JULY
1968
In June 1968, 262 residents of an area 17/100 of a square mile in size voted to create a city government for Hendersonville. Most of those residents lived along Shivel, Powell and Stadium drives. On July 9, 1968, they elected the three commissioners who would govern the city.
Louis Oliver Sr. (50 votes) and Ed Sisco (46 votes) were elected to four-year terms. L.H. “Dink” Newman won a two-year term by garnering 40 votes over Norman Roberts’ 31.
The three winners were delayed in serving when a lawsuit was filed claiming that the city was too small. That suit worked its way through the courts for 12 months, finally allowing Oliver, Sisco and Newman to swear their oaths of office in mid-1969.
1969
With school scheduled to start in a month, Sumner County’s Citizens Committee for Better Schools and Community reported in July 1969 that the county commission’s years of inadequate funding had created a dire situation.
The group estimated that the public schools in Hendersonville would be 500 spaces short when the new school year would start. Hendersonville had an immediate need for the county commission to build three elementary schools and two junior highs, according to the organization which was composed primarily of Hendersonville residents.
At the time Hendersonville’s public schools included Hendersonville High at the intersection of Gallatin and Indian Lake roads, Hendersonville Junior High on Campus Drive, Hendersonville Elementary on Gail Drive, Lakeside Park Elementary on Dolphus Drive, and Nannie Smith Berry Elementary on Indian Lake Road. All were overcrowded.
The county’s only immediate response was to approve a $1.2 million bond issue to construct Knox Doss Junior High. As construction started, Hendersonville Junior High continued to use Sunday school classrooms of nearby First Baptist Church. Several Nannie Berry students continued using space at First United Methodist Church, and Lakeside Park Elementary students were split into shifts. Half attended from 7 a.m. until noon and the other half from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30.
1970
On July 2, 1970, Volunteer State Community College got its name.
As Tennessee’s assistant state commissioner for education, Dr. Hal Ramer visited Sumner County with Commissioner J.H. Warf to search for sites for a community college. They found Gallatin land close to Hendersonville and an easy drive for residents of Davidson and Wilson counties.
In May 1970 Warf recommended to the state board of education that Ramer be appointed the school’s president. The board agreed. Two months later Ramer proposed the name, which was accepted unanimously.
1971
Even though the city government began operating in 1969, fire and police protection was not provided by the city until the early 70s. The sheriff’s office, volunteers, other cities, and a private service owned by George Thompson handled fire and police calls.
The city started a police department on July 1, 1971, from the rear of the residence at 112 Shivel Drive. Chief Henry M. Heer, a retired highway patrol officer, supervised Eugene T. Johnson, H.E. Basore and Freddie Watson. They leased two patrol cars.
The city-owned fire department needed an additional year to begin operating. Thompson’s private service consisted of two full-time and three part-time employees.
During the third week in July 1972, the city-run department began operation with an all volunteer staff and the purchase of its first engine. Later the city bought Thompson’s property on Sanders Ferry Road and housed the fire and police services there.
1973
In late July 1973, John Steinhauer won election as Hendersonville city commissioner. The victory revived his political career and highlighted a life of public service.
Steinhauer had been elected Sumner’s state representative as a Democrat in 1966. Two years later he ran nearly simultaneous campaigns for reelection to the general assembly and election to county judge. He lost both.
Five years later, in 1973, Steinhauer ran for an at-large seat on the city commission. He took the most votes in an 11-man race. Two years later he won election to the state house and served until 1981.
He considered a run for Congress in 1976 but stayed out after poling showed that voters recognized well the name Albert Gore Jr.
With his wife, Jane, John Steinhauer owned an optical dispensary, an answering service, and a portion of Hendersonville’s radio station. Both had grown up in Nashville and had moved to Hendersonville’s Circle Drive to raise five children: Matt, Julie, Janet, Joni and Steve. Regardless of having one leg stricken by polio, John frequently led the family’s limitless activities throughout the community.
The Steinhauers helped establish numerous festivals and activities in the city, Vietnam Veterans Boulevard, the Hendersonville Area Chamber of Commerce, St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Rock Castle as a public site, and Hendersonville hospital.
The hospital may have been his toughest. Standing in front of a permitting board, John told the story of his 20-month-old daughter, Julie, who had drowned. Steinhauer hinted strongly that she possibly would have been saved if not for the distance between Hendersonville and the nearest hospital.
The commission then gave its approval for a hospital to be built on New Shackle Island Road.
John was instrumental in improving schools in Sumner County by forcing the county government to change its district lines. Having figured that 10 percent of Sumner voters could control the county, Stainhauer ushered a bill through the General Assembly that led to better representation for Hendersonville residents. That led to new county representatives and improved schools for the entire county.
1981
Faced with growing numbers of students prior to the 1981-82 school year, the Sumner County Commission decided to offer two referenda to increase spending for public schools.
The first proposal was to raise the annual wheel tax $10 per vehicle per year. The second was to raise the local sales tax 0.75 percent. Together they could generate an additional $1.1 million for Sumner schools.
On July 30, 1981, both referenda failed to pass, leading some county commissioners to feel that voters were more concerned with keeping taxes low than raising the county’s education expenses.
Those commissioners allowed a small increase in school spending but not enough to fully fund School Superintendent Benny Bills’ proposed budget. Bills responded by suggesting the elimination of several bus routes to rural areas, a move that disproportionally would affect the county commissioners who had opposed increased school funding.