Sgt. Alvin York came from the mountains near Pall Mall, Tn. In World War I, York left his mountains to join the United States Army and earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Mihiel in France. When he returned to the United States, he was reluctant to use his fame in battle to make money for himself. When he returned to his mountains, he realized the great need for public education for the mountain children in and around Fentress County. For that reason, he started accepting speaking engagements to raise money to provide funds to build the York Institute near Jamestown to provide a free public education for the children of the mountains. He spent the balance of his life working for that goal.
Larry Arnn, who as president of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Hillsdale, Mi., is Governor Bill Lee’s chosen advisor on education. Arnn recently criticized Tennessean educators as being from the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges to work as teachers in the Tennessee public schools.
It would seem that Governor Lee, who was elected to work for the citizens of Tennessee, should take his advice from heroic Tennesseans like Sgt. Alvin York rather than from some out of state carpetbagger who only views selling education as way to make money to line his own pockets.
Let’s honor the legacy of Sgt. York by booting out Lee and his carpetbagger buddy in November and electing someone who will give their careers in supporting public educators, public schools and all those Tennessee children that will benefit from good schools.
Rodney Strong