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Soddy-Daisy High School honors latest Hall of Fame inductees

The 2016 Class of SDHS Hall of Fame inductees stand after their ceremony. From left are Carlos Wilson, Randy Wilson, Carrol Morrison DeNure, Julia Smith, Tonya Wilson, W.V. Roberson and Eddie Branson. The 2016 Class of SDHS Hall of Fame inductees stand after their ceremony. From left are Carlos Wilson, Randy Wilson, Carrol Morrison DeNure, Julia Smith, Tonya Wilson, W.V. Roberson and Eddie Branson.

By Shane Foley March 30, 2016 1 min read

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SDHS honors latest Hall of Fame inductees

The owner of nine U.S. patents from her time with the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Julia Smith now assists in operation and distribution for Delicato Family Vineyards, the fastest-growing family-owned vineyard in California. She and her wife Tammy make it back to Soddy-Daisy several times a year to visit Julia Smith's stepfather and family.

Randy Wilson went from the forests and outdoors of Soddy-Daisy and turned that into a successful career with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office, studying migratory birds. During the B.P. oil spill of 2010, Wilson lead efforts to analyze and survey land impacted by the oil, as well as identify animals that could be rescued.

Tonya Wilson's high school career featured plenty of success as an All-State basketball player who earned a four-year hoops scholarship to Belmont University. Her work after college, though, may be even more impressive. Currently the director for Global Compliance at the New York City office of Barclays Bank, Wilson still finds time to visit her hometown of Daisy.

Carlos Wilson, Class of 1958, gives a brief acceptance speech during the induction ceremony. Wilson is well-known for discovering, researching and marking a previously unknown portion of the Trail of Tears. Proud of his Cherokee ancestry, Wilson said in his speech that the drive he found to never give up is something every student at SDHS should strive for.

W.V. Roberson has a proud history with the Soddy-Daisy community. He has lived in the Daisy community since he was 9 years old, he said, and was a proud member of the Soddy-Daisy Jaycees who helped organize and run the effort to incorporate the town in 1969. He went door to door, raised funds and assisted in taking the census to fulfill the incorporation requirements. Roberson is also active in the local branch of the American Legion and helps organize a free dinner every Veterans Day for the veterans of the area.

Eddie Brannon, left, accepts his induction with his longtime friend Dr. Sam Gill. Brannon, who graduated in 1959, was team captain during the 1959 SDHS football season, one of the school's best on record. A lifetime member of the Soddy-Daisy community, Brannon has run a successful furniture business, E.F. Brannon Furniture, for decades. He also, along with several of his friends, became part-owner of the Racquet Club in Hixson to keep the building alive and running. Generations of Brannon's family have attended the school, with several grandchildren soon to graduate, he said.

Soddy-Daisy High School’s eighth annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony honored seven of the school’s graduates who have achieved success following their time at SDHS.

This year’s ceremony featured a graduate who helped incorporate the town of Soddy-Daisy and others who went on to become the director of Global Compliance for Barclays Bank in New York City, a wildlife ecologist who assisted in the cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico after the B.P. oil spill and a nationally recognized volleyball coach, just to name a few.

All the inductees said they were proud to attend SDHS and were honored by their induction.