Lt. Colonel Thomas Stuart Woodson

WOODSON, LT. COLONEL THOMAS STUART, AUS, Ret. - died in Knoxville, August 23, 2000, at age 78. He was born in Chattanooga to Ryland D. Marguerite Dobson Woodson, both of whom predeceased him. The family moved to Alabama when he was two years old, his father being employed by Alabama Power Co. Woodson started his schooling in Alabama, but returned to Tennessee to stay with relatives and continue his schooling in Knoxville, later enrolling in Tennessee Military Institute (TMI) in Sweetwater, where he was a member of the football team. He spend five years at TMI, the last year as a tutor. Woodson had hoped to receive an appointment to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point upon graduation in 1940, but when that did not occur, he took employment at ALCOA. He enrolled at Auburn University in 1942, but the military called some three months later and he entered the United States Army as a second lieutenant. After training in Camp Robinson, AR, Camp Forrest, Tenn., Fort Lewis, Wash. and in the Southern California desert, he was sent overseas to see service in Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Eniwetok and Okinawa. Released from active duty in 1945, he returned home to Clanton, AL, where he met and married Edith Newell. Woodson had intended to re-enter Auburn, but scarce housing led him to come to Knoxville and the University of Tennessee. He graduated from UT in 1948 with a degree in electrical engineering. While at the University, he was named to Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu, honorary fraternities. Later, he became a member of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE). He accepted employment with Douglas Aircraft Co., El Segundo, Calif., upon graduation but returned to Knoxville after two years and was employed by the Tennessee Valley Authority, from which he retired in 1982. He was a long-time member of Church Street United Methodist Church in Knoxville, serving in a number of capacities, including the Administrative Board and the Building and Grounds Committee. He was a member of the Tennessee Society, Sons of the Revolution, a Kentucky "Colonel" and a Tennessee "Squire". Though discharged from active duty as a first lieutenant, Woodson rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel through his continued service in the Army Reserve, serving as a commander 996th Signal Corps unit and as an instructor for the Command and General Staff School. For many years he maintained a Military Affiliate System (MARS) radio station at Knoxville's Army Reserve Center. During the Vietnam war, he relayed many messages between deployed service members and their dependents at home. Lt. Colonel Woodson was an active member and leader in the Reserve Officers Association of the United States (ROA). He served as president of both the Knoxville Chapter, the Tennessee Department and as Tennessee's National Councilman. He was a member of the Knoxville Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW). His wife of 54 years, Edith Newell Woodson, survives, as do the following: sons and daughters-in-law, Robert S. and Katherine Woodson and Thomas W. and Jenny Woodson; grandchildren, Andrew A. Thurman, Kristina T. Grzep and husband Christopher, Matthew Stuart Woodson, Jessica C. Woodson, Cassie W. Jones and husband Jason, Gabriel T. Woodson and Gracie Woodson; also, great-granddaughter, Sidney K. Grzep. Other survivors: brothers and sisters-in-law, William D. and Elizabeth Woodson and Herbert M. and Jeanie Newell; sisters and brothers-in-law, Martha W. and Larry Faulk and Juanita Newell and Roy L. Hayes, and sister, Wanda Newell Gernhofer; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins survive also. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 26, 10:30 a.m., at Church Street United Methodist Church, Rev. William J. Fowler officiating. The family will receive friends one one-and-half hours in the church chapel following the funeral. Graveside interment services in Woodlawn Cemetery will be private. Memorials may be made to Church Street United Methodist Church or Vine International, PO Box 52086, Knoxville, TN 37950. Berry Funeral Home, Chapman Hwy., in charge of arrangements. www.berryfuneralhome.com