| Sources |
- [S75] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume II, 1955-1973, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 19 Jan 1961.
Nancy Elizabeth Tipton obituary
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 12 Oct 2003.
Jackie Wayne Waters obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 26 Feb 2011.
Party held for retiring Waters
by DEREK HODGES
Jack Waters takes a little ribbing as Dan King talks about chapter titles of Waters’ “book.”
SEVIERVILLE — They gathered by the dozens on a chilly, dreary Thursday afternoon in a gray-washed garage usually home to armies of trash trucks. The space was transformed with folding chairs and tables, and the county officials, workers and residents who mingled among them did so not far from a barbecue buffet.
It may not be the typical place for a retirement party, but it seemed only fitting for a man who spent 26 years, most of them in that very building, overseeing the management of the county’s refuse. Through all that time in a job some might find undesirable, Sevier County Solid Waste Director Jack Waters took not one single vacation day.
“I guess some people might think that’s crazy, but I just didn’t want a vacation, so I just didn’t take one,” Waters explains with obvious pride, though he sheepishly admits, “I did have to take a few weeks off this year.”
It wasn’t that Waters went away from a little mid-winter break to somewhere warmer or a January cruise to the Caribbean. No, he missed the time only after he had a heart attack that forced doctors to put a stent into one of his blood vessels almost 18 years after he had triple-bypass surgery.
That little scare wasn’t enough to push Waters’ hand on retirement, though. It was just something he figured he ought to do before people started to think he’d hung around too long.
“My health is actually good. I’m in better shape now than I was a year ago,” he insists. “That’s not the reason I made my decision to retire. I just think it’s time for me to step down and let somebody else have a job. I’ve enjoyed doing what I’ve done, but I guess it’s time for me to get out of the way and let somebody else try it.”
From the sound of things Thursday, not everyone is convinced that’s sound reasoning, though certainly everyone who spoke about or to Waters respects his decision.
“I hate that Jack’s decided to retire, but I think this is the start of a happy new chapter in his life,” County Mayor Larry Waters said. “I wish him all the best as he moves into another phase of his life. I’m sure we’re all going to see you around, Jack. I know you can’t stay at home because Bonnie would kill you.”
The mayor’s jibe about wife Bonnie getting tired of her husband’s new free time wasn’t the only one he got in during the gathering. For those who might not know, Larry Waters explained that there is actually a family connection between the two men.
“Jack is my grandfather. Or maybe my great-grandfather,” Waters joked, adding some much-needed explanation. “Anytime people would ask Jack if we’re related, he would tell people I’m his grandfather.”
To clarify, Jack Waters is Larry Waters’ uncle.
The mayor wasn’t the only one to get in some jokes during the event, either. Dan King, who has served as Jack Waters’ assistant for several years and will be serving as interim director until a permanent replacement is chosen, explained that Waters has been working on a book for all of his 26 years with the department. He offered 10 chapter titles from the nonexistent document, including, “Jimmy Dunn gets done,” a reference to an investigation into the department by the local district attorney general that eventually cleared both of the Waters men of wrongdoing in allegations raised by a group of county government critics.
King and his brother, County Commissioner Phil King, have a long history with Waters. Their father, Riley King, worked as Waters’ assistant until his death, while Dan King has since taken that job and worked in the department’s scalehouse.
After the gathering, King said he will be submitting his name for consideration as Waters’ replacement in hopes he’ll also be able to retire from the post one day. The successor will be chosen by the County Commission after an application process.
Both he and Waters said they’re proud of what the department has been able to accomplish in the 26 years the latter man led it.
“When I started we didn’t even have any of the convenience centers,” Waters said. “We were able to get those started and that has helped a lot. We’ve been working on getting compactors at a lot of those convenience centers and that has been a big step.
“We made some good progress over the years, I think.”
While he’s pleased with where the department has come, Waters still has hopes for where it will go after he officially leaves on Monday.
“You’ve got to control the property to control the department,” he said. “The county still doesn’t own the land where a lot of these convenience centers are located. We need to change that. Hopefully in the near future they can purchase their own land for those. I think that would be a big step forward.”
dhodges@themountainpress.com
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
31400 JACK WATERS BONNIE M TIPTON
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