Larry Johnson

Charlie McVey

Then Now

Home: 625 Horn Springs Road
Lebanon, TN 37087

Phone: (615) 444-6663

Bio:

Joining most of you in the fall of 1960 as a sophomore, I was just a very green apple from Chattanooga (having been born in Nashville and living there until age 8, attending DLES grades 1-3, I returned to Nashville to live with my grandparents after finishing the Chattanooga Bible School which only had 9 grades). As insecure and unconnected as I was, I continue to be astonished at the fact that each one of you was always kind and helpful to me -- some of you I got to know very well, others remained just acquaintances, but each I remember as a friend and companion through that most 'real' time of life.

I went on to DLC intending to become a high school math and chemistry teacher. Chemistry talked me out of that in one semester, it took Math 2 years to make the writing on the wall a bit clearer to me. I had to take a language, I had actually enjoyed Mrs. Hall's Latin (more than her math...a signal unheeded), a charismatic missionary, Don Finto had just returned from Germany, shucks...my mother's family were all Germans???

So what began as just a requirement to fulfill became my profession, on occasion my passion.

I wound up marrying the first girl I'd ever kissed, Susan Lester, whom I met at DLC -- graduated one Saturday, got married the next, entered the only graduate school that accepted me the third Saturday (UTK-still a big orange fan), and pursued (the most accurate word) a masters in German in order to teach in college. Receiving a draft notice at the end of my 2nd year, I entered the USAF instead, guaranteed a job in language--but not much else, . . . they came through on both of their promises. A year of training in Russian language at Syracuse University, was followed by 3 years in Germany -- with all of Europe at my feet, and gasoline a quarter a gallon---I found however that I didn't have many quarters. I flew in C-130s off the Russian/East German coasts as part of an Air Force intelligence combat crew.

Returning to UTK for more graduate work, I finished an MA in 1975 and snagged a job at DLC completely unexpectedly . . . have now been here for 30 years teaching German and Russian (finished Ph.D. 1985). We lived a quarter of a century in Inglewood with our two children, Jennifer Dawn -- much like her mother, and Jeffrey Kent, short like me.

We lost Susan 7 DEC 1987 after 3 years battling gall bladder cancer but always staying positive and active with me while our children were in high school during her last years.

Jennifer was born in Knoxville just before the Air Force stationed us to Germany and Jeff was born there in Wiesbaden. They both attended Lipscomb primary through college. Jenny's BA in political science took her into public relations with 3 different music business firms, though she's now been out of that rat race for two years as a freelance photographer here in Nashville (shameless plug, check her out at www.jennifermcvey.com). Jeff married in 1995 after finishing a pre-med BS and went through DO medical school in West VA, interned in Johnson City (ETSU) and he and his wife, Dachelle have settled down in her home town of McMinnville where he is one of only two pediatricians in town (i.e., he sees half the runny noses in town). Grandson Aidan starts first grade and newly arrived granddaughter Lachlan (1 JUL 05) is growing leaps and bounds. The Celtic given names perhaps due to our renewal of Scottish heritage through my dad's family.

I married Tricia Gose from Pittsburgh PA who subsequently also taught German and American Sign Language at Lipscomb for a time and worked as an interpreter for the Deaf; she also studied Biblical Hebrew while at LU (Rodney Cloud called her his best Hebrew student ever) as well as in VU's graduate program -- she remains the best linguist ever on Lipscomb's campus, though she is no longer there. She has become a fabric artist (handwork quilting) and writer (poetry and fiction) and has been teaching online. She is an accomplished tin whistle player (Celtic music) and most recently has written compositions for the Native American flute.

In October 2001 we moved to Lebanon to a small plain farmhouse on 8 acres with 5 pups--two Scottish Terriers and 3 West Highland White Terriers (from my ancestors area of the Scottish Islands & Highlands)--one of the chief reasons being that Tricia had started the Westie Rescue Network of Tennessee and we needed a place for a kennel to provide temporary housing to what became sometimes a dozen pups needing a good 'forever' home. After 5 years we had rescued and rehomed 80+ Westies, but had run out of time, energy and money to devote to this as it was difficult to find constant volunteer help on a statewide basis. We did meet some wonderful people and the best of pups, 6 of whom will live with us permanently.

On our 'farmette' as Mark Tucker has named it, we do indeed farm (flowers/veggies, even pumpkins this year) and have started a small orchard and hope to raise enough next season at our 'Bend in the Road Farm & Orchard' (drive our stretch of Horn Springs Road and you'll understand the name) to become a Saturday morning fixture at the Wilson County Farmers Market.

As part of my work at Lipscomb in Languages and Global Cultures we take students to many international/multicultural festivals in the area from Greek fests and African Street fairs and the largest Aussie festival in the US to Native American Powwows. More specific to our family roots, we are involved in the Oktoberfests in Clarksville (the real thing!) and Nashville (a flea market with Bratwursts) relating to my mother's German roots; regarding my dad's side, we are integrally involved with Scottish Highland Games in Glasgow, KY each June and the Tennessee Highland Games just south of Nashville at a castle where renaissance festivals are also held.

Pardon this personal aside complete with genealogical lesson on Scots-Irish background, but many of you are from similar stock. My name McVey is an anglicized spelling of the 'sound' of my family's name, officially written as MacBheath in its Gaelic original. While the English were pitching my ancestors off the Isle of Mull they mispronounced our name as it looked to them-- Macbeth (yep, that's us!), not knowing that in Scots Gaelic -bh- has the sound of 'v' and the final -th the effect of the 'y' in 'they'. We 'Macbeths' (pronounce macvey) have a few in/famous claims to fame -- the king popularized by Shakespeare and my cousin, Sean BEATON ( < Macbeathon ) Connery (I know we don't look that much alike....he's just taller), but alas we were a wee clan for all that and have always been under a larger, more influential clan, the Macleans of Duart. Our clan is the honored clan at this year's TN Highland Games and the chief himself is coming over from Scotland. This unfortunately takes place on the same day that was settled on for our class reunion and I committed last year to serving as the chief's personal assistant -- hence my apologies for probably not being able to make this year's reunion dinner....or at best late, in a sweaty kilt and all!

I do hope that most of us will take advantage of this year's real reunion and will try to make plans to come together for the same next year and as many years as we can--and again, we owe a debt to Larry that we cannot repay except to some extent by our enthusiastic participation.

Now I enjoy my Scottish pups and playing Celtic guitar with my wife, my children and grandchildren, the hard work on the farm, the excitement of teaching German and Russian to a new crop of young people, the challenge of still having 30 years to go on a new 30-year mortgage at age 60 (best wishes/advice appreciated!), and I still really enjoy tent camping (hopefully not a permanent solution to the mortgage issue above!).

When I think of what I enjoyed most during my years at Lipscomb High, that would be all of you!

Alles Gute / Slainte! Charlie

Last updated: April 2008