I have a suggestion for those who think we should have a wheel tax in Bradley County. I am sure [Circuit Court Clerk] Donna Simpson would be willing to put some gallon jugs on the counters in her office so that when the 25 percent register their cars or renew their tags, they can deposit a generous check made out to Bradley County Schools.
None of the other 75 percent would want those in favor of a wheel tax to miss an opportunity to donate money to the school system, “for the kids,” of course.
I am “old school” and think the school system needs to live within their means just like every American family. Please forgive me, but I have a hard time feeling sorry for our schools and students today.
When I was in elementary school at Waterville, Mrs. Gentry was the principal, taught the seventh and eighth grades in the same classroom at the same time; plus, she coached basketball and softball, and hauled us all over the county in “her personal car” to play ball. We did not even have a gym to play in. We played outside on a dirt court.
I do not think that any of her students, including myself, suffered because of her willingness to do all the above.
I was “Boy of the Year” as a freshman at Bradley Central, graduated in the top 5 percent in my class of over 400 seniors in 1963 which included Drs. Conn, Arnold, Bachelor, Hines, Johnson, McCoy and Varnell, just to name a few.
We did it without the help of smart phones, calculators or computers. I earned a [bachelor’s] degree in chemical engineering from Tennessee Tech and retired from TVA as projects manager.
Many thanks to Mrs. Gentry for her unselfish dedication!
How many jars do we need to leave for donations?
— Ken L. Ogle
Cleveland
