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Longtime teacher dies at 79
Watson taught ag at WCHS for 44 years
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A stalwart member of the local education community for over four decades passed away Wednesday.

Russell Watson, 79, was an agriculture instructor for over a generation of Warren County High School students. The Woodbury native and Smithville resident served in the school system for 44 years before retiring in 2021, estimating at his retirement ceremony he had taught approximately 4,500 students.

“And the thing about it is my classes aren’t required classes to graduate,” Watson told the Southern Standard at the time. “So I feel like the kids wouldn’t have been in there if they didn’t want to be in there, and that made all the difference in the world to me.”

Watson noted a career highlight was his involvement with the Future Farmers of America program. While he served as advisor, the Warren County FFA chapter received over 40 National Gold Emblems. Watson also worked with over 280 state FFA degrees recipients, 100 American degrees recipients and seven national star finalists.

“When a freshman comes in, very timid, and then he breaks through that shell and begins to grow and participate, it’s wonderful,” Watson said upon being greeted by many former FFA presidents who had served under his tutelage at his retirement ceremony. “He may not be able to see the potential that he has, so it’s my duty to help mold that student and point him in the direction he needs to go. That’s something that not many people get to do.

“Seeing these kids taking an active part and developing leadership skills they will carry on into their lives is the best part,” Watson said. “And seeing them accomplish something they didn’t think they could. That’s been very rewarding for me.”

One of those former FFA presidents, Keith Bouldin, CEO and president of Bouldin and Lawson, LLC, took Watson’s courses from 1975-77, and said the longtime educator and advisor had an immeasurable impact on not only his life, but the lives of all his students.

“He did a lot to help a lot of young men,” Bouldin said Wednesday. “He was just one of the best teachers I ever had. He was a mentor to myself and a lot of other students. He worked really, really hard to help everybody become better men, and I feel like I’ve been successful because of him, no doubt.

“He taught us how to do things the right way, and encouraged leadership, taking charge and being what young men ought to be. I respected him immensely.”

Watson was married for 50 years to Jill Evelyn Watson, who preceded him in death last March. He is survived by a daughter, three sons, eight grandchildren and two sisters.

Complete obituary information for Watson appears on page 2A.

Local law enforcement on the lookout for distracted driving
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April is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Distracted Driving Awareness Month and McMinnville Police Department (MPD) is on the roads to educate motorists about appropriate hands-free driving.

The amplified focus of cracking down on distracted driving is a nationwide initiative, with many states taking part. MPD Officer Mark Mara indicated the local department is increasing patrols, funded by overtime grants, to enforce and educate about Tennessee’s Hands Free Law.

“We’re trying to get people to change their habits,” Mara said. “There’s a lot of people that are distracted while driving, whether its their cell phones or not. When driving, there are already so many distractions, so having electronics in your hands while you’re driving down the road is dangerous. We need to focus on getting where we need to go and getting there safely.”

According to its records, NHTSA estimates 3,308 lives were lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2022 and 8% of all fatal crashes could be attributed to the same. To illustrate the point on a larger scale, it approximates over 32,000 people have died and nearly 290,000 were left injured from crashes attributed to distracted motorists between 2013 and 2022.

Violation of the Tennessee Hands Free Law is a Class C misdemeanor and traffic citations based on the violation are considered moving traffic violations. A first-time offense is typically $50 with third-time offenses and violations resulting in a crash rising to $100; citations received in a work zone while workers or present or in a marked school zone while flashes are in operation carry a penalty of $200. Three points are also added to a motorist’s driving record for each violation with 12 points leading to license suspension.

While the law specifically mentions hands in its name, it is similarly illegal to prop the phone up with any other part of their body.

“We’re going to be stopping vehicles whose operators are distracted by using their cell phones or other electronic devices,” Mara said. “It is against the law for a motorist to be holding their electronic device or having it on their body, so if you’re holding it to your ear or with your shoulder, it’s against the law all the same.”

When using GPS technology, Mara recommends investing in windshield-, vent- or dash-mounted mobile device holder to support the phone while using it for those purposes so your hands can remain on the wheel without compromising your ability to navigate to a destination.

“I understand that your cell phones are a lifeline and we get that — we use them ourselves for GPS. If you have an important phone call that’s coming in and you really need to focus on talking to that person, just pull over to the side of the road and turn on your emergency lights,” Mara said. “When you’re on a phone call, you’re not paying attention to all of the things you need to. You’re going to be concentrating on that conversation and you’re going to find yourself drifting in your lane, going through a stop sign or not stopping properly before a red light.”

Mara additionally recommended drivers sync their phones to their vehicles in models with Bluetooth capabilities and to use phone mounts that do not obstruct vision of the roadways through the windshield.

“The greatest danger of distracted driving is ending up in a crash that was absolutely avoidable, which might hurt yourself or someone else,” Mara said. “You’ve got a lot in front of you when you’re driving and a vehicle is a piece of machinery. We want all motorists to be driving safely on the roads and getting to their destinations without misadventure.”

Warnings and citations will be rendered at officers’ discretion during the increased patrols.