Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

There’s a longstanding journalistic term known as “-30-.” It refers to the end of an article, and it seems so relevant as I write my last article for teknovation.biz.

It brings down the curtain on a 57.5-year journey, starting with summer work at The Daily Times in my hometown of Maryville and my first full-time job when I joined the old Knoxville Journal in June of 1968. It was supposed to be my last quarter in college, but I had to divert my attention for six months during the height of winter to do my basic and advanced training for the Army Reserves in New Jersey. Suffice it to say that I don’t have fond memories of that state!

When I came back from the training, it was about a month before I got married, and I remember my wife’s father asking me how I was going to support his daughter, Diane, in the style she had enjoyed growing up. It was his not-so-subtle way of suggesting that I might need to consider a different career path.

For the next more than nearly six decades, I have been blessed to truly enjoy three great careers, all at places I never imagined I would be asked to accept a job. For 35 years, it was the University of Tennessee (UT), retiring as Vice President for Public and Governmental Relations. I was 57 when I retired from UT and joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory, thinking I was going to slow down.

How silly were those thoughts!

I was hired as Director of Regional Economic Development Partnerships, building relationships throughout the South. I was not supposed to succeed the person who hired me, but alas, I could not turn down the offer and eventually became the inaugural Director of Partnerships, which involved technology transfer, economic development, and regional industrial partnerships.

Soon after I turned 65 years of age, I thought that I might have a third career in me and decided to join PYA. That was at the beginning of 2012, when the firm announced an innovation and entrepreneurship initiative that began with a five-day-a-week blog named teknovation.biz that we launched on January 23, 2012.

I have the distinct privilege of sharing the stories of literally several thousand entrepreneurs who, like Ed Pershing and Doug Yoakley, PYA’s Co-Founders, have pursued their entrepreneurial passion.

Now, as I ride into the sunset, I do so with the notion that I leave teknovation.biz in the very capable hands of Katelyn Biefeldt who shares the passion that I had when we first launched the blog in early 2012. I’m truly excited for her to take the reins and make teknovation.biz even better.

• To the owners of PYA, starting with Marty Brown, our President and Chief Executive Officer, thanks for all you support over these 14 years.
• To those who have allowed us to share their stories for nearly 14 years, thanks for entrusting your frequently first articles to PYA.

I’m not going anywhere, but it is time at 79 years of age to take some personal time and occasionally sleep in. I’ll still be around and still be helping others, honoring the spirit of more people than I have time to name who saw in me things that I never saw and helped me along the way. One I do want to acknowledge is Bob Hutchison, who was like a second father to me. Unfortunately, he and my parents died within five months of each other in 1987. It was a tough year, but I will always remember Bob with great love and appreciation.

So, it’s time to put down the keyboard and have some personal fun. I’ve put it off as long as I can!

-30-

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