Rev. John Ross stepping down at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral after 39 years | Ashe

Rev. John C. Ross, dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, is retiring at the end of December after 39 years. Ross, a popular and respected religious leader in Knoxville, started in 1985 as an assistant to Jim Sanders and has been dean since 1997. He and his wife, Lois, have two sons, Will and Hudson. They live in West Knoxville.

Ross, 69, was born in Missouri but was raised in Memphis, where he attended the University of Memphis before going to seminary at the University of the South in Sewanee in 1980.

Ross led St. John’s to start “Sundays at the Shore,” the so-called dog church, eight years ago at Lakeshore Park, which starts the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend and goes to the second Sunday of September at 9 a.m. People bring lawn chairs and their dog(s). On the Sunday before July 4, there is a larger service; this year it attracted more than 500 with former Gov. Bill Haslam speaking. There is a bluegrass band, and a cross-section of guests from different denominations attend.

St. John’s has established a search committee to help find the new dean.

The Tennessee Republican party has intervened in the Shane Jackson-Garrett Holt County Commission contest in West Knoxville and West Knox County with two expensive mailers.

So far, the state party hasn’t gotten involved in any other Knox contest. Why would the GOP care about District 4, one-ninth of Knox County, and little else? Obviously, they are concerned Holt, the Republican, may lose to Jackson, the Democrat.

But so what? Holt winning or losing does not seriously impact GOP dominance across the state or in Knox County.

One mailer says Holt will cut waste but fails to outline what waste exists in a government led by Republican Mayor Glenn Jacobs. Waste where? Holt needs to spell it out.

Holt also says he wants to reduce county debt but fails to say by how much.

The mailer attacks Jackson for having been elected to city council in Athens 14 years ago and says Holt has never held public office. In truth, Holt sought a city council seat in 2021 but was soundly defeated citywide. Jackson moved to Knoxville for a new job with a bank and resigned from the Athens City Council.

Jackson has more money on hand to finish the campaign than Holt.

U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett traveled to Lewisburg the week of July 10 to campaign for embattled Congressman Andy Ogles, who faces a spirited contest in the Aug. 1 GOP primary from conservative Nashville Metro Council member Courtney Johnston.

Ogles is close to U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia). Burchett has allied himself with them and against the GOP leadership on several issues this past year.

Associate State Supreme Court Justice Dwight Tarwater is on the ballot Aug. 1 to be retained or replaced, with six years remaining in his term. Tarwater was confirmed unanimously by Democrats and Republicans in the legislature. He said, “I am encouraged and grateful for support extended to me to be retained on the Court.” Very little media attention has been paid to this ballot item.

The recent survey by the Knoxville Bar Association showed strong backing for Tarwater, with 80% of respondents recommending him and only 6.2% not recommending; 13% did not know him well enough to rate him.

Birthdays

July 25: State Rep. Elaine Davis is 57. Fran DeLozier is 66. Rachel Penmore is 38. Marc Sallinger is 29. Ellen Zavisca is 51.

July 26: Ronald Grazioso is 51. Marilyn Hudson is 75. Former mayor Madeline Rogero is 72. Attorney John B. Waters III is 69. Former city finance director Jim York is 73.

July 27: Virginia Couch of the Trust Company is 60. Attorney Kevin Dean is 45. Knox County Democratic Party chair Stuart Hohl is 34. UT’s Jacob Rudolph is 46. Retired Sessions Judge Brenda Waggoner is 75.

July 28: Grant F. Boyd is 63. Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney is 58. William N. Purvis is 58.

July 29: Bob Alcorn is 76. Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker, widow of Sen. Howard Baker, is 92. Farragut Alderman Drew Burnette is 44. Beth Eason is 61. Kenny Fikes is 57. Councilwoman Lynne Fugate and her husband, Scott, are both 63. Shauna Godlevsky is 50. Leah Huk is 41. Michael Maddux is 63. Carey B. Parker is 43. John Roper is 50. Thomas Welborn is 76. Former Knox News reporter Jamie Satterfield is 58.

July 30: State General Services Commissioner Christi Branscom is 59. UT professor Chris Cherry is 46. Democratic County Law Director candidate Jackson Fenner is 47. Charles Frazier is 70. Blount Mansion’s David Hearnes is 46. Samyah Jubran is 55. Steve Tatum is 74. Outgoing Property Assessor John Whitehead is 76.

July 31: Monica Armstrong is 28. Former city special events director Sue Clancy is 92. Carly Harrington is 49. Sarah D. Howell is 37. Former state finance commissioner Larry Martin is 77. Mary Linda Schwarzbart is 81. Clarence L. Vaughn III is 44.

Victor Ashe is a former Knoxville mayor and former ambassador to Poland. He is a columnist for Shopper News. 

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: St. John's Episcopal dean stepping down after 39 years | Victor Ashe