A Lifetime of Teaching, Faith & Service

David Byron Mosher was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when his father, Rev. Laverne Mosher (’44), was pastor of South Seminole Baptist Church there. Seminole was one of three churches Rev. Mosher and his wife, Mildred, started in Chattanooga. David’s older brother, Ron, completed their family of four.

When David was 6, the family moved to South Florida, living briefly in Hollywood before his father accepted the pastorate of Islamorada Baptist Chapel. Their family resided on the island of Islamorada for ten years.

Laverne Mosher had graduated from Harrison Chilhowee Baptist Academy in 1944. Mildred attended but did not graduate. In 1964, Ron enrolled in Harrison Chilhowee Baptist Academy for his senior year. Six years later, David enrolled as a sophomore. He graduated in 1973 as the Valedictorian of his class.

By that time, Rev. and Mrs. Mosher had moved to Inverness, Florida, to lead First Baptist Church. David enrolled in Carson-Newman College (now University) in fall 1973. During his first week at Carson-Newman, he met and began dating Jama Moorhead, who had just left her missionary parents in the Philippines to attend C-N. David and Jama graduated in spring 1977. David was a summa cum laude graduate with majors in Spanish and History and a Political Science minor. Jama was a magna cum laude Spanish major with Elementary Teaching Licensure.

David and Jama were married July 7, 1977, in Crossville, Tennessee, and moved to Inverness, where David taught one year of special education classes at Crystal River Middle School. The next year, he served as a youth director at his father’s church.

In 1979, David and Jama moved to Harlingen, Texas, where David continued his teaching career for six years at Valley Baptist Academy, a Baptist General Convention of Texas-sponsored boarding school. Jama taught during that time at a church school. While in Texas, David pursued graduate work in English as a Second Language at the University of Texas–Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. Their daughter Laurel was born in 1982.

David’s brother Ron was hired to teach math at HCBA in 1984. Upon learning of David, Academy President Dr. William Palmer invited him the next year to teach (initially Spanish, ESL, and Social Studies; later Drama was added) at HCBA. David and Jama’s son, Daniel, was born two weeks prior to their move to Tennessee. Sadly, David’s mother passed away suddenly from a chronic seizure disorder on David’s 30th birthday that same year.

David resumed graduate work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, earning his Master’s degree summa cum laude in Foreign Language Education with an emphasis in ESL in 1990. Their third child, Nathanael, was born that same year.

Señor Mosher, as students respectfully called him, wore numerous “hats” throughout his 38 years of full-time teaching at HCBA/TKA:

• He was ordained as a deacon at First Baptist Church, Seymour.
• He began coaching drama as an after-school program in 2006 and subsequently directed 17 annual major theatrical productions, including a number of musicals.
• He was a member of The Educators, a praise band comprised of TKA faculty members.
• He served as music director for Second Baptist Church, Sevierville, and Fellowship Baptist Church, Knoxville.
• He and Jama joined First Baptist Church, Knoxville, in 2005 and have been involved in the music ministry, ESL classes, and the deacon ministry since then.
• He taught Dual Enrollment Spanish in conjunction with Carson-Newman University, and continues to do so as an adjunct.
• He coached high school Bowling, a TSSAA-sanctioned sport, for over ten years.
• Jama also taught at TKA, teaching First Grade for 25 years.

Not only was David named Valedictorian of his graduating class, but each of his three children earned that honor as well: Laurel (’00), Daniel (’03), and Nathanael (’08). Additionally, Laurel’s daughters, Claire and Enna, attended TKA, making them fourth-generation academy students.