Community High gym to be named for Brothers

Tonight, Community families will gather to celebrate the first basketball game in their new gymnasium on a new campus. Parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, friends and neighbors will be in the stands to cheer on their beloved Vikings and Viqueens as they start their inaugural season at 1140 Unionville-Deason Road. However, these individuals will take a moment prior to the tipoff to remember and memorialize the accomplishments of a man who gave his life giving back to others. The new Community High School gymnasium will be named the Roger K. Brothers Gymnasium.

Roger Brothers was a lifelong member of the Unionville community. As a 1964 graduate of Community High School, Brothers was an avid supporter of the school and community events all of his life. He graduated from the Nashville Auto Diesel College in 1966. However, after he joined the Tennessee National Guard in 1965, he began a career in the Guard and retired in 2003 as a chief warrant officer. During his service he was presented many citations and awards including an accounting degree while in service. These accounting skills were extended to his budget expertise as a county commissioner.

Brothers had a passion and heart for public service. His civic service included chairman of the Northwest Bedford Utility District where three utility districts were consolidated. He was instrumental in securing funding to build the water treatment plant at Halls Mills that serves the many families in Bedford County.

In 1978, Brothers was elected to the county commission for the 3rd District where he served for 30 years. He served on many committees but was most noted for his service on the finance committee for 18 years. He was also a member of the Senior Citizens Board, Ambulance Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and the Nursing Home Board.

Other civic involvements included: charter member of the Unionville Volunteer Fire Department, Little League and Babe Ruth baseball coach, officer of the Unionville Junior Pro Basketball League, Civil Defense Auxiliary, charter member of the Unionville Jaycees, and was selected Jaycees' Man of the Year. Many would recognize Brothers on the basketball hardwood or softball field where he made the calls that were not always popular with the fans as a TSSAA referee and umpire.

Education advocate

Throughout Brothers' life, especially during his tenure as a commissioner, he was an advocate for education, as he worked tirelessly with his fellow commissioners to secure funds for building projects, teacher raises and overall operating budget for the improvement of education in Bedford County. Most recently, evidence of his support of education was reflected in his leadership role as Finance Committee Chair in securing the funds for the school system to buy three plots of property for expansions at Cascade, Liberty, and Community schools.

Funding was also secured to complete Cascade Elementary, construct Harris Middle School, expand and renovate Shelbyville Central High School. As funding was requested for Shelbyville Central High School, Brothers realized the need for two more schools; therefore he engineered a plan to secure funding to build not only Shelbyville Central High School, but also funds to build Learning Way Elementary and Community High School--without the burden of a tax increase. This happened only as a result of leadership, expertise, creative thinking, hard work, and determination.

During the last few years Brothers suffered from serious health conditions and was on kidney dialysis. However, unless he was hospitalized, his faithful wife and companion, Janice, was always by his side as they attended every meeting until his death.

The naming of the new gymnasium at Community High School is a tribute to Roger K. Brothers. The Brothers family has always given their time to their communities as public servants.

Their father, Leland Brothers, who served many years as a school board member, once said "that we should do all we can to make our community and the world better than it was before we got here." In keeping with this philosophy, the challenge is given that we all work together to make life for our children and community better than it was yesterday. Roger Brothers did this every day until he took his last breath.

The public is invited to celebrate the dedication of service Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. prior to the girls' game in Unionville.

-- Martin is a member of Bedford County Board of Education representing the Third District, which includes Community High School.