Submitted by Ralph Suit
I wanted to share with you our classmate's induction into the Dobyns Bennett Hall of Fame. This past summer, we elected Tom Parham as one of the five new members to the DB Hall of Fame.
Tom's induction was well deserved, as post-graduation from ETSU, Tom served on 45 different committees in our community and chaired 16 of those committees. Also, Tom was on our city council (BMA) where he served for 8 years and was vice mayor of Kingsport for two of those years. Among many accomplishments, one of Tom's most significant contributions that impressed all of us board members was Tom's role in the design and development of the Greenbelt. For those of you unaware, the Greenbelt is a 10 mile paved pathway along the Holston River that passes through the entire City of Kingsport. Tom was not only instrumental in the design and development of the Greenbelt, but he also personally acquired access to every piece of property that the Greenbelt crossed. As you can imagine, many property owners were concerned about granting an easement for a pathway along their property that would attract public traffic. However, Tom personally met with every property owner who was reluctant to grant the easement, and his tenacity affected every property owner to participate. As a result of Tom's 23 years effort, the Greenbelt is one of the favorite attractions in Kingsport and is used daily by thousands of people walking, running, bicycling, and skateboarding. Follow this link to comprehensive information about the Greenbelt: https://www.kingsportgreenbelt.com/
Tom's extensive community service, many contributions, and many accomplishments made him an easy choice for our board. His induction was well deserved.
Congratulations Tom!!