Sources |
- [S76] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume III, 1974-1986, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 22 Sep 1974.
Earl Westley McClure obituary
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 2 May 1997.
Howard Elmer McClure obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 13 Jun 2005.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee city manager 2005.
McClure says he just wants to help people
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 1 Aug 2005.
Trailblazing Teaster
State's first woman city manager remains dedicated to Pigeon Forge
By: JOEL DAVIS, Staff Writer August 01, 2005
Photo by Philip Nagy
Pigeon Forge City Manager Earlene Teaster discusses her long career in city government and says she has no plans of retiring any time soon.
Pigeon Forge City Manager Earlene M. Teaster has grown with the city that she loves.
Coming to work for the city shortly after it incorporated in 1961, Teaster has been a familiar presence through the years.
When former City Manager Don Scalf resigned in 1981, the existing Pigeon Forge City Commission turned to Teaster, then the city recorder, for help.
"We were a very young city and had more than one city manager," she said. "Each time there was a vacancy, it seemed like I was the person that filled in."
Former City Commissioner Bill Maples was onboard when the commission approached her about accepting the position permanently.
"Her request was 'I'll try it out, but if I don't like it, I want to come back as city recorder,'" Maples said. "We reminded her of that over the years."
Accepting the city manager position was nothing that Teaster took lightly.
"It took some consideration," she said. "I prayed a lot about it because we had two young boys. I wanted to be able to really dedicate quality time to the position."
Teaster was the first female city manager in the state of Tennessee. She went on to receive the Tennessee City Manager of the Year award from the Tennessee City Management Association in 2000.
Did the then-sitting City Commission take Teaster's gender into consideration at the time of the decision? Maples says no.
"There were no questions whatsoever," he said. "We looked at Earlene as a person that was totally interested in the success of the city. She has fulfilled that position very handily."
Teaster herself thought long and hard about the ramifications of her choice.
"To be honest, I had some reluctance because at that particular time, there was not a whole lot of women in government," she said.
While the City Commission did not question Teaster's qualifications, some in the community did at the time, Maples said.
"There was an atmosphere in the community, people asked 'was a woman strong enough to succeed in that position,'" he said. "Over the years, she has answered that question repeatedly. She is a person of stability that can fill the position of city manager very well."
Maples had nothing but praise for Teaster.
"Earlene is a rather unique person that is just filled with compassion for the city of Pigeon Forge," he said. "I have never, in all my tenure, run into anyone with more dedication for a city to succeed."
A graduate of Sevier County High School and Knoxville Business College, Teaster started her career with the city as a clerk, later becoming city recorder and finance manager as well. Next year will mark her 25th year as city manager, an astounding tenure for a position that is ultimately staffed at the pleasure of the city's elected officials.
How does Teaster account for her longevity?
"The fact that I was a local person, born and raised here, was probably one of my biggest assets," she said. "I have also never been afraid to include other people in major decisions. I've never been reluctant to ask for help. You never, ever have all the answers."
During her nearly quarter century in the job, Teaster has grown the city staff from less than 12 to around 335. The growth of Pigeon Forge itself has exploded during that time as well.
"A real challenge in my job is coping with the rapid rate of growth that Pigeon Forge has been a able to enjoy," Teaster said. "It's always a challenge as you have to address infrastructure."
When Teaster took over the position, Pigeon Forge has an operating budget of less than $20,000. The 2005-06 budget is more than $41 million. She is also credited with helping bring Dollywood to Pigeon Forge.
Teaster and her husband Glen, have two sons, Steve and Phil, and five grandchildren.
"She's been a good family person," Maples said. "She was very involved in her children's education and their welfare in the community and now the development of her grandchildren."
Teaster was a member of the first Leadership Sevier Class and currently serves on the organization's board.
Pigeon Forge Mayor Ralph Chance, who joined the commission in 1987, praised Teaster for her ability to mentor elected officials.
"Earlene is always trying to have enough time and courtesy and patience with a newly elected official to make sure they are well informed about typical city business and upcoming items that might be facing us in the near future. It's so easy to work with someone who loves her job and loves the city as much as Earlene anyway. Any time you call, she's got time for you."
After nearly 25 years in the job, Teaster still has no plans for retiring any time soon.
"I have no idea," she said. "I thoroughly enjoy what I'm doing. This is home. I just have a special love for Pigeon Forge."
n jdavis@themountainpress.com
Earlene M. Teaster
Age: Politely declined
Occupation: Pigeon Forge City Manager
Years in Position: 24
Years in City Employment: 44
Husband: Glen
Children: Steve and Phil
Education: Sevier County High School and Knoxville Business College
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 15 Nov 2008.
Teaster: "I'm ready to move forward'
By DEREK HODGES
dhodges@themountainpress.com
Throughout the more than a month her husband was sick, Teaster says she was never out of touch with the city's business, checking in every day with department heads and others.
"I always knew what was going on while I was out of the office, because everyone here at City Hall was so great to just keep moving ahead and keep me informed," Teaster said. "When Glenn was sick I was staying most of the time with him at the hospital, but I'd come in to the office at about 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. and sign everything I needed to and take a look at the things on my desk, just to keep up."
While Teaster returned a short time after her husband's passing, she concedes she had a hard time keeping her mind off her husband of five decades.
"There were days when I just couldn't do it; I couldn't get my mind to focus on anything and I knew I shouldn't be making big decisions," she says. "I did have to leave a few times because it just got to be too much."
Still, City Hall staffers say Teaster hasn't allowed the city to suffer through her struggles. She missed just one City Commission meeting.
"She's a very strong woman," City Hall staffer Penny Whetstone said just after Glenn Teaster's death. "We know she'll want to come back to work right away, but we're all hopeful she'll take the time she needs to take care of herself now, too."
Earlene Teaster credits encouragement from folks like Whetstone for helping her make it through.
"I just appreciate greatly all the support I've received from everyone in this community, both from city employees and citizens," Teaster says. "It hasn't been easy, but I'm back now and I'm ready to move forward here."
Part of that moving forward will be hiring someone to head the city's Planning Department, as well as picking someone to serve as the first assistant city manager. Teaster says she has started work on both those searches.
"The planner's job is what I'm concentrating on for the rest of the week and I expect we'll come to a decision within the next couple weeks on that," she says.
The search for someone to fill the post left open by the departure of former City Planner John Jagger started several months ago, with Teaster in the process of reviewing resumes for the job when her husband was hospitalized.
Likewise, the search for an assistant administrator started before Glenn Teaster's illness, with the last day for submitting applications for that job coinciding with his surgery to remove cancer that was spreading throughout his body.
"We're going through that information now and we'll be making a decision on that just as soon as possible," Earlene Teaster says.
For now, Teaster says she's just glad to have projects on which to focus.
"It's good to have something else to think about, but sometimes I'll be in the middle of something and my mind will just decide to focus on something else," Teaster says.
Doctors who study the mind say Teaster's reaction to her husband's passing is entirely normal, with some people struggling for a year or more. Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, who developed the model of the five stages of grief, says for most people the depression phase of grieving brings a host of mental struggles, including an inability to focus for long periods of time.
Still, Kübler-Ross says having projects or work to occupy one's time may well help speed the recovery process.
dhodges@themountainpress.com
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