He wasn’t born near the sea.  He didn’t attend the United States Naval Academy, yet Rear Admiral Stephen Barnett has had a stellar naval career.  From piloting P-3’s during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he held several staff positions before taking command of several Navy Regions.  Now in charge of thousands of sailors and trillions of dollars in naval assets, he commands Navy Region Hawaii.  Join Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan as they learn lessons in leadership from Columbia, Tennessee’s own Admiral Stephen Barnett.

History’s Hook hosts Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan discuss the lives of several African-Americans who started life in Maury County, Tennessee and went on to national acclaim in various pursuits. Included are the stories of renowned chef to the rich and famous, Rufus Estes; Moses McKissack, a brick maker whose descendants include some of the most highly sought-after architects in the world; and Rev. Edmond Kelley, an enslaved man who was able to obtain his own freedom, then that of his wife and children by becoming one of the most influential preachers in the North, all prior to the Civil War. 

Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, although raised in Tennessee in the early 19th century, had a calling for the sea. His scientific approach to the navy led to him earning the nicknames “Pathfinder of the Seas” and the “Father of Oceanography.” Learn all about this important American from an expert, Mr. Russell Hooper, the collector of the Pathfinder Papers.

Elias Polk was born into slavery North Carolina, but grew up in Tennessee.  The majority of his life was spent serving James K. Polk who would eventually become the 11th President.  His life, however, spanned some eighty years, through emancipation, where Elias became politically active in Tennessee.  Join Tom, Barry, and Jo Ann and listen to Elias’ story as told by author and historian Zacharie Kinslow.

Baseball is the quintessential American sport.  Its long history dates back to the mid-19th century.  But the sport has had a fractious history when it came to race relations.  Despite quite a large number of African Americans playing in various leagues along-side white players in the early years of the sport, by the turn of the 20th century, complete segregation took hold.  A number of quote, Negro leagues were formed to allow for African Americans to play the sport, but various factors caused most of them to fail.  Players faced serious discrimination and some stadiums refused to let black teams play at their facilities.It all changed in 1920, when Rube Foster launched the Negro National League. Reformulated several times with new leagues and owners, Negro League baseball enjoyed periods of success in the early 1920s and again after the Great Depression. However, Jackie Robinson’s integration of baseball in 1947 prompted a slow but irreversible influx of talent to the major leagues, and the remaining Negro League teams mostly folded by the 1960s.  Middle Tennessee fielded a number of great African American baseball players and Nashville hosted several Negro League teams.  Including the Villians, the Black Vols, the Elite Giants, and the Stars.On December 16, 2020, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred declared that the seven historic Negro leagues would be recognized as official major leagues, with their players' records and statistics counted in baseball’s record books.Hosts Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan speak to author Dr. Harriet Kimbro-Hamilton, author of several books and articles on women’s sports and Negro League baseball including “Daddy’s Scrapbook: Henry Kimbro of the Negro Baseball League, A Daughter’s Perspective,” which she published in 2015.  In 2017, Dr. Kimbro-Hamilton was inducted into the Fisk University Sports Hall of Fame.

February 25, 1946 was a pivotal day in the history of the country, but no one knew it at the time. Gladys Stephenson and her son James had a disagreement with a local store over their treatment, and an altercation ensued that sparked a serious racial conflict in a community that had a history of strained race relations. The governor called out the National Guard, blood was shed, and people died. More than 100 African Americans were jailed. The subsequent court case featured some of the finest trial lawyers in the country. The incident, remembered as the Columbia Race Riot, was the first such event following World War 2, and marked the first step in the American Civil Rights Movement. Hosts Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan are joined by historian Dr. Gail O’Brien, author of the book The Color of the Law which talks about his pivotal event in American History.

February 25, 1946 was a pivotal day in the history of the country, but no one knew it at the time.  Gladys Stephenson and her son James had a disagreement with a local store over their treatment, and an altercation ensued that sparked a serious racial conflict in a community that had a history of strained race relations.  The governor called out the National Guard, blood was shed, and people died.  More than 100 African Americans were jailed.  The subsequent court case featured some of the finest trial lawyers in the country.  The incident, remembered as the Columbia Race Riot, was the first such event following World War 2, and marked the first step in the American Civil Rights Movement.  Hosts Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan are joined by historian Dr. Gail O’Brien, author of the book The Color of the Law which talks about his pivotal event in American History.

History’s Hook hosts Tom Price and Jo Ann McClellan discuss the lives of several African-Americans who started life in Maury County, Tennessee and went on to national acclaim in various pursuits. Included are the stories of renowned chef to the rich and famous, Rufus Estes; Moses McKissack, a brick maker whose descendants include some of the most highly sought-after architects in the world; and Rev. Edmond Kelley, an enslaved man who was able to obtain his own freedom, then that of his wife and children by becoming one of the most influential preachers in the North, all prior to the Civil War.

Starting life off from the humblest beginnings, Andrew Johnson rose from a simple tailor to a statesman.  The only Southerner to remain in the Senate following secession, Johnson was chosen by Abraham Lincoln as his vice-president in 1864.  Following Lincoln’s assassination a few months later, Johnson found himself hated by many of his fellow Tennesseans and distrusted by the Washington establishment. The first president to be impeached, Johnson was also a brave leader who did his best to heal the nation following the Civil War. Kendra Hinkle, museum specialist at the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site in Greeneville, TN discusses the 17th President.

Tennessee boasts three presidents. Host Tom Price begins his three part presidential series by interviewing the long-time director of the President James K. Polk Home and Museum, John Holtzapple. Polk is one of the least-known presidents in American history, but as you will hear, deserves to be remembered as one of the most successful. His accomplishments include starting the Naval Academy, the modern postal system, and the Independent Treasury System…none of which were his main goals…which he also accomplished in a promised single term of office.