Eight months after the United States entered World War II, the federal government launched the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project was the codename for the research and development undertaken to produce the first nuclear weapons. In September 1942, United States Army General Leslie R. Groves was assigned to manage the project. Groves approved three locations for this new clandestine project: Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Hanford, Washington and Los Alamos, New Mexico. more

The first wedding I ever attended was in 1962. I was fifteen. And about the only thing I remember was there must have been a bad storm….or the church hadn’t paid its electric bill. It was pretty dark in the sanctuary, and this was in the middle of the afternoon! more

The roots of bluegrass music run deep in the heritage of America. The traditional sound we have become accustomed to was developed in the 1940s in the Appalachian region. Much of the style has been accredited to Bill Monroe who is known as the “Father of Bluegrass.” Part of Monroe’s sound came from a member of his band the Blue Grass Boys, Lester Flatt. more

Billy Cunningham was the first to call. Billy and I played baseball together in college an eon and a half ago. He was a switch hitting catcher. And a good one. “Kes, I think you have been hacked!” more

The major league baseball season opens this week. Many “purists” are upset with three big changes to the game this year. The bases (not counting home plate) have been enlarged. A pitch clock has been instituted. And the shift of additional fielders to one side of the diamond has been eliminated. more

Dale Kelley, our father, had a dream and a vision for a lake to be built in Carroll County, Tennessee. Dad’s dream was for the lake to generate pride for Carroll Countians through residential growth, economic development, and recreation. more

Throughout history, women have faced diversity. It has taken women of a special nature to tear down the walls blocking their path and have had to shatter many a glass ceiling. One such woman from Tennessee history is Martha Craig Daughtrey. She is one of the leaders in firsts for women across the state. From being the first female U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee in Nashville to the first Tennessee State Supreme Court Justice. more