Sheffield City Schools - Part II

Sheffield City Schools have for decades relied on a fund set up by Sheffield businessman L. E. Willson. Now questions have arisen about the stability of this fund...or even its continued existence. Here's a brief history of the fund from a Sheffield historian:

Col. L.E. Willson was a wealthy businessman who was originally from Kansas. After WWI, he somehow ended up in Sheffield where he bought the Tennessee Sand & Gravel Company as well as Arrow Transportation, the largest barge company that ran on the Tennessee River at that time. He was a HUGE supporter of education, and he contributed to several school and scholarship funds in various places. 

However, when he died in the 60s, the bulk of his estate went to Sheffield City Schools. It did not go to L.E. Willson or any other individual school. Instead, it was left with the directive that the money be used to fund Sheffield teachers in their pursuits of postgraduate degrees. Willson had already provided the funding for school trips, technological advances, and other projects that directly benefited Sheffield’s schools and students while he was alive. His will stated that from that point forward, he wanted Sheffield to be able to hire and keep the best teachers, and he thought that the best way to do that was to pay for all advanced degrees. 

The interest accrued from Willson’s gift was the source of the funding. There was a stipulation that the principal was never to be touched. The money COULD NOT be used for any purpose other than teachers’ advanced degrees, per Willson’s will.

Col. Willson had given so much money that the initial gift, along with accrued interest, should have never run out. The depletion of the Col. Willson fund began with Dr. Roger Tomberlin. He somehow found a loophole that justified his paying for running fiber optic cables throughout the school system with money from that fund. 

Teachers’ graduate degrees stopped being paid for during Keith Lankford's tenure. It paid for every teacher’s degree from 1965 until Lankford arrived in 2015. It was then allegedly gone within three years. Teachers’ graduate degrees simply stopped being paid for during Lankford's years here.

We would advise any interested and concerned citizens in Sheffield to ask to see the financial records for this fund. It might not bring any of the money back, but at least the public would know where it went.