In the News

These Hall of Famers thankful for public schooling
The Tennessean
February 22, 2010

Each year, the Nashville Alliance for Public Education singles out a handful of high-achieving Metro graduates to induct in the Public Schools Hall of Fame.

Past inductees have included bankers, physicians, music industry veterans and lawyers, to name a few.

This year’s roster is equally notable with an established doctor, a former mayor, a hospital executive and a successful builder.

The ceremony, sponsored by The Tennessean, takes place March 2 at Curb Event Center, 2002 Belmont Blvd.

Here’s a look at the inductees.

• Dr. Keith B. Churchwell, 1979 graduate of McGavock High School, executive director/chief medical officer, Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute.

Keith Churchwell comes from a long line of distinguished Nashvillians. His twin brother, Kevin, who is also a doctor, was inducted last year. His mother, Mary, taught for 30 years in Nashville schools, and his brother Robert is an assistant principal at Cameron Middle School.

This Churchwell distinguished himself by going on from McGavock to earn a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. He earned his doctorate at Washington University in St. Louis.

“My time growing up in public schools I look back on very fondly,” he said. “I had great teachers and a spectacular experience, and from that experience I was able to achieve the objectives I set for myself in junior high.”

• Richard Fulton, 1945 graduate of East High School, Nashville mayor from 1975 through 1987.

Richard Fulton’s life of public service began soon after he graduated from high school. He served in the U.S. Navy until the end of World War II. After graduating from college at the University of Tennessee and going into business with his brother, Fulton ran for office and was elected as a state senator in 1956. In 1962, Fulton was elected to the first of seven terms in U.S. Congress and then went on to serve three terms as Nashville mayor.

After politics, he started the Bank of Nashville, where he still serves as chairman emeritus of the board.

• R. Milton Johnson, 1974 graduate of Stratford High School, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Hospital Corporation of America.

Milton Johnson is a numbers man. He earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Belmont University and has spent most of his career working in the health-care field, with a special emphasis on taxes. In 2004, he was named executive vice president and chief financial officer at the Hospital Corporation of America, a position he still holds today.

Johnson said he is proof that education can change lives for the better. His father died when he was a young child, so he was brought up by his single mother. By his senior year, Johnson was working a full-time job, leaving little time for sports or extracurricular activities.

“Education is the key to opening up opportunities,” he said. “If I can be an encouragement for them to stick it out, that would be a reason why I am proud to be honored this way.”

• Walter G. Knestrick, 1955 graduate of Hillsboro High School, founder of Walter Knestrick Contractors Inc.

Walter Knestrick’s resume blends successful business practice and artistic passion. A promising art student at Hillsboro High, he had the chance after graduation to attend the Art Institute of Chicago but instead chose to enroll at Vanderbilt University, where he earned an engineering degree. Knestrick founded his own contracting company and became a leader in the field of commercial construction and development, but his interest in art never waned.

The retired businessman is still an artist as well as a collector. He’s also been a pillar in Nashville’s fine arts community, serving as a founding board member of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts and former chairman of the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Also of note are the non-Metro graduates who will receive Distinguished Service Awards for their work with public education. Those winners are:

• Kix Brooks, award-winning singer and songwriter.

• Tammy Genovese, former chief executive officer of the Country Music Association.

Click here to download the pdf