John F. Douglas, Jr.

I first met John F. Douglas, Jr., early in 1971 when I called upon his daughter. It must have been a difficult time for him and his wife Bette for I was not a particularly good prospect as a son-in-law. I was working as a bag boy at a local supermarket, had no idea what I wanted to be, and was taking a few classes at the university, although I wasn’t highly motivated and my grades reflected that fact.

By the fall of that year, I married his oldest child. Although my wife hates for me to say it, I really did “ride into the castle wearing my rusty armor, riding on a broken down donkey, and rescued the princess from a life of shallow materialism.”

I was from a blue collar, working class neighborhood. She, the princess, was the daughter of a man who was a vice-president of a national chemical company that, locally, employed over 15,000 people.

If John ever had reservations about the relationship (and how could he not?), I never knew about it. From the first day until the present he was a gracious, friendly man who treated me, and everyone else he ever met, with respect and hospitality.

John Douglas, who worked part-time jobs and received an Air Force ROTC scholarship to put himself through engineering school at the University of Florida, was and is one of the most accomplished men I have ever known.

Having served his country during the Korean War, John took a position with Tennessee Eastman Corporation and over the years advanced through the ranks of business, eventually being tapped for major managerial positions.

John was and is one of the most devout Christian men I have ever known. I don’t know if there was ever a time that he and his family weren’t involved in church. A committed Southern Baptist, he has served as a chairman of the board of deacons, chairman of the finance committee, as a “chief of staff” at a very large church, and numerous other positions, including that of Sunday school teacher.

He was one the prime movers in the founding of Jerusalem House, a ministry that helps to meet the needs of the poor in his community. In many ways, I learned from him what it meant to be a true Christian.

John briefly entered politics and served a term as an alderman in Kingsport and also served the community as president of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the Kingsport Area Community Chest, president of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers, president of the Educational Foundation of the National Society of Professional Engineers, and president of the Cosmopolitan Kiwanis Club. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Getting John to talk about himself is like pulling teeth. He’d much rather talk about Christ, the Bible, his church, his two daughters and two sons, his nine grandchildren, or his nine (with one more on the way) great-grandchildren.

It would have been very difficult to find a better man to have as a father-in-law. Still in great shape at 78 (he goes to the gym almost daily), he and Bette have been married for 57 years, still teach Sunday school, and travel whenever the opportunity arises.

A few weeks ago, the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce presented to him the Lifetime Member Award for his decades of service to the business community. It was only the 17th time in 61 years than someone has been so honored.

Receiving the award in front of 1,200 members of the business community, his acceptance speech was vintage John Douglas. He was humorous, modest, genuinely humbled by the recognition and spoke about the future, about the business heroes of the past, about his faith, and about his family. I couldn’t have been more proud if he was my own dad.

But what really stands out to me is, in the 37-plus years I have known him, John Douglas has always lived the life of Christ. Not talked about it, mind you — lived it.

Whether he was in the mountains of Colorado, on a missions trip to South America, fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, helping to pay someone’s rent or utilities, serving as a consultant to some of America’s premier corporations, or hosting a Sunday school party at his house, he was always simply just a Christian.

He was and is a godly, humble man who lives his faith day by day. That is his greatest achievement and the lasting legacy to his posterity that will never fade away.