I NEVER HAD ANY DESIRE TO LEAVE

Cleta Willis, and her husband Bobby, live in the Upper Laurel section of Madison County where they were both born and raised. Cleta has owned a home cleaning business for twenty-eight years and does much of her work in the Wolf Laurel community. Bobby has been disabled since the 1970s, but works actively with Cleta, and his family at Builders Express. Cleta and Bobby have recently been living with Cleta’s father, Jasper Jenkins, who is eighty-seven years old. The following excerpts are from a recent conversation with them.

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THERE WERE POSSIBILiTIES

Aubrey and Linda Raper have lived in the Big Laurel section of Madison County since 1978. Aubrey is originally from Norfolk, Virginia, and Linda is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They’ve been farming their land since they arrived: initially raising tobacco and tomatoes, and since 1997, a mix of certified organic vegetables. They’ve also raised three children on their farm.

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A FAMILY SUPPORTS YOU

Gail Lunsford’s family has lived in our mountains for many generations, but in 1975 she moved with her young daughter to New York City where she fashioned a career in computer consultant. In 1984, she married Steve Bardwell, a transplant to New York from Colorado. In 1998, they moved back to the mountains, to Gail’s family land, where they operate Wake Robin Farms and make bread for local markets. Gail’s daughter, Cady Eades, joined them in 1999 and is raising her daughter Cassidy on the farm, which is off of Meadowstown Road.

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PEOPLE DO THINGS FOR EACH OTHER HERE

Katie Estridge is an eighteen-year-old senior at Madison High School who lives in Mars Hill. Her father is a native of Buncombe County and the family moved to Madison County when Katie was three years old. She has a younger brother at Mars Hill Elementary. I know Katie from watching her anchor the defense for the last couple of years on the Madison High Soccer Team, where her leadership and enthusiasm are clearly evident. She plans on attending college in the fall, but hasn’t decided where just yet.

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EVERYBODY WANTS COMMUNITY

Kathy Hendricks lives in the Paw Paw community of Madison County and is the owner of Country Places Reality in Marshall. She was part of the first influx of new people that migrated to Madison in the 1970s. In this conversation Kathy reflects on what brought her to Madison County and some of the changes she sees happening.

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I COULD FEEL THE HISTORY IN THIS PLACE

Cathy Bennett, and her husband Andy Bennett, lives in the Grapevine community where they farm and operate Doubletree Logging and Milling. They have lived in Madison County for eight years and have two young children and Andy’s older daughter from a previous marriage.

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NOLAN ALLAN: I FEEL CONNECTED TO THE LAND

Nolan Allan lives with his parents and younger brother in the Big Laurel section of Madison County. He graduated from Madison High School in June and is now attending East Tennessee State University in Johnson City where he plans to major in International Relations. I’ve had the opportunity to know Nolan for a number of years through soccer and have always found him to be thoughtful and interesting as I hope you will in this conversation.

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HOME IS HEART

I’ve known Sue Chandler Vilcinskas since I first moved to Madison County and I count her as a friend. She is a native of the Revere community, also known as Sodom Laurel, and she continues to live there with her husband Vince and their son Charley. Their other son Ashley lives nearby with his wife and two daughters. Sue teaches at Brush Creek Elementary and is the new chairperson of the Democratic Party in Madison County. This interview is presented in two parts, with part two running in January.

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