Editors Note: There are a lot of great Knoxvillians, both past and present, so it was hard deciding if we could even narrow them down to a small list. Giving it our best, we present three Knoxville residents/natives that we think you would enjoy meeting.
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Our Favorite Historic Knoxvillian – John Bean aka Lee Roy Mercer. “Huh!” Most of what’s said on Leroy Mercer’s, who’s real name was John Bean, many “trucker” tapes cannot be repeated on this here site. What can be said of Mercer is that he was a true original, and the innovator of the Brondo-esque-method-acted prank phone call. Bean left us in 1984, but left an impression that will live forever. For that, we’re proud John Bean called Knoxville his home.
Favorite Person to Have Lunch With – Sterling Owen. Effective tomorrow (March 26th) police chief Owen will fully retire from the Knoxville Police Department which means he’ll have even more stories to share. We’d prefer a nice long lunch with Mr. Owen so we could dive into the juicy details of how he broke the Butcher Brother bank fraud case in 1982, right after the famous World’s Fair ended.
Person With the Best Comeback Story – Janet Testerman. Comeback of the year belongs to Knoxville Magazine’s own Janet Testerman. In the fight against breast cancer, Janet has inspired Knoxvillians by opening her heart and her story – Janet’s Journey. As a side note, Janet has ventured further into the community and is the 2011 Co-Chair for Dogwood Arts Festival; amazing woman with strength, courage, and an outgoing love for what makes Knoxville great…people.
Comments 1
Sterling Owen is pretty cool!