| Sources |
- [S36] Smoky Mountain Family Album, Gladys Trentham Russell, (1984), 152.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 16 Jan 2012.
Upland Chronicles: Remembering Sevier County Sheriff Ray Noland
By CARROLL McMAHAN
Sevier County Sheriff Ray C. Noland was among 90 honored law enforcement officers from throughout the United States to help guard President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson during the inaugural activities in January 1961.
Noland and Blount County Sheriff Ed Quinn were the only officers chosen from Tennessee. Noland received special honors when he was selected as the only special officer to work with the Secret Service to guard the new president during the National Guard Armory Ball.
Wearing a navy blue suit, Sheriff Noland was stationed near the table where President and Mrs. Kennedy were seated. As his eyes swept the ballroom looking for anything suspicious in the crowd of dazzling revelers dressed in evening gowns and tuxes, Sheriff Noland noticed an elderly lady sitting alone near the President’s table. As he walked quietly to her table, he could see that she was silently weeping.
Looking down at the lady, he asked “Are you all right? Are you sick?” Without looking up, she replied, “I’m fine, thank you.”
Sheriff Noland responded by asking, “Can I get you something, do you want a drink of water?”
Dabbing her tears from her cheeks with a lace handkerchief, she replied courteously with a slight glance, “No thank you.”
Surveying the packed room, Noland asked, “Do you want me to get someone for you?”
Although the woman assured him she would be all right, the compassionate lawman hesitated to leave her alone. He walked over to a Secret Service man and nodded toward the woman at the table. “We need to see about that woman over there,” he said quietly. Gazing steadily at the plainclothes officer, the Secret Service man whispered, “Do you know who she is?”
Still observing the woman and wondering what was wrong, Sheriff Noland answered, “No but we ought to get somebody to come over and check on her and make sure she’s all right.”
Rationalizing that the lady was simply recalling bygone days, the Secret Service man informed the puzzled sheriff, “That woman is Eleanor Roosevelt.”
A look of respect and understanding came over Sheriff Noland’s eyes as he recalled the day two decades earlier when he stood holding his baby on the street in Gatlinburg as President and Mrs. Roosevelt rode by en route to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park dedication.
Eight years earlier, Sheriff Noland had served as a guard at the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Back home in Sevier County, the popular sheriff, who was a strong and handsome and a giant hulk of a man, was respected as a God-fearing man who was honest, fair and unafraid to tackle a difficult assignment.
Born May 4, 1914, Ray Clay Noland was a son of Reed Noland and Delia Hickam Noland of Pittman Center. He married Prena Catherine Franklin of Pigeon Forge on April 23, 1938. Ray and Perna were parents of two daughters, Ersa Rhea (Smith) and Louise (Galyon) and a son, Craig.
He served several terms as sheriff (1946-1948, 1954-1958 and 1960-1966). Noland was known as a “Crime Busting Sheriff.” Known for arresting his own relatives for violating the law, he acquired the reputation for treating everyone the same.
Noland and his deputies dismantled numerous moonshine stills in the years he served as sheriff. On more than one occasion, he enforced the gambling laws by seizing illegal slot machines throughout the county.
Remarkably, every murder that occurred while Noland was in office was solved. Reputedly, the most notorious slaying that happened while Noland was sheriff was the case often referred to as the “Cornfield Murder.”
On Sept. 8, 1965, an automobile insurance district representative from Knoxville was kidnapped and transported to Kodak in Sevier County where he was shot and killed by David Crumley and an accomplice.
The criminals fled to DeKalb County, Ga., where Crumley murdered his accomplice by slitting his throat. Crumbly was arrested by Georgia authorities and confessed to the murder in Sevier County, at which time Georgia authorities notified Sheriff Noland, who drove to Georgia to interrogate Crumley and bring him back to Sevierville to stand trial for the crime.
When U.S. Sen. Thruston Morton of Kentucky visited Sevierville to address a Republican rally at Alumni Field behind the old Sevier County High School, Sheriff Noland was asked to drive the senator from McGee-Tyson Airport to the event.
The sheriff, who was as comfortable conversing with dignitaries as he would be a local farmer, drove through Sevierville pointing out such points of interest as the courthouse, jail and various crime scenes. As Sheriff Noland turned onto Park Road and passed the Church of God Home for Children (now called Smoky Mountain Children’s Home) he suddenly turned on his siren and flashing red lights.
Amid the flashing red lights and the whining of the loud siren, the startled Sen. Morton said, “Sheriff Noland, you don’t have to blow your siren for me.”
“I wasn’t,” replied Noland. “I was blowing it for the kids at the orphanage. They always get such a big kick out of it.”
Sen. Morton was so amused by the sheriff’s unapologetic reply that he returned to Washington and shared the story with his colleagues. Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen of Illinois heard the story and loved it so much he often repeated the legendary tale.
When Sen. Dirksen was given an honor and called upon to speak he would say, “I am reminded of the story of the Tennessee sheriff — so I hesitate to assume you are here on my behalf.”
Ray Noland passed away on Nov. 29, 1988. The following year, his daughter, Ersa Rhea Smith, wrote a book about her father titled “Flyin’ Bullets and the Resplendent Badge,” the story of Noland and lawmen who helped him. The book, which was compiled from old newspaper articles and scrapbooks along with numerous interviews, is out of print. She and her son and her brother are currently working on an edited and revised edition due to be published soon.
— Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments, please contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or email to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or email to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
© themountainpress.com 2012
- [S112] Census, 1920.
Name: Ray Noland
Residence: , Sevier, Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1915
Age: 5
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Gender: Male
Race: White
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace: North Carolina
Film Number: 1821762
Digital Folder Number: 4390948
Image Number: 00134
Sheet Number: 5
Household Gender Age Birthplace
SELF Jefferson R Noland M 44y North Carolina
WIFE Delia F Noland F 37y North Carolina
SON Lee Noland M 21y Tennessee
SON Wiley Noland M 17y Tennessee
SON Laurence Noland M 15y Tennessee
DAU Flavilla Noland F 14y Tennessee
DAU Josephine Noland F 12y Tennessee
SON Henry Noland M 7y Tennessee
SON Ray Noland M 5y Tennessee
SON John Noland M 3y9m Tennessee
SON Mack Noland M 1y8m Tennessee
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Roy Noland
Event: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 02, Sevier, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1915
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Father's Birthplace: North Carolina
Mother's Birthplace: North Carolina
Enumeration District Number: 0002
Family Number: 56
Sheet Number and Letter: 3B
Line Number: 98
NARA Publication: T626, roll 2271
Film Number: 2342005
Digital Folder Number: 4547919
Image Number: 00599
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head J R Noland M 52 North Carolina
Wife Delia Noland F 46 North Carolina
Daughter Josie Noland F 21 Tennessee
Son Henry Noland M 17 Tennessee
Son Roy Noland M 15 Tennessee
Son John Noland M 13 Tennessee
Son Mack Noland M 11 Tennessee
- [S74] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume IV, 1987-1999, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 29 Nov 1988.
Noland, Ray Clay 74 b. 5-4-14 TN d. 11-29-88 DOA SCH Sev Co Sheriff P-Forge Bapt Cem Survivors: wife Perna Franklin 431 Noland Dr P-Forge 1 dau Ersa Rhea & Charles Smith Kodak 1 son Ray Craig Gatlinburg 7 gc Robin Smith Chris Smith Monya Smith Chad Smith Stacey Galyon Joe Galyon Charisse Galyon 2 ggc Tiffany Smith Jason Smith 1 sis Jane & Von Whaley 5 bro Rev Lawrence Henry John Mack Wayne 1 ½ bro Lee Noland preceded in death by 1 dau Louise Galyon 2 bro Wiley & Jose 1 sis Flay Ownby mem Henderson Chapel Bapt Ch.
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