of my life, but when I agreed to marry  a golf professional, traveling was in the requirements. My husband, Brian, and I married in July of 1996.  He and I both attended the  University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; however, he graduated just after we  married and I had just begun. Around November in 1997, my husband was offered a job to work at a private  facility in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Realizing the offer was a  wonderful opportunity for Brian's career, we moved after my third semester at  UTC. I transferred to Coastal Carolina University as soon as I obtained in-state  tuition status.  It is at Coastal that I decided to declare my major in English.  Although I only spent one semester at Coastal, I consider it a very  influential period. As you probably have deduced, my husband received yet another great job offer.  We were to move to this little town we had never heard of--Kingsport.  I had no problems getting transferred into East Tennessee State University.   This is my third semester here at ETSU, and I feel compelled to say that I  rather like this university.  The staff members I have encountered have been  kind and helpful.  I can only hope that the semesters that follow will be as  pleasant.  With luck on my side, next semester will be my last.  I will not  graduate Magna Cum Laude, rather, thank the Lordy!
Hi, I am Tara Mancl.  I am originally from Wausau, Wisconsin.  I lived in this cold part of the world for about four years and then my family decided the Pennsylvania area would be a nice change of scenery.  We stayed there about seven years, and finally we moved to Bluff City, Tennessee.  I graduated from East High School in 1997, and I am currently a senior at East Tennessee State University.  I am majoring in English and minoring in Biology.  I plan on attending Quillen College of Medicine next fall, and I am looking into surgery.  I have one brother, Scott, who is also attending East Tennessee State University.  I also have a sister, Holly, who is a senior in high school. My parents, Gail and Dennis, are both currently residing in Bluff City.  My father works at Electrolux and my mother is a speech pathologist.  We also have a foreign exchange student, Haruka, living with us.  She is from Japan and currently enjoying the American culture.  Last but not least, we have a cut! e puppy, Brewster.  Brewster was abandoned on our doorstep, and he has not left since.
My name is Edward R. Milhorn and I am a senior at East Tennessee State  University with a major in English and a minor in Criminal Justice.  My track  specialization in the English department is technical writing.  I plan to  graduate in December 2001.  After graduation, I plan to work on my master's  degree and possibly a doctorate.

Hello, my name is Marie Morin, and I am a Microbiology major at East Tennessee State University.  I am a senior this year and hope to graduate with a B.S. in the summer of 2001.  My intention is to then become a researcher for a pharmaceutical company, hopefully in the Tri-cities area of East Tennessee. The road to higher education, for me, was a rather long one, since before I started working on my degree I was an Aviation Electronics Technician for the US Navy.  That means that I was expected to be able to repair or replace anything that had electrical power going to it on a variety of aircraft including P3's, and the troop transport helicopters, CH-46's.  While this was interesting and challenging work, I did not like the electronics field and longed to return to school and pursue a degree in the Microbiology field.  This was made possible by a scholarship from the Veterans Administration after I left the Navy. It was quite a change beginning college, since I no longer knew what I was supposed to wear everyday, and I was old enough to be the parent of my average classmate, nevertheless I have persevered and am enjoying my educational experience.  Although my main interest is in the Sciences, I have come to enjoy my various English classes very much.  This is no real surprise to me since I have been an avid reader all of my life and enjoy a wide range of genres, including sci-fi, murder mysteries, romance, horror, cooking, self-help, herbal and nontraditional medicine, and even the occasional western book.  Therefore I am quite pleased to have the opportunity to share with you my review of a book by one of my favorite authors.
Rhonda Richards is a senior English education major at East Tennessee State University.  She will do her student teaching in the spring, and after graduation, she hopes to teach at a local middle or high school.  Richards chose to focus on the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop because it was her poem "The Fish" that started her love of poetry.  She says, "I read 'The Fish' in my ninth-grade English class.  None of the poems I had read before really caught my attention, but this poem was different.  I remember being amazed that such a common object could become uncommonly beautiful when described by Bishop.  I became aware of poetry's ability to transform the way we perceive the world."  In addition to reading poetry, Richards enjoys walking, bicycling, and reading novels.
A junior at East Tennessee State University, Heather Richardson plans to major in English, with a minor in Appalachian Studies. She attended high school at Tri-Cities Christian School where she obtained a college preparatory diploma. She is now gainfully employed at Bookland, and is currently interested in finding a job with a locally owned book publishing company in order to gain the experience she needs to pursue a career in the publishing field.  She is the oldest in a family with seven children, where she accrued her taste for reading and literature at a young age in order to have some time to just be alone.  She hopes to one day move out of the area, but will always consider East Tennesee the place to which she can always be at home.
Hello, my name is Rolanda Ryans. I am a senior at East Tennessee State University, where I am majoring in English with a concentration in secondary education.  I live in Rogersville, Tennessee, which is a small town, located about 60 miles east of Knoxville; TN. Rogersville is the second oldest town in Tennessee and is filled with many historic sites in its downtown area.  I live there with my husband Jeff and our daughter Shea. I work for Paint Service Center of Rogersville, which is a family owned business. In recent years I have worked as a substitute teacher at Cherokee High School, but due to the class load I have at E.T.S.U. I am unable to substitute at the present time. I am a member of Choptack Baptist Church where I teach the pre-school Sunday school class, and in my spare time I enjoy reading, swimming, and spending time with my family.  I love to attend football games at the University of Tennessee.  My husband and I attend each home game, and as many away games as possible.  We were fortunate enough to attend the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, and help cheer the Volunteers on to a national Championship.
Jeanne Smith has lived in Bristol, Tennessee her entire life.  She is  currently a senior at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City,  Tennessee.  Jeanne is a Pre-med student pursuing a major in Biology and a  minor in English.  After she graduates in May 2001, Jeanne plans to attend  Quillen College of Medicine (also in Johnson City), and is interested in  pursuing a career in family medicine or dermatology.
My name is Courtney Miller Tate.  I am originally from Chicago, Illinois, but I now reside in Kingsport, Tennessee with my husband, Josh.  I am currently a senior at East Tennessee State University where I am majoring in English and minoring in Sociology.  After graduation in May 2001, I plan on teaching at the high school level.  In the fall, I hope to begin graduate school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where I will study Secondary Education and Administration.  Today, I am employed by an independent pharmacy as a pharmacy technician.  My hobbies include spending time with my family, outdoor activities, and baseball.

My name is Angela Vella.  I am the daughter of Cathy Wilson and Tony Vella.  I am a 21-year-old Sagittarius.  I have one brother, Matthew, 19, and four other step-siblings ranging in age from 5 to 23 years old.  So the huge family keeps me busy.  I was born in Memphis, TN, and in 1990 I moved to Little Rock, AR.  Arkansas was great. I attended school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for one year, and decided I needed a change of  scenery. So I moved to Johnson City, TN, in the fall of 1998 to attend school  at East Tennessee State University and to take up my father's offer for a great working opportunity at his restaurant, "Cootie Brown's" in Johnson City.  I do everything from working in the kitchen to waiting tables. It has  been great work experience and I have met a lot of people.  I also work another job at school for Dr. Holmes in the English Department doinglight  clerical work and such.  It has definitely been a good experience.   I am currently a junior English major; I have yet to decide on aminor.  I am contemplating either Journalism or Philosophy.  I will probably decide on Journalism because it will work with me in my future goals ofworking for a major publishing company. I am specializing in technical writing, and I thoroughly enjoy editing and proofreading anything, from my friendspapers for class to my own works as well.  I love to write, either for myselfor for class.  It is a release from my busy schedule to sit down and expressmy feelings on paper.  My hobbies are few and far between because I am constantly involved in something.  But I love to spend time with my friends, and doing a lot of "window shopping" at the mall.  I enjoy listening to music, Dave Matthews Band, Pink Floyd, and James Taylor, are just a few of the CD's in my CD player right now.  I am also currently reading an R. L. Stine novel  to get  in the mood for the upcoming Halloween season.  And yes, it is an adult novel, not the teenager ones.  I grew up reading that series, and when I saw that he does write on an adult level, I had to give it a try.  This fall semester I am enrolled in Spanish, Linguistics, Film Studies,  and Computers in Writing and Literature.  It seems to be my most exciting  class so far. I enjoy learing how to use the internet and the computer, because it is such an important part of surviving in today's society.

My name is Eric Williamson.  I am twenty-two years old, and I am a senior at East Tennessee State University.  My major is English with a concentration  in education. I was born in North Carolina, but soon moved to Germany with my family. My  father was a helicopter pilot for the Army, and we were moved to a different  base every two years.  After four years in Germany, the Army moved us to  Fort Amodor, in Panama, Central America. We spent five years in Panama until my father's back went out and he was  discharged.  We moved back to the United States and over the course of three  years, moved to four different houses.  We finally found a house we liked in  Johnson City, Tennessee, in a small area called Boones Creek. I attended Daniel Boone High School and graduated in 1996.  I enrolled at  East Tennessee State University because it was close to home, and because it  had a respected teacher education program. My hobbies include reading, surfing the Web, lifting weights, and spending  time with Maria, my girlfriend.  When I am not in school, I usually practice  and teach Karate, an art form I have been studying since I moved to Panama. My number one focus right now is graduating college, and finding a teaching  position in the local schools.