In "Echoes and Footprints," discover the stories of West Tennessee history, stretching from pioneer days to more recent times. Listen for echoes of long ago. Look for footprints of those who walked before us.
Historic figures include soldiers, Native Americans, presidents and politicians, inventors, entertainers and musicians, authors, criminals, baseball players, entrepreneurs, football coaches and Santa Claus.
Meet Ellis Kinder from Jackson, called "Old Folks," who played for the Boston Red Sox. In 1949, he was the American League Pitcher of the Year at an age when most players were retired. He liked to party, but his pitch didn't wobble.
Discover Norbert Putnam who played bass with Elvis Presley for six years and produced Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," among many others.
Stand beside Colonel Ernest Frankland at the Battle of Mortain as he pulled a .45 caliber revolver and shot a German tank crew dead to save his men.
March in front of the White House in the bitter February 1919 cold with Sue Shelton White, Tennessee suffragist, and rejoice with her as Tennessee ratified the Nineteenth Amendment in August 1920, establishing the right to vote for all American women.
Read the story of Pat Hitchcock who spent four years as a Japanese prisoner of war, and years later, met one of his former guards.
Meet Leander Stillwell who came to Jackson as a Union soldier or follow Frank Armstrong's Confederate cavalry as they ride to fight at the Battle of Britton Lane.
Feel the excitement when Ringling Brothers came to town or meet Colonel Sanders whose fried chicken recipe lifted him from poverty.
Make a trip to the bank with Miss Ollie, Jackson's famous madam, whose house of ill-repute made an Army commander threaten to close her down because of his AWOL soldiers.
These true characters laughed, cried, went to war or into business and shaped the history of West Tennessee, the South, and in some instances, the nation and the world.
Take a journey through time in the pages of "Echoes and Footprints," stories of our West Tennessee history. It's all around us if you only look.
Harbert Alexander graduated from Jackson High School in 1957, earned a B.A. from Virginia Military Institute in 1961 and a graduate degree from Rutgers University. He served as an Army artillery officer in West Germany, retiring as a captain. A banker in Jackson for more than forty-three years, he served as president of Jackson National Bank, Union Planters National Bank and chairman and chief executive officer of Bank of Jackson until 2010. He served on the board of Lambuth University and was the past chairman of the Jackson Energy Authority board and past chairman of the board of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. In 1991, he was Jackson Exchange Club's "Man of the Year." Alexander, the author of five books, has been the Madison County historian for 23 years, and serves on the Tennessee State Museum board, appointed by Governor Bill Haslam. He is a member of the Military Writers Society of America and has written for numerous magazines such as the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and Ducks Unlimited. He is married to Nora Dancy Noe and has three children and six grandchildren.
Jacque Hillman is an award-winning writer, editor and publisher with 30 years' experience. She was chosen for the 2014 Sterling Award: 20 Most Influential Women in West Tennessee and for the 2017 Jackson Award in the Arts presented by West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation. She is a graduate of the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy 2010-2011, chosen by Gov. Phil Bredesen. She is a past state president of Business and Professional Women of Tennessee Inc. She is a senior partner in The HillHelen Group Publishing Co.
Jesse Hillman is a former newspaper publisher, editor, and freelance writer for 30 years. His specialty is information technology. He is also a professional photographer. He is a senior partner in The HillHelen Group Publishing Co.
