The People Behind
the Legacy
In the final conversation of Volume II, Dr. Walter Grubb looks beyond buildings, programs, enrollment, and milestones to remember the people who made The King’s Academy what it is.
One final conversation.
A lifetime of people.
In Session VI, host Blake Fuller joins Dr. Walter Grubb one final time to remember alumni, educators, trustees, international students, colleagues, and friends whose lives became part of the academy’s story.
The final session
History can be measured in years, buildings, enrollment, campaigns, championships, and milestones.
But those things were never the whole story.
“This school really is about people.”
Dr. Walter Grubb
Graduates from across the country came home, including a significant group of Korean alumni who had once lived and studied on campus.
With encouragement from Dr. Fred Eaves, the academy established its Hall of Fame and honored its first class, including several individuals posthumously.
Buildings and programs change. Relationships can continue across decades.
Some of the people he admired lived generations before him.
Dr. Grubb begins with William F. Hall, the beloved Bible teacher whose 1980 centennial history preserved the academy’s first century.
Hall’s work introduced later generations to people they otherwise might never have known.
One was Dr. Clarence Gideon Bull, often identified as C. G. Bull, who attended the academy around the turn of the twentieth century.
Dr. Grubb remembered Bull for an extraordinary career in medicine and research and for the remarkable distance his life traveled from a farm near the academy.
Dr. C. G. Bull
A physician and researcher whose later career became one of the early alumni stories that fascinated Dr. Grubb.
Roy Anderson
Remembered for important leadership as the school became Harrison Chilhowee Baptist Academy and entered a formal relationship with Tennessee Baptists.
From there, the names begin to move closer to Dr. Grubb’s own lifetime.
He remembered graduates from the 1940s and 1950s whose careers, families, and loyalty to the academy stayed with him for decades.
Their lives carried the academy far beyond Seymour.
Dana Lawton Blaylock
An engineer who worked in the aerospace industry. Dr. Grubb remembered visiting him in Irving, Texas, and being struck by the affection he still carried for his old school.
Drury Garner
Garner entered the ministry and later pastored a large church in Houston. His son, Phil Garner, went on to a notable career in Major League Baseball.
Sue Parton & Ray
Alumna Sue Parton later returned to serve on the academy faculty. Her husband Ray, though not an alumnus, led the school’s maintenance program.
Tom & Ginny Vaughan
Tom worked in the aerospace field at Cape Canaveral. His sister Ginny became an educator and was later honored by the academy for her commitment to education.
Four siblings. One lasting relationship.
Willie Mae Cook Delozier, Elizabeth Cook Denton, Carl Cook, and Betty Jo Eason all attended the academy.
Willie Mae graduated in 1942. Carl graduated in 1947. Betty Jo followed in 1953. Elizabeth also remained deeply connected to the academy throughout her life.
Willie Mae and Elizabeth were both married to men named Jack. Carl’s wife, Mary Ruth, also became a dear friend of the school.
Together, the four siblings established an endowed scholarship honoring their parents. The academy later honored the siblings together as Alumni of the Year.
Alumni became friends, trustees, and partners in the mission.
Dr. Grubb also remembered the Reagan family, a large group of siblings whose connection to the academy continued through later generations.
He became especially close to Dr. Carol Reagan, a pharmacist who later served on the Board of Trustees and eventually became its chair.
Reagan’s sons and grandchildren also attended the academy.
Never worked with a greater man than Carol Reagan.
Dr. Walter Grubb
Sarah Ashley Smith was another alumna Dr. Grubb came to know later in his tenure. After returning to Sevier County following a teaching career in Florida, she became a close friend and generous supporter.
A welcome he never forgot.
Tim Page arrived on campus as a young student after being dropped off by his uncle.
“It’s going to be okay.”
Their friendship endured for decades. When Polly became ill later in life, Tim helped make sure she received the care she needed.
They prayed, challenged, encouraged, and gave.
Dr. Bill Selectman
A Crossville dentist and trusted advocate whom Dr. Grubb remembered as one of the finest prayer warriors he had ever known. Dr. Selectman first became connected through Dr. Grubb’s predecessor, Dr. Palmer.
Harry Wampler
Business leader and trustee whose financial knowledge kept school leadership sharp and accountable.
Joe Tarwater
CPA and trustee remembered for his ability to scrutinize financial reports almost before they reached the other side of the room.
Dr. Carter Davis & Charlotte
Both members of the Class of 1959. Dr. Davis served for years as a trustee and board chair during Dr. Grubb’s tenure.
Dr. Bill Horner
A former board chair remembered by Dr. Grubb for his passion for doing God’s will.
Judy & Steve Bergen
Dr. Grubb remembered their generosity as deeply consequential during one of the academy’s most difficult seasons.
An international story generations in the making.
The earliest international students opened a door that never really closed.
Dr. Grubb traced the academy’s international boarding story to brothers Dr. Primitivo Delgado and Marcelo Delgado.
They came from Cuba after being referred to the academy through Southern Baptist missionaries.
Dr. Grubb remembered them as the beginning of an international student ministry that eventually reached well beyond any expectations of that earlier era.
Primitivo later pursued theological education and educational leadership. Marcelo died much earlier.
Robert Bushyhead and his daughter Jean also became part of this broader story.
Both were connected to the Cherokee Nation. Dr. Grubb remembered them for work associated with preserving the spoken Cherokee language through audio recordings.
Then there was Willie Hensley.
Hensley came to the academy from Alaska through the work of a Baptist missionary. He flourished on campus, participated in athletics and student life, and later attended Georgetown University.
He returned to Alaska and built a consequential public career advocating for Alaska Native people.
Fifty Miles from Tomorrow
Dr. Grubb considered the title of Hensley’s memoir one of the best book titles he had ever heard.
“Well, you can’t.”
Dr. Grubb admired Hensley’s beautiful vest and said he would love to have one. It was made of sealskin.
No leader carried the academy alone.
“These are the kind of people that I would follow into battle.”
Dr. Grubb remembered the three administrators as deeply aligned around the mission of the school. Long days, late nights, difficult student situations, personnel problems, and unexpected crises strengthened rather than weakened their working relationship.
“Those two guys sharpened me.”
Different roles. The same mission.
Lori Coburn stood out in Dr. Grubb’s memory for her extraordinary energy in student activities and her ability to excite students about worthwhile things.
Rusty Hollingsworth served in Residence Life and athletics before continuing his work in student development elsewhere.
When Dr. Grubb returned as interim head in 2020, he also met Blake Fuller, who had joined the academy during his absence. Dr. Grubb recalled a quick connection around their shared understanding of the school’s mission and appreciated Fuller’s willingness to do whatever the work required.
Jean and Louise Gann represented another kind of faithfulness. They were members of the same 1958 graduating class as Dr. Grubb’s father and became close friends, prayer supporters, and generous benefactors of the school.
Sometimes the impact was visible only years later.
One of Dr. Grubb’s favorite alumni stories began when former student James Shea invited him to China.
Shea had become successful in business and offered to host Dr. Grubb if he could simply get himself there.
In Shanghai, Dr. Grubb reconnected with Jack Liu, a former student from Taiwan.
Liu had been brilliant but resistant to the academy’s Christian expectations. A disagreement over a required Bible course contributed to his leaving before his senior year.
Nearly eighteen years later, their conversation had changed.
A hole in his heart.
Jack remembered something his former teacher, David Moser, had once told him: there was a hole in his heart that only God could fill.
During Dr. Grubb’s final evening in China, Jack Liu, James Shea, and Dr. Grubb continued the conversation over tea.
Dr. Grubb remembered Liu asking him to share more about his Christian faith. The evening became one of the most meaningful alumni encounters of his career.
Masaya Takeshi
Dr. Grubb had been uncertain what spiritual impact the academy had made on the Japanese student by the time he left.
The following year, Masaya returned to campus.
“I have found a church... and I have been baptized.”
The experience became another reminder that educators do not always see what takes root while a student is still in their care.
Some stories survived because they still make him laugh.
LOINS
Cheerleaders used plastic cups in the chain-link fence to encourage the football team.
The intended message was: GO LIONS.
The I and O were accidentally reversed.
Fortunately, someone noticed before the crowd arrived.“Here, you can use mine.”
Two second-grade boys had been sent to Dr. Grubb after fighting on the playground.
He jokingly told them they might need a paddling, then announced that he could not find his paddle.
He added that he was not even wearing a belt.
One of the boys immediately stood up, removed his own belt, and handed it to him.
Dr. Grubb still knows the former student today, now a successful local CPA.His answer was not about buildings or accomplishments.
Near the end of the conversation, Dr. Grubb was asked what he hoped people would remember about his years at The King’s Academy.
He thought first about the students.
He worked hard for them.
He hoped students would know that he invested his energy in trying to make their journey better.
He respected them.
He hoped students would know that they were genuinely cared for and respected as people.
Know the story. Then realize you are part of it.
Whether someone spends one semester, four years, or twelve years at The King’s Academy, Dr. Grubb hopes that person develops an appreciation for the history and legacy of the school.
More than that, he hopes each student, teacher, staff member, and family understands that they are not simply observing the story.
“They are a contributor to that story.”
The final question returned the conversation to its beginning.
What does A Venture of Faith mean after decades of uncertainty, difficult decisions, provision, answered prayers, and relationships?
Dr. Grubb returned to a strategic-planning process from years earlier.
Ian Britton, who served students through Residence Life and athletics, offered a simple definition of core values.
“It’s who we are.
It’s what we do.”
Trustee Charles Sterling added something equally direct as the group identified faith as the academy’s central core value.
“Without faith, it is impossible to please God.”
For Dr. Grubb, that is the meaning of a venture of faith.
It is not only trusting God when a crisis arrives.
It is living what one believes in the ordinary rhythms of every day.
Session VI reaches across generations. Among the people named or directly remembered:
History & Leadership: William F. Hall, Dr. C. G. Bull, Roy Anderson, Dr. Palmer, Dr. Fred Eaves.
Alumni & Families: Dana Lawton Blaylock, Drury Garner, Phil Garner, Sue Parton, Ray, Tom Vaughan, Ginny Vaughan, Willie Mae Cook Delozier, Elizabeth Cook Denton, Carl Cook, Mary Ruth, Betty Jo Eason, Dr. Carol Reagan, Sarah Ashley Smith.
Trustees & Friends: Tim Page, Polly Clark, Dr. Bill Selectman, Harry Wampler, Joe Tarwater, Dr. Carter Davis, Charlotte, Dr. Bill Horner, Judy Bergen, Steve Bergen, Jean Gann, Louise Gann.
International & Alumni Stories: Dr. Primitivo Delgado, Marcelo Delgado, Robert Bushyhead, Jean Bushyhead, Willie Hensley, James Shea, Jack Liu, David Moser, Masaya Takeshi.
Faculty, Staff & Colleagues: Dr. Steve Sharp, Dr. Leroy Beam, Lori Coburn, Rusty Hollingsworth, Blake Fuller, Ian Britton, Charles Sterling.
Volume II began with the call that brought Walter Grubb back to East Tennessee in 1987.
It moved through financial uncertainty, growth, new buildings, international students, leadership transitions, illness, and years of answered prayer.
But the final conversation ends where the heart of the story has always been.
People.
It’s who we are.
It’s what we do.
Faith lived out day by day, through every generation, every challenge, every opportunity, and every person who becomes part of the story.
The venture of faith continues.
