Dear Friends:
First, I’d like to say thank you to all of you for accepting me with such open arms. Your graciousness, forgiving spirt, and love has made this transition much easier for me personally and professionally. A trusted, close friend told me when I was deciding whether to come back home or not, that “you can always go home because home never leaves you.” My fear was that you did leave me. As I gladly found out, not a single soul abandoned me. From the bottom of my heart and with all that I am, thank you, thank you, thank you.
How can I follow in my father’s footsteps? The Gazette and Gazette publishing lay testament to all that Jensen Muirfield accomplished. As large as his professional and civic lives are, his heart is a million times bigger. Forevermore, his humanitarian and benevolent activities also will be commemorated. I am so proud to announce:
THE JENSEN HOUSE
The Jensen House will be a sanctuary for orphaned and at-risk children, including the fourteen presently being housed at Brinson Falls Church. Our goal is to make The Jensen House the best facility of its kind in Tennessee, and perhaps all the south.
Questions have been asked how this project could just suddenly appear out of nowhere. I wasn’t such a believer in Christmas miracles until this perfect storm of events transpired. (By the way, answering this question also helps inform you of the future of The Gazette.) The city offered to buy the Gazette building during the recent renovation of downtown. The offer was originally turned down.
The Gatlinburg Times and The Gazette partnered in December. The Times inheriting most of our employees and buying our presses. They also receive our subscriber and advertiser list. All operations will be moved to the Times offices in Gatlinburg. Thus, the daily newspaper known as the Gazette will no longer exist. More on this later.
Talks between Mayor Pegram, the city of Brinson Falls and Gazette Publishing re-energized after the partnership agreement. Gazette Publishing agreed to the sale with the stipulation that the building be used for the children’s facility. The city is going to reface the building to fit seamlessly with the rest of the downtown alpine village.
The transformation from office building to children’s facility will take some time and money. Gazette Publishing, The Gatlinburg Times, the City of Brinson Falls, Johns Hopkins Hospital,and the southwestern Tennessee Diocese have all made large donations. We have just learned today that the state has given the project a rather sizable grant-even though The Jensen House will remain a private non-profit organization. What all this means is the project has the funds necessary to fast track it’s completion. Thank you to all involved and keep checking back as we will continue to cover the renovation’s progress. Jensen House ,and keeping our children, is truly a Christmas miracle!