Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, sits at his workstation at Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center.
NEWPORT — For the past two-plus years, Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, has been renting an apartment at Carson Springs Conference Center.
Now, he officially has a permanent place at CSCC — even though he will no longer be living there.
Kevin Perrigan, manager of Carson Springs Baptist Conference Center, along with the rest of the staff, has officially designated a section of the CSCC lobby as “Lonnie’s Corner.”
The designated area marks the spot where Wilkey often created a makeshift work station (see photo to the right) during the morning and afternoon hours.
The CSCC staff also announced that Wilkey, who is retiring as B&R editor on Dec. 31, was being named an Honorary Staff Member.
“I don’t believe anyone knew what a blessing it would be to have Lonnie ‘live’ with us at Carson Springs,” said Susan Mason, office coordinator for Carson Springs Conference Center. “He quickly became a member of our staff family.”
B&R editor Lonnie Wilkey stands beside a framed copy of a column written about him by Chris Turner. The framed newspaper article marks the spot that now has been designated as “Lonnie’s Corner.”
“Lonnie’s Corner” was officially dedicated during a small “surprise” ceremony on Dec. 9 that Wilkey attended. The newly dedicated spot includes a framed copy of an editorial written by Chris Turner about Wilkey.
Turner, the communications director for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, has been named the new editor of the B&R. He wrote his column about Wilkey in the Nov. 6 issue.
Mason said Wilkey’s absence will be felt by the CSCC community, and said his helpful nature benefited many who came through the doors.
“He was always willing to pitch in when we needed an extra pair of hands to complete a task,” she said. “Whether it was moving furniture, helping housekeeping, or wiping tables, Lonnie’s servant heart moved him into action.”
Mason said she hopes the dedicated corner of the lobby will remind others of how much Wilkey meant to CSCC.
“When we began to talk about how much we are going to miss him, we realized that we could honor him by naming the corner where he is always working as ‘Lonnie’s Corner,’ ” Mason said. “Our goal was to make sure that visitors and others will understand just how special Lonnie is to us at Carson Springs.” B&R
