Gene Ward and Jeannie Seely Collection

Gene Ward

Eugene “Gene” Ward was born in White Pine, Jefferson County, Tennessee, on September 28, 1932. He was appointed Assistant General Counsel to the Tennessee Public Service Commission on July 1, 1961, and appointed General Counsel from January 1966 to May 1980. Gene Ward served as an Administrative Law Judge on approximately 400 Commission cases.

Appointed staff attorney for Nashville Electric Service (NES) in 1980 and, in March 1986, appointed as General Counsel for NES. In addition to heading the legal department, he represented NES in governmental affairs before the General Assembly of Tennessee and the United States Congress.

Gene officially retired from his position of Vice-President and General Counsel at NES on January 1, 2011.

In 2005, he was honored to be inducted into the Lincoln Memorial University’s Professional Hall of Fame.

Gene was recognized by the Mayor of Nashville, Freddie O'Connell, for his outstanding contributions to the state of Tennessee and his unwavering dedication to public service, leadership, and community.

Outside the courtroom, Ward dedicated his life to helping others through his church and community organizations, earning numerous awards for his philanthropic work. In 1976, the Tennessee General Assembly named the bridge at I-81 mile marker four the Eugene “Mose” Ward Overpass. In 2005, he joined Lincoln Memorial University's Professional Hall of Fame.

He was a member of the Leadvale Masonic Lodge and Al Menah Shrine Temple and supported his local community through his involvement with the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Country Music Association (CMA).

- Eugene Ward Obituary, https://www.springhillfh.com/obituaries/eugene-ward-11/obituary

Jeannie Seely

Born on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Jeannie was raised on a farm along a dirt road outside of nearby Townville located in the northwest corner of the Keystone State At age 21, Jeannie packed everything she could into her car, shipped the rest to "General Delivery, Los Angeles", and headed west. […] She began writing songs for Four Star Music and became a regular act, along with an unknown Glen Campbell, on the Hollywood Jamboree television series. Her songwriting led to her own recording contract on Challenge Records, and a couple regional hits and a West Coast tour resulted.

Jeannie Seely received the "Most Promising Female Artist" award in 1964 from the Country and Western Academy which later became the Academy of Country Music. A year later upon the encouragement of friend Dottie West who'd recorded one of her songs, Jeannie moved to Nashville where she signed with Monument Records. Her chart-topping hit "Don't Touch Me" resulted in Jeannie becoming only the third female country artist to receive a Grammy Award. After receiving the "Most Promising New Artist" awards from Cashbox, Record World, and Billboard, Jeannie subsequently went on to appear on Billboard's country singles chart for 13 consecutive years.

On September 16, 1967, Jeannie Seely was inducted as a member of the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. With fellow Opry member Jack Greene, she formed one of the most successful duets and road shows in country music history. A BMI-awarded songwriter, Jeannie Seely's songs were recorded by [many] Country Music Hall of Fame members. Jeannie's composition "Yours" was named "Song of the Year" at the 2022 Arkansas Country Music Awards. […] Jeannie served as a radio disc jockey on her own Armed Forces Network, traveled on military tours throughout Europe and Asia, and published her own book titled Pieces Of A Puzzled Mind.

In 2018 Jeannie Seely was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame which represents all genres of music. At the inaugural Donelson Hermitage Chamber of Commerce Influencing Women Awards Gala in 2019, the first "Standing Ovation Award" was presented to Jeannie – and then her name was added to the annual award. In 2022, Jeannie was the honored recipient of the Legacy Award at The Nashville Women in Film & Television WIFT ALICE Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner. In 2022 Jeannie was recognized on the nationally televised Country Music Association (CMA) Awards Show, in 2023 she received the CMA's prestigious Joe Talbot Award, and in 2024 she was honored by SOURCE with the esteemed Jo Walker-Meador Lifetime Achievement Award.

With the release of her single "Suffertime" in 2024 accompanied by a music video and short documentary, Jeannie Seely established a new record as the vocalist with the longest timespan (60 years) between recording sessions at historic RCA Studio B on Music Row. Following Jeannie's 5,381st performance on the Grand Ole Opry in September 2024, the "Jeannie Seely Interchange" was dedicated at the Briley Parkway exit to the Grand Ole Opry House. In March 2025, Sony Music Publishing Nashville celebrated Jeannie Seely during Women's History Month by releasing three reimagined versions of her songs as collaborations with rising female artists.

Jeannie Seely's last public appearance was on March 1, 2025, when she attended the rebranded opening of the Legends of Country Music Museum located in Nashville's Music Valley area. Jeannie's image appears on the outside of the building, and she is honored inside with an updated exhibit. In April 2025, the Studio Space at the SAG-AFTRA office on Music Row was named in Jeannie Seely's honor. Until the time of her death, Jeannie proudly served as the producer for the bluegrass group Cutter & Cash and The Kentucky Grass and she was planning to produce their next recording session. - Excerpts from Jeannie Seely's website, https://www.jeannieseely.com/