Linda McConnell:  

I was born in Blount county to Ed and Grace Hatcher, who were Walland residents most of their lives. Daddy passed away in 2000, and Mother has been living at Asbury Assisted Living in Maryville. I have one sister, Christine, who currently lives in Maryville. I only recently discovered that my Grandmother, Martha Elizabeth Patty, was part Cherokee indian!! One never knows what discoveries will be made in later adult years! At any rate, I am certainly proud to have that heritage. My Grandfather, David Washington Patty, was of French ancestry (Normandy). My Grandfather Hatcher's ancestors were from Lincolnshire, England, and I believe my Grandmother Hatcher (a Blair) was also of English heritage. After high school graduation, I received a B.A. in English. During my senior year, I met Ben, my husband, on a "blind" date. He was in graduate school at ETSU the time. We were married in the summer of 1965. We found ourselves in Blacksburg and Roanoke, VA, afterwards, since Ben was continuing graduate work at VPI. He was lucky enough to receive a research grant, while I taught in the City of Roanoke for 4 years. When Ben completed his degree, he worked at Savannah River Plant, and we lived in North Augusta, SC for 3 years where I taught in the Aiken County School system. Then, we moved to Raleigh, NC, where Ben worked for Carolina Power & Light, and I taught at Raleigh Academy, a private school, for 3 years. In the late 70's, Ben accepted a position at ORNL in Oak Ridge, TN, and I taught briefly at Northwest Middle but mostly taught at Farragut Middle (19 years)...just retired May 2009. After the move to Knoxville, I completed an M.S. in Education-Curriculum at UT (before I began teaching in Knoxville). My husband will retire at the end of March 2010 but will continue to work part time at ORNL. Throughout our years together, we have traveled to many places. We were in Italy again last fall. Our main hobbies are traveling, dancing, and enjoying good food and wines. We were brave enough to take Argentine tango (AT) lessons and actually dance in some of their dance halls and clubs during the times we have traveled to Argentina. We continue to take dance lessons, including AT, at our studio, Absolute Ballroom, here in Knoxville, and often take lessons from national and international professional winners at our studio, in Asheville, or Atlanta. My instructor and I usually compete 2-3 times a year. Since I retired, I have been busier that ever! I visit Mother often. She is now at Baptist Health Care in Lenoir City, only 6 miles away from our home. ...Expand for more