John TempletonEVENT HIGHLIGHTS• June 23: “Spirit on the Square” will be a community event in downtown Winchester from 4 to 8 p.m. CDT featuring national and local musical acts and performers. And a new essay contest called the “Laws of Life,” open to Franklin County residents, will be held with cash prizes in different age groups ranging from 14 and younger to 18 and older.• June 25: “The Human Spirit” is a one-day, invitation-only conference held at Cravens Hall at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., from 5 to 9 p.m., with discussions about expanding research on the topics of love, happiness, gratitude, forgiveness, perseverance and health and well-being. For more information, visit www.acelebrationofspirit.org.Source: John Templeton Foundation
Winchester, Tenn., native Sir John Marks Templeton would have been “thrilled” with a celebration of the virtues and values of the community that made him what he was, those who knew him say.
Beginning June 23 in Winchester, a series of events dubbed “A Celebration of Spirit” will focus on the values embraced by Templeton with programs inspired by virtues instilled in him throughout his childhood and early adult life.
Templeton, who died in 2008 at age 95, was a global investor and philanthropist.
“The Winchester area had a profound impact on my dad as he grew up, and we look forward to returning to his hometown for several celebratory events this year,” said Dr. Jack Templeton, president and chairman of the John Templeton Foundation. “My father always looked to make a difference in the lives of those he encountered, and the foundation strives to continue that mission.”
The John Templeton Foundation, established by the elder Templeton, serves as a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the “Big Questions” of human purpose and ultimate reality, according to the foundation’s self-description.
Templeton came up with the idea for the Laws of Life essay contest in 1987 when he returned to Winchester for a special celebration for the town’s “favorite sons and daughters,” also attended by singer Dinah Shore and others.
Although he was born in the U.S., he renounced his citizenship in 1964 and became a British citizen in 1968. In 1987, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth.
Pamela Thompson, consultant to the John Templeton Foundation and project manager for the event, said the late Templeton would have enjoyed the foundation’s celebration in Franklin County.
Thompson said the event this year marks several milestones and landmark dates.
“We’re celebrating what would have been his 100th year, the 25th anniversary of his knighthood, the 25th anniversary of the ‘Laws of Life’ essay contest and the 25th anniversary of the John Templeton Foundation,” she said.
It’s also the 40th year of the Templeton Prize, which is given to “a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works,” according to the prize’s website.