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The SewaneeMountain MESSENGER Vol. XXXI No. 33 Friday, September 18, 2015 School Board Asks County to Release Funds Monies Would Pay Off Debt from New High School by Leslie Lytle, debt-service funds held in reserve for Messenger Staff Writer high school debt repayment. At the Sept. 14 meeting of the Caroland and CleiJo Walker were Franklin County Board of Education, re-elected to serve as board chair the board approved a lett er addressed and vice chair, respectively, for the to the Franklin County Commission, 2015–16 school year. county mayor and county attorney Franklin County Deputy Finance asking the county to release $2.5 million Director Cynthia Latham reviewed in funds reserved for school system the Health Savings Plan insurance debt service to pay off the debt for option recently approved by the state the new high school. The board and now available to school system also elected officers and approved employees. Premiums are signifi cantly a contribution to the health savings lower, Latham said, but employees con- plans of school system employees. sidering a Health Savings Plan needed Sarah Coakley Summarizing the history of the to take into account the signifi cantly request for release of the debt service higher deductible and maximum out- repayment funds, board chair Kevin of-pocket expenses, totaling $4,850 DuBose Caroland said in 2011 the county com- annually for a family. The school mission passed a resolution capping system would see an average savings annual sales tax revenue released to the of $165 per month for each employee Lectures schools at $3.9 million, reserving the who adopts the plan. Th e board voted excess for debt service repayment. Law to contribute the savings to employees stipulates the school system receive health savings accounts if they Begin on 50 percent of sales tax. According switched to a health savings plan. Cooler weather is here and soccer has begun on the Mountain. Ludmila to the school district’s att orney, the Addressing the concern of school Zasedatelev (above) is a member of the Little Kickers, a team of three-year-olds. county does not have the right to principals that their schools did not Wednesday Photo by Robin Walker determine how the school district have the technology resources needed spends sales tax revenue. for students to practice for the new Sarah Coakley, the Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity at Cambridge Th e amount held in reserve is suf- Common Core testing protocol, in which all testing is done on the com- University, will deliver three lectures fi cient to pay off the debt for the new during the School of Th eology’s 2015 Playing Big Chess high school, Caroland said, a debt the puter. Franklin County Director of Schools Amie Lonas said she would DuBose Lectures, Wednesday and school system has been paying off at Thursday, Sept. 23–24. At 9 a.m., the rate of $250,000 annually. The work with Latham to try to fi nd money Wednesday, Sept. 23, she will talk in the Realm of Angels lett er asks the county commission to in the budget to address the need. by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer on “Return to Sacrifi ce? Biblical and abolish the sales tax cap and release the (Continued on page 6) Historical Mandates for a Messy A fl ock of chimney swift s sweep the sky above the chess board as dusk Metaphor”; at 1:45 p.m., Wednesday, approaches—occasionally one of them darts into the Lemon Fair’s chimney. Sept. 23, she will lecture about Freddy Saussy watches the swift s’ frenzy as his opponent, Charles Whitmer, “Repressing Sacrifi ce? Freudian and studies the three-foot high chess pieces and ponders his strategy. Feminist Critiques in a Modern Era”; Big chess, with oversized plastic pieces weighted with sand bags that some- and at 9 a.m., Th ursday, Sept. 24, her times require two hands to move, is an event that occurs every Wednesday topic will be “Rescuing Sacrifi ce? The evening at Angel Park in Sewanee. Th e set belongs to Charles, who has a vision Irreducible Signifi cance of Sacrifi ce in of Sewanee be- a Th éologie Totale.” coming “the Th e DuBose Lectures are open to destination for the public and free of charge, made big chess” in the possible by the DuBose Lecture Fund. world. He imag- Coakley is a systematic theologian ines big chess and philosopher of religion with wide boards at differ- interdisciplinary interests. She is cur- ent points on the rently writing a four-volume work in Domain. systematic theology, the fi rst volume “That is a of which (“God, Sexuality and the mighty exposed Self: An Essay ‘On the Trinity’”) was king there,” published in 2013. Her related apolo- Charles chides getic work spans the divides between Freddy after a natural science, social science and phi- series of moves. Charles Whitmer sets up the big chess board in losophy of religion. In her writings for “But he’s got Angel Park. the church she is especially concerned space. I like Jason Eskridge with the tight connection of spiritual space,” Freddy laughs. “Th at’s the only rationale I can come up with to why practice, asceticism and contemporary he’s exposed there.” theories of gender and race. Charles discovered the big chess set at an antiques store in Cowan, and it Jason Eskridge The annual DuBose Lectures called to him, not unlike the “needful things” from Stephen King’s novel. “I had feature prominent theologians from an ‘I’ve got to have that’ feeling stronger than I’ve had in a long time,” Charles around the world and are based on says. “I thought, ‘If they want my kidney they can have it, or I can pawn my at AngelFest on Sept. 25 the lectures given by William Porcher (wedding) ring.’” DuBose in 1911. Beginning in 1871, Later, Charles’ parents tell him about a picture of when Charles was 3 years Singer Jason Eskridge will perform at the fi ft h annual AngelFest on Friday, DuBose served the University of the old, hugging a giant queen chess piece in Finland. “Apparently this (fascination) Sept. 25, in the Angel Park in Sewanee. Family-friendly activities will begin at South for more than 37 years in vari- has been buried deep in my psyche for 40 years,” he says. 4:30 p.m.; this year’s plans include face-painting, infl atables, hands-on building ous positions and is widely regarded Charles didn’t off er any vital organs or the symbol of his vows to his wife projects and wild animal presentations. as being the most infl uential American Kelly Whitmer, a Sewanee history professor. He did strike a deal to make pay- Eskridge and his band will begin at 7:30 p.m. He is a native of Tennessee and theologian of the Episcopal Church. ments on the set and a few months later he hauled it up the Mountain in the is known for his soul-acoustic-folk music. Later this year Eskridge will be touring back of his pickup truck. While parked on University Avenue, a couple of log with the Zac Brown Band. cabin assemblers from Kentucky took an interest and started pulling the pieces AngelFest is organized and P.O. Box 296 out of the truck. sponsored by Joseph’s Remodeling Sewanee, TN 37375 “Can we play with these?” they asked when Charles returned to his truck. Solutions. For the full schedule “I was just planning on taking it home and playing in the backyard,” Charles of event activities, go to <www. recalls. “Th en some kid started showing them how to play.” Th us, Wednesday sewaneeangelfest.blogspot.com>. Th e evening big chess was born. Angel Park and Pavilion were created Stephen Carter, a local handyman, climbs the steps to Angel Park to watch by the Sewanee Business Alliance, the Saussy–Whitmer match. He tells them they’ve got the board set up all wrong, which is committed to developing “white always on right and the Queen takes her color.” the downtown area as a center for A litt le later, Tom Phelps stops by the match. He is a Sewanee resident and families, businesses and nonprofi ts to a physician in Tullahoma who is a sleep disorder specialist. enjoy the lifestyle Sewanee off ers and “Chess is really good because the brain can relax for a moment while it’s to build relationships throughout the (Continued on page 6) community. 2 • Friday, September 18, 2015 • Th e Sewanee Mountain MESSENGER Letter THE SEWANEE MOUNTAIN MESSENGER 418 St. Mary’s Ln. HELP THE ELLIOTT PARK P.O. Box 296 PLAYGROUND PROJECT To the Editor: Sewanee, Tennessee 37375 Th ree years of work, meetings and Phone (931) 598-9949 discussions have come to this. The Fax (931) 598-9685 Elliott Park Playground project needs Contributors Email [email protected] Phoebe Bates $5,236 in order to pay for the play- Jean Yeatman ground equipment and installation. www.sewaneemessenger.com John Shackelford More than 185 families have John Bordley donated time and/or money to this Laura L. Willis, editor/publisher K.G. Beavers Janet B. Graham, advertising director/publisher Virginia Craighill project including a wonderful bake April H. Minkler, office manager sale held in August. Sponsorship has Patrick Dean Ray Minkler, circulation manager Buck Gorrell been received from the Community Leslie Lytle, staff writer Margaret Stephens Council Funding Project, the South Kevin Cummings, staff writer/sports editor Peter Trenchi Cumberland Community Fund, Sandra Gabrielle, proofreader Francis Walter the Joel and Trudy Cunningham Geraldine H.