| Sources |
- [S76] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume III, 1974-1986, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 25 Oct 1977.
John Ralph McCarter obituary
- [S27] The Daily Times, http://www.thedailytimes.com/, (Blount County, Tennessee), 12 Aug 2012.
Hammontree retires as director of Greenback Library
By Melanie Tucker | (melt@thedailytimes.com)
Aug. 1 was the last day Clara Sue Hammontree sat at her desk, checked over the 10,000 books in inventory and tidied up the shelves in preparation for the next one in line.
She is now officially retired, after serving the Greenback community as library director of the Greenback Public Library for 24 years. If it seems like she’s been there longer, she has. Hammontree’s mother, Ada Hammontree, served as librarian for 17 years before that, and Clara Sue was a familiar face back then.
Hide this Ad
All of those in the community who want to express their appreciation for a job well done are invited to a reception in Hammontree’s honor, from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at Greenback Community Center.
Never serving alone
As she shared some of her best memories of the last 24 years, Hammontree named off volunteer after volunteer who has made her job easier, along with assistant Judy Curtis. Paul Bailey comes in twice a week to make sure the computers are humming. Curtis volunteered for years with things like the Summer Reading Program before being hired as the director’s assistant. Charlotte Branom is another who has been instrumental in seeing that Greenback has a good library. Mickey Harrison has done her share over the years and helped Hammontree get the Friends of the Library started back in 1990. Thelma Cooper put in hundreds of hours making quality programs as well.
Then there is Harold Carpenter, the wood shop teacher at Greenback School who, along with his students, built shelves for the library’s books. Hammontree’s husband, George, also built shelves that allowed the library to expand from 7,000 to 10,000 books for children and adults.
In other words, Hammontree doesn’t take all the credit for bringing this library into the 21st century and growing its stacks of books. It’s been with the help of friends and family, she said.
Settling in Greenback
Hammontree was born in Sevierville, lived in Gatlinburg for a while and moved to Greenback when she was 15. She attended Greenback School for two years, graduating there, as did her husband. She received her Public Library Management Certification in 1997.
The library, which is housed at Greenback Community Center, is open Tuesday through Friday. In the years Hammontree has been its director, it has been automated, thanks to a grant from the Gates Foundation. Other money from the state and federal governments has allowed Hammontree to increase the inventory over the years. But what makes this library director most proud is growing the Summer Reading Program.
“When it started out, we sat around that little table,” Hammontree said as she pointed to photos in the scrapbook she has made. “In our biggest year, we had 70 children. They couldn’t all fit inside the library.”
Each summer, Hammontree and her volunteers put together a theme, invite guests in and make reading in June, July and August a fun activity for students in hopes that interest will carry into adulthood.
Norma Peeler, wife of Greenback Mayor Tom Peeler, said this community is very appreciative of Hammmontree’s dedication to the library. “What impresses me the most is all of the children who have been part of the programs,” she said. These children come back and continue to use the library, Peeler said.
Time for an update
Hammontree remembers back in 2000 when the money from the Gates Foundation enabled the library to get computers and start the automation process. “I started that myself, but I would still be working on it had I not gotten help from (Curtis,” Hammontree explained. “I was able to hire her as an assistant with some other grant money.”
The library was once housed in the old train depot in Greenback. It was also located in a building in another location, on the second floor. Hammontree remembers having to relocate all of those books down the steep stairs and into their current home. She has photos that show the dedicated workers who pulled that off.
Now that Hammontree is retired, she will be doing some traveling and gardening with her husband and visiting her two grandchildren in Middle Tennessee. She said this more leisure life is taking some getting used to.
“I have gotten up on Monday and told myself I need to get everything done because I have to go to work on Tuesday,” shes said. “Then I remember, I don’t.”
Bambi Walker is taking over as library director. She grew up in Greenback, moved away and came back. She remembers coming to the library as a small child. She is certainly no stranger to Hammontree. When Hammontree worked as a teaching assistant at Greenback, Walker was in kindergarten.
The two were at the library on Thursday. Walker said she has big shoes to fill. “Humongous ones,” she described.
Due recognition
Hammontree has indeed done a lot for this community and she already misses her ‘library family.’ She will be glad to see all the old and new faces at a reception in her honor Sunday, but admits she doesn’t care for being tossed into the spotlight.
“Librarians aren’t like that,” she said. “We would rather hide behind a desk or a book.”
She will have to endure all the attention on Sunday nonetheless. And she reminds friends that she isn’t moving away. She’s just starting a new chapter of life in Greenback. She will be joining the Friends of the Greenback Library and putting in some volunteer hours as well.
“I have had a dream job,” she said. “I really have. I can’t think of anything bad about it. That includes the people that have come into the library and the people I’ve worked with. They are my library family.”
In addition to being able to travel and garden with her husband and spending more time with her two grandchildren, Hammontree will have the chance to spend more time on one more hobby: reading.
“I’ve been a reader all my life,” she said. I never met a book I didn’t like.”
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name Clara Sue Mccarter
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 02 Feb 1968
Event Place Loudon, Tennessee, United States
Gender Female
Spouse's Name George Melvin Hammontree
Page 382
|
Search | Advanced Search
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
= Link to Google Maps