KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

This coming Tuesday evening, Tullahoma City Schools will be celebrating the life and legacy of former THS math teacher Frank Vanzant at the October Board of Education meeting as this year’s recipient of the Clyde W. Smith Junior Leadership Award.

The reception for Vanzant is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. at the TCS Administration Building, located at 510 S Jackson St. The Clyde W. Smith Junior Leadership Award will come posthumously, as Vanzant died in July of this year at 74-years-old.

The TCS Board of Education nominated and unanimously approved Vanzant as the 24th recipient of the Clyde W. Smith Junior Leadership Award in its August meeting. This honor is named after the former school board chairman, who died in 2010 and recognizes individuals inside TCS with strong ties to the community and education. 

About Frank Vanzant 

Vanzant graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. Yet, teaching is where he found his true calling, as he soon transitioned into a teaching career with a temporary certificate. It wasn’t long before he knew that he made the right choice and obtained his professional certification, where he began his 45-year career as a teacher. He spent the first 14 years of his teaching career at his alma mater, Franklin County High School, where he taught Algebra II. After that he moved to Tullahoma High School to teach various math courses for more than 31 years, including 20 years of teaching calculus, before retiring in 2018.

Vanzant’s legacy continues to live on at THS, as he was responsible for bringing the first advanced placement calculus program to the high school. In 1993, Vanzant received the prestigious Milken Family Foundation Educator Award, recognizing the top educators nationwide. He was invited to the national conference in Los Angeles, where he received a $20,000 grant for use in his teaching as he saw fit.