Remembering Everett Fairchild

Everett Fairchild

Everett Fairchild has died at the age of 89.  I was very fortunate that he became a school board member at the same time I began reporting on education.  There was never a better role model.  He exemplified honesty and integrity.  He was in it for the right reasons.

Although he had to run for office every four years, he was not a politician.  He didn’t need to be.  He routinely won re-election with 65-75 percent of the vote.  After one of his landslide wins, I was interviewing a newly elected sheriff on election night. I asked the sheriff-elect, who barely won, if there was anyone he would like to thank. He said, “Yes. I would like to thank Everett Fairchild for not running for sheriff.”

He had no aspirations beyond school board. He was a lifelong learner and educator.  He came to board meetings prepared, and I can’t remember him missing any during his twenty years of service.

Many people considered him the grown-up in the room.  During weekend-long board retreats, he was the one who kept the others on task.  Often serving as chairman, when a superintendent or a fellow board member went into overtime on a certain topic, it was Mr. Fairchild who reined them in and reminded them they were supposed to be dealing with something else. His classroom and coaching experience came in handy.

As a reporter, I can honestly say that Mr. Fairchild never once ducked me, he never failed to return a call, and and never said, “No comment.”  He understood that he had a responsibility to his constituents, as well as the students and employees of the school system.  He worked hard to maintain a good relationship with county commissioners, since they held the purse strings.  No one was happier at the groundbreaking, and opening of the long overdue Hixson Middle School.  He fought long and hard for that one.  He was also proud that the old school was renovated as a community center, and he loved the Vandergriff Park down the street.

As soft-spoken and mild-mannered as he was, he could get a little hot under the collar at times.  He served on the school board during a time of massive change and controversy.  On occasion, he felt “out of the loop” when superintendents did not communicate well on items he needed to know about.  I would call him, and he would say, “David, are you just trying to get my blood pressure up?”  I would ask him about the hot topic of the day, and he would say, “Well, that’s the first I’ve heard about it.  Let me get back to you.” I’m pretty sure someone at central office was about to get an earful.  Later he would call me back, and tell me how he was getting the situation fixed.

Each time I would interview Mr. Fairchild at his home, he would remind me to come hungry. He always asked his wife Margaret to bake some chocolate chip cookies for my photographer and me, and we would bring the remaining cookies to Channel 3.  For some reason, I would find an excuse to interview him quite often. As an added bonus, he was proud to show me around his yard and garden, that he and Margaret tended to so lovingly.

Although his health was failing in recent years, he enjoyed a gathering we had in 2015 at the new Hixson Middle School, where the media center was named in his honor.  It was a fitting tribute, and it seemed like everywhere I looked, there was a former student of Mr. Fairchild.  Many of them had gone on to become educators, principals, and office-holders.

Everett Fairchild, 2015

We reviewed his amazing career that day, starting with his time as a student at Hixson High, where he graduated in 1948.  Of course, he was Mr. Hixson High that year, and his TEN superlatives included most popular, most handsome, neatest, and pride of the faculty.  He would later become a teacher, coach, assistant principal, and eventually principal of his beloved Hixson Jr. High for twenty-five years.  Such longevity at one school is very rare today.

After retirement, he would spend twenty more years on the school board, during the most difficult of times.  He was a “city schools guy” who helped guide the newly-merged city-county school district during its early days. He often found himself moderating disagreements between warring factions, each attempting to protect their turf.  Such a task required diplomacy and discipline, two of the hallmarks of Mr. Fairchild’s life.

He really was the patriarch of the Hixson community, as County Assessor Marty Haynes called him.  Personally, I have always believed a school should be named for him.   But until that happens, that beautiful room at Hixson Middle is a great tribute.

He didn’t just attend Kiwanis Club meetings.  He fried the chicken for their annual fundraisers, for fifty years.  He didn’t just show up for the free food at school board meetings.  He did his homework, he asked questions, and he held people accountable.  He didn’t just show up for ribbon-cuttings at playgrounds and parks.  He got his hands dirty, helping build them.

I’ve heard it said that when you leave this earth, you leave behind your name.  Once your physical body is gone, only your name remains in the hearts and minds of those who knew you.  I have never heard a negative word about Everett Fairchild.  He was loved, he was admired, and he was respected.  What a great name, and what great memories he leaves behind.

Funeral services will be held Friday Dec. 14, at 2:00 p.m. at Hixson First Baptist Church on Grubb Road. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Friends of Hixson-Hixson High School Scholarship Fund in the name of Everett Fairchild, 2120 North Gate Park Lane, Suite 303, Chattanooga, TN 37415