My friend, Jack

By Charlie Hutson

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Several years ago, Jack and I were talking LaFollette history, and he asked if I had ever saw a photograph of a group of LaFollette businessmen from 1956 that made up the LaFollette Planning Committee.  I told him that I hadn’t.  

He said that he had seen the picture many years ago, but hadn’t seen it for years.  About a year later, I came across , what I thought, was the picture.  I was able to get a copy, and the next day I called Jack and said I had a picture that I needed some help identifying the people.  He told me to bring it to him.  When he pulled it out of the folder, I knew that this was THE picture, he immediately started telling me who each person was, never missing a name.  Jack said, after he had told me ever name, “Charlie, I’m the only one left.”

We have lost a wealth of historical information.  Jack and I have sat for hours looking at old pictures, with him telling stories to go along with each.  I was always amazed at how I could take a picture to him with several people and he could start naming each one or tell me when and who built a building or when it was razed or where it was located.  Over the years I have been fortunate to take pages of notes from Jack about people and places.

In the 2015 LaFollette Veterans Day Parade, Jack was the grand marshal.  As I was getting ready to take his picture, he told me to be sure and get the cap.  He was proud of his service and all who served.

He would always tell me he was a 1929 model.  For sure, that was a good year. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 12/27/2021-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)