KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

Prior to its meeting, the Tullahoma City Schools Board of Education celebrated Dan and Carolyn Thomas as the 26^th and 27^th recipients of the Clyde W. Smith Junior Leadership Award.

The reception was held at the TCS Administration Building on Tuesday, Oct. 21, where family, friends, former students and colleagues filled the room to celebrate and honor the Thomases. The award, named for the former TCS chairman Clyde W. Smith Jr. who died in 2010, recognizes individuals in the Tullahoma City Schools system for excellence in educational leadership. The school board nominated and unanimously selected the Thomases as this year’s recipients at its August meeting.

Board Chairman Kim Uselton welcomed everyone and said that the board was incredibly honored to celebrate Caroyln and Dan as this year’s recipients. Up first to speak about the Thomases was board member Gigi Robison, who described the Thomases as a power couple, but acknowledged that those who knew them, or had them teach their children, knew that power wasn’t important to either of them.

“They are the perfect example of being called into a profession, and dedicating their lives to a community and its children, and that is what is powerful,” Robison said.

Robison, who had Carolyn as a teacher, shared that her children also had both Carolyn and Dan as teachers, and said she loved hearing her grandchildren talk about in the same classrooms as their parents.

“I love hearing them say that because of the lessons that they were taught, they’ve had a lasting influence on their lives,” Robison said. “I believe that you would both, you both set such a high bar for excellence and you would be thrilled to know that is continuing in those classrooms.”

Robison thanked the Thomases for loving and caring for their students, as well as being a positive influence to them and rooting for their success.

“I hope you realize tonight looking around this room that you have lived well given well, and your legacy will continue for generations to come,” Robison said.

Uselton spoke next and said when she worked with Carolyn at Robert E. Lee Elementary School, she remembered her as calm, patient, loving, professional and organized. She also shared that Carolyn taught one of her sons. She shared to the Thomases that her son Jack was “absolutely crazy” about Carolyn, so much so that he still references her today, while her other son Sam is forever angry with his brother because he never had Carolyn as a teacher because she retired after Jack’s class.

Uselton then shared with them a letter from former Director of Schools Dan Lawson, who was unable to be there that night. In his letter, Lawson shared his respect and admiration for the Thomases, where he said he had the privilege of working with them for nearly two decades.

“During this time, I witnessed firsthand the profound impact they had on students, colleagues in the broader school community,” Lawson said in his letter. “Both Dan and Carolyn are not only experts in their subject areas, but also masters of building me meaningful relationships. Their classrooms were places of learning growth and compassion spaces where students felt, seen, heard, and inspired.”

Lawson said what set the Thomases apart from others was their unwavering strength of their care, integrity, humility and a deep sense of purpose. He ended his letter by stating the Thomases embodied the values in the Clyde W. Smith Junior Leadership Award, and could not thing of more deserving recipients of the award.

“Their contributions have enriched our schools, uplifted our community and their example continues to inspire all who have had the honor of working with them,” Lawson said at the end of this letter.

Board member Pat Welsh was next and he gave the history of Dan, who grew up in Tullahoma where his dad worked as a coach and teacher at the old high school and the first principal at Bel-Aire Elementary School, and Carolyn, who grew up in Chattanooga. Welsh said Dan met Carolyn met at Lipscomb University and would later marry and move to Georgia to start their careers in teaching, before coming back to Tullahoma, where Carolyn spent her career at Robert E. Lee. Meanwhile, Dan taught and coached at Harris Middle School in Shelbyville before returning to TCS where he joined East Junior High School as the boys’ basketball coach and taught sixth-grade math and social studies. Welsh added Dan also helped to establish Kool Kids, an extended school program for students and families, and was long involved in the East Champion Fellow Christian Athletics. He then shared a personal story about Dan and said he was so impressed with him on how he was such a gracious and nice guy, and how that affected hundreds of students.

The final speaker of the evening was Dan himself, who said Carolyn designated him as the speaker for them that night, thanked everyone for the award and said when Robison called him about the board’s decision, he responded with “oh no, they called me back in,” which a got laugh from everyone in the room, and he said Robison told him it was about the award. He also praised Communications Specialist Zach Birdsong and said the interview they did with him was the most fun they had in a long time. He also praised Carolyn for her work as a teacher, so much so that he called her the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time).

Dan then shared some personal stories, ranging from his days teaching to about his colleagues Coach John Meyer and Coach John Wooden to his former students returning to him years later thanking him for what he did for them.

“I know people all around our country discourage people from becoming teachers, but let’s encourage the good ones to get back in there, do their best and just be an inspiration to kids, he said.”

Dan closed his speech by sharing during his time in Bedford County, he said everyone knew about the academic excellence of Tullahoma, so they would have the attitude of they can’t beat Tullahoma in academics, but they could beat them in sports like football and basketball.

“Guys, that’s why Tullahoma gets the best out of all our surrounding teams, because they really want to beat us, but not in academia,” Dan said.

After his speech, and standing ovation from attendees, Director of Schools Dr. Catherine Stephens shared when she first started, she said of the names of people who have been apart of the school system, the Thomases came up many times.

“You have done so well by giving and serving out your faith in your work every day you were called, and it’s a privilege to celebrate you as leaders and powerful educators,” Stephens said. “We thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do today for those within and around Tullahoma City Schools.”