Since 1992 The Council on Aging has presented the Sage Awards™ Luncheon to honor several older adults who have contributed to the quality of life in their local community throughout the course of their lives.
2011 Sage Awards
The 20th annual Sage Awards™ Luncheon was held on October 17, 2011 and honored the contributions of Jimmie White Hill, William Puryear, and Richard E. Ragsdale. Read more about this year's honorees below.
2011 Honorees
Jimmie White Hill - began volunteering as a youth when she visited and read to the elderly in her venture to enhance the lives of seniors. She has coordinated activities for her sororities to outreach into skilled care facilities, senior residential homes, workshops for youth, clothing drives for homeless, events for youth self-esteem development, tutoring programs and being a buddy to a youth or aging adult - to name a few. She has had several leadership roles through her work at Schrader Lane Church of Christ. She has served as Membership Chair and Chaplin and was very active in the Tutorial Program for the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority-Kappa Lambda Omega Chapter.
In the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, she served as President, Vice President and Asst. Secretary and participated in several related activities, such as Teach-a-Rama. In Top Ladies of Distinction, she has been Vice President, Chair of Senior Citizen Thrust, Beautification Chair and served on Top Teens of America Committee. She has also served roles in Fantasia in Red, Red Hat Society, AARP, MNRTA, and NCNW. She was named Metro Nashville's top teacher of the year 5 times in her 33 years of service. Always with a smile, Mrs. Hill has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to bettering the lives of others.
William "Bill" Puryear - has provided exemplary leadership in defining and maintaining The Memorial Foundation since its inception in 1994. As Chair and Founding Treasurer, he has been instrumental in The Memorial Foundation's focus to invest wisely so that the generous returns could be used to support nonprofit organizations that improve people's lives by providing a better quality of life. Before the foundation's inception, he played a strategic role in the financial planning that brought Nashville Memorial Hospital into existence.
Mr. Puryear has also served as the founding Chair of Gallatin Day Care Center and Sumner Academy. He was the founding Board member of Pope John Paul High School. He serves or has served on Bledsoe's Lick Historical Association, Cheekwood, Exchange Club, Gallatin Public Library, Nashville Estate Planning Council, Tennessee Art League, the Tennessee Watercolor Society, the Nashville Chapter of the Tennessee Society of CPAs, and many other organizations. In addition to being a CPA, Mr. Puryear is an accomplished artist whose paintings have been showcased in a number of corporate, institutional and private collections.
Richard E. "Dick" Ragsdale - has served quietly on several volunteer roles during his lifetime. He is the former Chair of Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) and has founded and financed seven healthcare companies. CHS has had a very positive impact on Middle Tennessee. He has been instrumental in the overall success of the Nashville Zoo, initially as a consistent and supportive donor for many years, and currently as Board Chair. He has been involved with the Nashville Zoo for over a decade. He has been a long-time supporter of the Nashville Symphony's Schermerhorn Symphony Center. He is a former Symphony Board member and served tirelessly as a campaign fundraising volunteer.
He has also supported Alive Hospice and Cheekwood Art and Gardens. His family foundation has helped to support The Nashville Film Festival for many years. Over the years, he has also been heavily involved in both Middle TN YMCA and The Salvation Army as a donor and leader. Mr. Ragdale's numerous leadership roles over his lifetime have been a driving force of substantial impact on the community.
Sponsorship Opportunities
If you or your company are interested in becoming a patron or sponsor of the 21st Annual Sage Awards Luncheon, we would love to hear from you. Contact COA for more information.
Previous Sage Awards Honorees
2010: Don Beisswenger, Dr. Susie McClure, Lottie Strupp
2009: Geraldine H. Butts, Wm. E. (Willie) McDonald, Dr. Anderson & Mrs. Susan Spickard
2008: Richard H. Fulton, C. Renee Jenkins, Irma B. Kaplan
2007: Louise B. Katzman, Phil Ponder, Gwendolyn J. Sharp
2006: H.P. "Hop" Hopkins, Ola G. Hudson, Grace Cavert Stumb*
2005: Calvin L.* & Evelyn E*. Calhoun, Harriet Foley, Elise Steiner
2004: Dr. Evelyn P. Fancher, Martin Kresge, Nancy Ransom, Sally Wolfe
2003: Jean & Allen Eskind, Edwina L. Hefner, Marjorie R. Koehler
2002: Bob Eisenstein, Hazel Pointer Fields, Penny & Gene TeSelle
2001: Thelma L. Baxter, Charlie Cardwell, Lois K. & Gilbert Fox
2000: Bill Barnes, Eleanor Chippey Grier, Clare* & Samuel Loventhal
1999: Charlie & Gracie Allen, Clara C. Elam, Bernard Werthan, Jr.
1998: Nathaniel Crippens*, Adele Mills Schweid*, Bill Sherman
1997: Robert Everett, Jr.*, Daniel Patrick McGeachy, III, Anne Friedrich Roos
1996: F. Tremaine Billings, Jr.*, Mansfield Douglas III, Leah Rose Werthan*
1995: Grace Gardner*, Barbara Mann, Lester Robb*
1994: Mary Bradley*, Ernest Freudenthal, Jamye Williams
1993: Randall Falk, Lettie Galloway*, Jean Stumpf
1992: Nancy Howell*, Laura McCray*, Bill Moynihan*
2008: Richard H. Fulton, C. Renee Jenkins, Irma B. Kaplan
2007: Louise B. Katzman, Phil Ponder, Gwendolyn J. Sharp
2006: H.P. "Hop" Hopkins, Ola G. Hudson, Grace Cavert Stumb*
2005: Calvin L.* & Evelyn E*. Calhoun, Harriet Foley, Elise Steiner
2004: Dr. Evelyn P. Fancher, Martin Kresge, Nancy Ransom, Sally Wolfe
2003: Jean & Allen Eskind, Edwina L. Hefner, Marjorie R. Koehler
2002: Bob Eisenstein, Hazel Pointer Fields, Penny & Gene TeSelle
2001: Thelma L. Baxter, Charlie Cardwell, Lois K. & Gilbert Fox
2000: Bill Barnes, Eleanor Chippey Grier, Clare* & Samuel Loventhal
1999: Charlie & Gracie Allen, Clara C. Elam, Bernard Werthan, Jr.
1998: Nathaniel Crippens*, Adele Mills Schweid*, Bill Sherman
1997: Robert Everett, Jr.*, Daniel Patrick McGeachy, III, Anne Friedrich Roos
1996: F. Tremaine Billings, Jr.*, Mansfield Douglas III, Leah Rose Werthan*
1995: Grace Gardner*, Barbara Mann, Lester Robb*
1994: Mary Bradley*, Ernest Freudenthal, Jamye Williams
1993: Randall Falk, Lettie Galloway*, Jean Stumpf
1992: Nancy Howell*, Laura McCray*, Bill Moynihan*
*Denotes deceased honorees