Jasper Elementary School is the top, $10,000 winner in the Jasper Highlands Fire Department firetruck naming competition, which was announced two weeks ago with the unveiling of the new volunteer department.
The new department's fleet is made up of three pre-owned trucks, including a large, former military firetruck capable of running 60 MPH, equipped with a water cannon and a 6,100-gallon tank, as well as two other trucks, including a tanker and standard firetruck.
The goal was to come up with a name for the largest of the three trucks, which dons a genuine, University of Tennessee orange-and-white paint job, applied by a company in Knoxville.
"There are only four of these trucks in the world, and I guarantee it's the only one with an orange-and-white checkerboard," said John "Thunder" Thornton, CEO of Thunder Enterprises and developer of the 3,000-acre Jasper Highlands residential development.
The top, grand prize-winning entry was "General Neyland," after legendary former University of Tennessee head football coach and former U.S. Army officer Robert Neyland, who coached the last team in NCAA football history (the 1939 Volunteers) to hold all of its regular-season opponents scoreless. Neyland won four national championships at Tennessee.
Second prize, and $7,500, went to Richard Hardy Memorial School in South Pittsburg, for the entry "Big Squirt."
Third prize, and $2,500, went to both Griffith Elementary School and Whitwell Elementary School, for the entry "Ole' Smokey."
Winners are invited to a picnic on April 2 at Pat's Summit Pavilion, at the entrance of the Jasper Highlands community, and checks will be handed out then.
The new Jasper Highlands Fire Department is manned by 14 volunteer firefighters who live in the Jasper Highlands community atop Jasper Mountain. Thornton is also a certified volunteer firefighter for the department.
Jasper Highlands formed its own volunteer fire department this year after surrounding volunteer fire departments failed to respond to a vehicle fire in the 9,000-acre private, upscale development last fall, resulting in a resident's vehicle burning.
Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.