ROBERT E. ELLIS MIDDLE SCHOOL
HISTORY
Robert E. Ellis—The Man and the
Building
Robert Ellis Middle School (est. 1994) proudly boasts two
“histories” that have defined who we are. The first “history” is
our namesake, Mr. Robert E. Ellis. The second is that of our
building, which has played a prominent role in our community for
more than 50 years. We hope that over the course of spending three
years at EMS, our students know and appreciate what and who Ellis
Middle School represents.
Robert Ellis was born in Decatur, AL. He and his wife Betty were
high school sweethearts, and moved to this area in 1960. He began
work in Hendersonville as the Vice President of the local Jones
Lumber Company. He then founded Bob Ellis Century 21 Realtors. Mr.
Ellis was the proud father of 3 beautiful daughters, Lile, Lindy,
and Lu, who have all settled in Hendersonville with their own
families. Lile married C.L. "Buck" Rogers has one daughter, Mary
Kathryn. Lu married Greg Smith and has 3 children, Jake, Katie and
Allie. Lindy married Mike Gaughan has 2 children Jack and Alex.
They also have one deceased daughter, Lauren.
Mr. Ellis also committed countless hours of service to our community
through Rotary International, serving on their leadership board
during his time as a Rotarian and becoming a Paul Harris Fellow.
Our library at Ellis is appropriately named “The Rotary Library”
because of his involvement and Rotary’s generous support of EMS. Mr.
Ellis was a long-time member of the Hendersonville Chamber of
Commerce, Chairman of the Board of Hendersonville Hospital
(currently, Hendersonville Medical Center) who named their medical
office wing after him, served on the Board of the Boy Scouts, and
was an active member of Hendersonville First United Methodist
Church—located directly across Indian Lake Road from our building.
Mr. Ellis’s passion for education began with his service to the
Tennessee School Board Association, where he served as president.
He also gave his time and energy to serve as a Sumner County School
Board member for 18 years. During that time, Sumner County Schools
experienced rapid growth and recognition for superior achievement,
making Sumner County a desirable location for families moving into
the area. Ellis Middle School’s current levels of excellence above
regional and state averages are a direct reflection of Mr. Ellis’s
efforts. In 1994, the Sumner County School Board recognized Robert
Ellis’s contributions by naming the county’s newest middle school in
his honor.
Tragically, in 1987, Mr. Ellis died in an automobile accident on the
very night he was to speak at the annual convention of the Tennessee
School Board Association. The Chamber of Commerce declared “Robert
E. Ellis Day” in his honor and memory after he died, and Ellis
Middle will continue that tradition from now on.
Our building was originally constructed in 1961 as Hendersonville
High School. The round building and “dome” was an architectural
marvel of its time, and currently is one of only three such
structures in Tennessee. Mr. Ellis’s three daughters and
son-in-laws graduated from our building when it was HHS, and Lile
(Rogers) began her teaching career in what is now rooms 705 and
706. (When the building was renovated to be a middle school a wall
was built to make 2 rooms out of one.) When Sumner County Schools
broke ground and constructed the current Hendersonville High School,
our building closed its doors as a high school after graduation in
1992.
Mr. Ellis’s grandchildren, Mary Kathyrn (Rogers) Oliver, and Jack
and Alexandra Gaughan, attended Ellis Middle.
It is fitting that our current building—Robert Ellis Middle
School—reflects high expectations and achievement as well as serves
our community. The Ellis campus is also home to a Sumner County
preschool program and EB Wilson High School Adult Education Program,
yet two more examples of how Mr. Ellis impacts education and our
community.
by Darren Frank
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Mr. Ellis in formal attire,
early 1980’s,
at an event for one of his
many areas of service.
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Mr. Ellis, taken in 1987,
just a few months before
his untimely passing.
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Family Picture, 2010, on the occasion
of Mary Kathryn’s wedding.
Pictured left to right: Jack
Gaughan, Mike Gaughan, Lindy (Ellis) Gaughan, Alex Gaughan, Mrs.
Robert E. Ellis,
Mary Kathryn (Rogers) Oliver, Nathan
Oliver, Lile (Ellis) Rogers, C.L. “Buck” Rogers, Lu (Ellis) Smith,
Greg Smith, Jake Smith,
Katie Smith and Allie Smith are missing
from the family picture.
They were serving as missionaries in
Samoa and Africa when Mary Kathryn got married.
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