Fred Brannen:
CLASS OF 1956
Lee High SchoolClass of 1956
Cleveland, TN
Jellico Elementary SchoolClass of 1949
Jellico, TN
Roberts Elementary ShcoolClass of 1947
Morristown, TN
Rose Elementary SchoolClass of 1947
Morristown, TN
Sherwood Elementary SchoolClass of 1947
Morristown, TN
Fred's Story
Life
Born in central Florida, Fred Alton Brannen. Moved to Tennessee at age 5, back to Florida at 10, back to Tennessee at 11, Louisiana at 13, back to Tennessee at 17, and finished high school at Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee at 18. Joined the U.S.Coast Guard at 18 and got married to a Tennessee girl (Frances Hildreth) on boot-camp leave. Our first child was born when I was 19. I was discharged at 22. Started Pastoring at 22 (one week after arriving home in Tennessee). While pastoring here records were broken and new church building was built, plus acquired new property and building for manse/parsonage. 2nd child born when I was 27. Became a missionary to Guyana, S. America. age 28. Organized a 3 year Bible School and built a school and residence. Third and last child born 4 years after arrival in that country. Returned home in 1969 and pastored 19 additional years for a total of 24 years in the pastorate. Organized and Pastored the Church in Kingston, TN. Pastored in Lenoir City, TN and acquired a new manse/parsonage for the pastor. Served as district pastor in Waynesboro, TN and served as the "contractor" while building a church building for a small congregation on the district - with volunteer labor doing the major part of construction. Served in Donelson, TN and did major re-modeling to the Church fellowship hall and parsonage. Pastored in the Morristown area and again did major re-modeling work on the parsonage, plus some re-modeling of the church. After the third child was married in December 1988, returned to missions and moved with Frances to Kenya, East Africa in 1989 where we served as overseer of our churches for 9 years. Appointed as field director in 1998 for our churches in 32 of the coutries of Africa. What wonderful things life has brought me. I'm grateful.
Along with all the sports I enjoy like golf, fishing and hunting, scuba diving, etc., there is also a love of flying. Can't afford it much but have a private license to fly (single engine land rating)and love to fly two and four seater planes. Would love to up-grade someday to a Cessna 206 or equivalent. Come Fly With Me.
School
Started 1st grade at Seveirville, Tennessee. My Dad had moved here to attend our Bible Shool, called "BTS".
Went to Campaign, TN to the 2nd grade.
3rd and 4th grade was completed at three schools in Morristown, TN. (Roberts, Rose, and Sherwood - in that order).
5th grade was done in Apopka, Florida.
6th grade completed in Jellico, TN. I won a reading medal for the county schools by reading two paragraphs in which the key word was "azaleas". That contest took place in Lafollette, TN. I was the only reader who pronounced that word correctly.
7th and 8th grades completed at Campaign, TN. (I was salutatorian of my class) This was a 5-room school with 8 grades.
9th - 11th grades were completed in New Orleans, Louisiana. What a vast difference between the setting in Campaign, Tennessee's 5 room school house which housed 8 grades and Francis T. Nicholls high school which had two or three levels and each level was bigger than the whole school in Tennessee. This caused some serious emotional struggle for a preacher's kid - moving from a small community of about 300 population to a city with 500,000. Think about it. There were 300 kids (at least) in Nicholls high school (as many as the whole community I had come from). Needless to say, I did not do well in high school, although I did very well in some subjects.
Finished High School at our church Bible College (Lee College, Academy) which was a boarding school in Cleveland, Tennessee. Long Journey! But just a few short years!
College
My college career was started at the University of Tennessee while I pastored 70 miles away. I took English (3 quarters) Psychology, and Anthropology through night classes.
I added to that some night classes and correspondence studies from Lee College, some classes by extension (which were conducted in local churches near where I pastored) and life and work experiences to gain entry to Seminary.
I entered the Church of God Theological Seminary in 1982 based on life and work experiences and the necessary "C" the first 10 hours of work in classes. I drove about 120 miles one way to Cleveland, Tennessee where I was on the "Thursday Only" program. The first semester I was in class from 9:00am til 9:00pm and then drove home to Nashville after class each Thursday.
During my three years at the Seminary I moved to ...Expand for more
upper East Tennessee to pastor and continued to drive to the school each week to finish the course. I was a proud (and relieved) 47 year old father of three when I was granted the MA degree in Pastoral Studies in 1985. I still use the things I learned at the Seminary on an almost daily basis in my work.
Workplace
Wanna hear that old story? The one about working for so few pennies per day?
As a boy in the winter in Campaign, TN I worked for the school board. My job was building fires in the 5 pot-bellied stoves which heated the school. For this I received $5.00 per month.
In the summer I worked as a helper on Bob Grissom's farm, making $2.00 per day. Great money for a kid. Trouble was that he gave us a "bill" on which we could charge anything in the store he operated. By payday most of the money was eat up in RC-Cola's and moon-pies. And the money was easy - the mule did all the work. All I had to do was hold the plow (usually a double-shovel) while the mule walked down the rows of corn.
Oh yea, I also had a paper-route delivering 13 papers on my bicycle. 13 papers, 13 miles to deliver them.
Well I started working part time at the Superior Candy company in New Orleans, Louisiana while a teen. Thirty-five cents an hour! A real job where I could eat all the chocolate I wanted.
In the summer of 1954 I worked as a mechanic's helper at Jannssen's Service Station and garage on St. Claude. What an experience!
I also remember working part-time as a phone solicitor at the States-Item newspaper. At least there I got my social security card.
When I finished high school and had not yet joined the Coast Guard, I worked in landscape and sod for one dollar an hour. I did not last long at that job because my physical body could not handle lifting the 60 pound rolls of sod which had to be lifted onto and off the truck.
Went to work for a few weeks at the Brock Candy company in Chattanooga. One Dollar an hour! Steady job. But Mom wanted me to give her "rent" and "food money" now. That's when I decided to join the Coast Guard so I wouldn't be bossed around so much!!! See my Military Profile to see whether that worked.
Military
During that argument with Mom about me not wanting her to boss me so much, I said, "I know what I'll do! I'll just join the Coast Guard so I won't get bossed so much!" I remember Dad looking up from his newspaper and saying, "Let me tell you bye while you're handy."
I enlisted in New Orleans. The plan was that a buddy of mine and I were going to join up together and stay together during our career. However, when we arrived in N.O., he failed the entry test. I was taken, and my buddy was left behind.
On February 13, 1957 I was sent to Cape May, NJ to 13 weeks of boot camp. Imagine my surprise when I looked out the barracks window and saw my first cousin in the next barracks, two weeks ahead of me.
In Boot Camp everyone was my boss! I decided I would solve that problem once and for all - so decided to get married as soon as I had my first "leave". No - That didn't work either.
From Boot Camp I was sent to the 8th district, Captain of the Port, New Orleans where I was assigned to "hot ship" watches on the Mississippi River. Stayed there just over a year, when they sent me to Pilot-town at the mouth of the river. There we were assigned to search in-coming ships for contraband, especially radio-active materials, and were assigned to ride them 90 miles up-river from time to time.
I left there because of an infected toe-nail which had become swollen with "proud-flesh" and I wound up in the Marine hospital for about three weeks with it. From there they sent me to New Canal light station.
I enjoyed the Light Station. Duties were Search and Rescue and maintenance of buoys and lights.
Then the chief wanted me to go to electronics technicians school. I did not want to go to Groton, CT, but so glad I did. From there I was assigned to Biloxi, MS Loran station. Stayed there just over a year and made 3rd class petty officer.
Orders came through for me to report to Adak, Alaska! I spent 11 months and 29 days on that frigid island. Great friends there. Choice duty station as far as the work was concerned, but I was only 3rd class petty officer when I went and was not allowed to take my wife and child. That stunk. Everything else was great. I made 2nd class tech while on the island and was promised 1st class for "shipping over". No, I did not!
Back to the 8th Naval District for discharge on February 13, 1961.
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