LEADERS
Joe Bill Sloan, a 1967 Carson-Newman University alumnus and a longtime professor and dean, is a 2023 inductee to the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association (TICUA) Hall of Fame. The organization announced that he is one of 24 inductees, each representing TICUA member institutions. Sloan also served as C-N’s interim president on one occasion. In 2022, Carson-Newman honored Sloan as a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Robert Reedy Bryan Society for his exceptional and meritorious service to Carson-Newman University.
DEATHS
Rick McAbee
Julius Franklin “Frank” Hicks, retired pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Madisonville, where he served for 38 years, died Sept. 25. He was 78. He also served as pastor of Bethel Springs Baptist Church, Calhoun, and Clear Springs Baptist Church, Athens. Hicks is survived by his wife of 58 years, Barbara Hicks, three children and several grandchildren and great grandchildren.
George Richard “Rick” Curtis McAbee, pastor of Walnut Hill Baptist Church, Harriman, died Sept. 16, after a battle with cancer. He was 53. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving during Operation Desert Storm. He is survived by his wife Sherry McAbee, five children and a grandchild.
Bobbie Charlene Nech, wife of Elias Nech, pastor of Children of Christ Baptist Church, Morristown, died Aug. 24, at the age of 61. She is survived by her husband, five children and nine grandchildren.
William Virgil Powell Sr., retired pastor of South Whitwell Baptist Church, Whitwell, and a Southern Baptist preacher for more than 50 years, died Aug. 31 in Alabaster, Ala. He was 78. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Brenda Powell, two sons and five grandchildren.
Pastor Jeff Overton and his wife, Cheri, right, and other members of Mars Hill Baptist Church, Lawrenceburg, recently welcomed Josh Franks, center, TBMB harvest field leader, to their booth at the Middle Tennessee District Fair in Lawrenceburg. The church secured a booth at one of the busiest spots at the fair and shared the gospel with visitors who were drawn to the booth to register for a large screen television the church gave away.
