Town proclaims Founders Week; Betty Dick Day set
Near the anniversary of Farragut’s incorporation on Jan. 16, 1980, the Town honored its founding leaders with a proclamation designating the third week of January as Founders Week. The recognition came during the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting Thursday, Jan. 8, and highlighted the grassroots effort that led to Farragut becoming a municipality 46 years ago.
One founding member, Betty Dick, also received a separate proclamation establishing Betty Dick Day for her service and early advocacy.
Mayor Ron Williams read from the proclamation noting residents in southwest Knox County grew concerned in the 1970s about low development standards and commercial growth. A group later known as the Farragut Community Group pushed to incorporate after feeling their concerns were ignored by county officials.
The proclamation stated the group spent hours registering voters, mapping boundaries and convincing neighbors incorporation could be achieved without new taxes. After incorporation was approved Jan. 16, 1980, the group resisted annexation efforts and secured Farragut’s share of sales tax revenue. The Town elected its first Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 1, 1980.
Founders recognized include Ralph McGill, Eric Johnson, Betty Dick, Ron Simandl, Gene McNalley, George Dorsey and David Rodgers.
“It’s important to remind our community why we were founded,” former alderman and current Municipal Planning Commission member Louise Povlin said during citizens forum, noting the founders sought stronger development standards and better planning at the local level.
Dick’s individual proclamation cited her work through the Village Green Homeowners Association, her appearances before county planning bodies and her role helping craft Farragut’s first sign ordinance. After incorporation, she served three terms as North Ward alderman and later served on the Town’s Visual Resources Review Board and Municipal Planning Commission.
To honor those contributions, the Board declared the third Thursday of January as Betty Dick Day.
