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Wlaf1450DR. JAMES FARRIS HONORED BY SCOUTS
Scout, Veteran, Heath Care Professional Chosen for Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SPECIAL TO WLAF)
Logan Hickman, chairman of the 13th annual Boy Scouts of America Campbell County Good Scout Award Dinner, has announced the 2021 honoree is longtime Campbell County resident Dr. James (Doc) Farris. Farris has practiced medicine in the county since 1970. This yearly ceremony and dinner will occur at the Ball Farm Event Center, 2107 General Carl W. Stiner Highway, LaFollette on Thursday, April 22 at 6 pm. The money raised at the event will support Campbell County scouting in 2021. This yearly dinner has evolved into Campbell County’s premier recognition banquet. This is also a special year for Campbell County Scouting. This year marks scouting’s 100th year in the county. It all started in 1921 when the LaFollette Kiwanis Club chartered two Boy Scout troops.
Farris grew up in Campbell County. He was a Boy Scout and graduated from LaFollette High School in 1957. Farris was also involved in Beta Club, Key Club, Boys State, and the Band. After studying pre-medicine at the University of Tennessee (UT), Knoxville, he attended UT Medical School in Memphis and finished in December 1963. He did his residency training at University Hospital at Knoxville and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He served in the Air Force and was Chief of Medicine at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base south of the city of Marquette in Michigan. In 1970, he returned to LaFollette. He is board certified and is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. From 1970 to 1999, he was in private practice at the LaFollette Medical Center where he established the Coronary Care Unit. Service next came at the UT Internal Medicine of LaFollette where he practiced medicine and culminated a medical career that spanned 50 years. He is now enjoying retirement in the town that has always been home.
His service to the community includes membership at the LaFollette First Baptist Church where he also serves as a deacon. He has been a member of the LaFollette Medical Foundation for nine years. He served as the foundation’s president for three of those years. He is also a member of the Tennessee Medical Association and served as the First National Bank of LaFollette board chairman. His personal interests include amateur radio, American Civil War history, the violin, UT sports, several dogs over the years and now a cat.
Farris is the son of the late Clarence and Nannie Lou Farris. He is married to the former Nancy Penn of Knoxville. They have three children, Scott, Jim, Rena and husband, Jim Gormley. Additionally, he has five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Peoples Bank of the South is proud to underwrite the dinner’s expense for the thirteenth year. The bank understands the hugely important impact scouting has on the boys and girls of Campbell County.
The previous award recipients are Edward Balloff, Juanita Baird, Colonel Tommy C. Stiner, the five Baird brothers, Gen. Carl W. Stiner, the Campbell County Honor Guard, Lansden E. Hill, the Campbell County High School football team coaching staff, Mike Malicote, John T. Reynolds, Hack Ayers, and Pastor Ronnie Arnold.
About BSA and the Great Smoky Mountain Council: The Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be “Prepared. For Life.®”. The Great Smoky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America is a United Way agency that serves boys and girls across 21-counties of East Tennessee. Programs include Cub Scouting for ages 5-10, Scouts BSA for ages 11-18, Venturing (outdoor adventure) for ages 14-20, Exploring (career education) for ages 14-20, and STEM Scouts for grades 3 -12. For more information on the Boy Scouts of America, please visit www.scouting.org. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 03/30/2021-6AM)