ROGERSVILLE — Charles Fuller dedicated the final 15 years of his life to the Hawkins County Board of Education, and on Thursday the BOE expressed its gratitude by naming the board meeting room after him.
The BOE voted unanimously Thursday to name the board’s meeting room at the bus garage in Rogersville the “Charles A. Fuller Board Room and Training Center.”
Fuller, 72, passed away Nov. 9 following a long battle with cancer. He’d served as District 1 board member since 1996, representing Mount Carmel and the Hawkins County portion of Kingsport, and he’d been board chairman since 2008.
Current BOE Chairman Randy Collier had served with Fuller on the board beginning in 2002.
“Charles was a wonderful man, and he was dedicated to our schools,” Collier said. “He cared about every student. Every decision he made, he thought it through. He networked with the state, and he really put effort into what he (did).”
In 2004, Fuller helped negotiate for the purchase of the former Testerman Motors dealership from the late Larry Vickers to transfer the property into a school bus garage. The board’s meeting room and employee training center was moved into the old showroom.
“This building that we’re sitting in, Charles put a lot of time and effort into it...” Collier said. “At a later date we’ll get together and do a dedication ceremony.”
The board also honored Fuller’s widow, Glenna Fuller, who was appointed to complete Fuller’s term, which expires Aug. 31. Thursday’s BOE meeting was Glenna Fuller’s last before she steps down.
“Glenna Fuller has diligently researched and worked for the students of Hawkins County,” said Director of Schools Charlotte Britton. “She has been a champion for children of Hawkins County and served the community with her time and her energy. I am very appreciative to Glenna Fuller’s dedication to making great decisions for the Mount Carmel Elementary School, her district and the community — and for all of the schools in Hawkins County.”
Glenna Fuller was presented with a plaque of appreciation by Collier and Britton.
“I’d like to thank you all for letting me do this because I felt like I was doing something for Charles,” Glenna Fuller said. “I really enjoyed it.”
In other business Thursday the BOE:
•Heard a report from Britton that Denise McKee has been named assistant principal at Church Hill Intermediate School and Will Cordell has been named assistant principal at Pathways Alternative School.
•Heard a report from Ron Blaylock, the Knoxville field service director for the Tennessee Department of Education, that Britton was named 2012-13 Superintendent of the Year for the “First Tennessee” region, which encompasses the far eastern counties. She was voted Superintended of the Year by other superintendents in her region.
•Approved a contract with Energy Education Program that is projected to save the school system $6.5 million in utility costs over the course of 10 years.
•Agreed to advertise for bids for mowing all county schools, as well as bids for mowing all county schools except the high schools.
•Agreed to seek information and pricing for compressed natural gas school buses.
•Agreed to accept the low fencing bid between Sharp Fence Co. and McCall Commercial Fencing for fencing the Church Hill Middle School annex building. The BOE also authorized Britton to write a letter to Church Hill Mayor Dennis Deal regarding removal of asphalt from the affected area.
•Approved renewal of software licenses for “Grade Results Credit Recovery” for Cherokee, Volunteer and Clinch high schools from Education Networks of America for $52,488 for the 2012-15 school years.
•Agreed to purchase a van for the maintenance department from Eddie’s Auto Sales for $9,998.