Tennessee Society of St. Louis’ One Hundred Twenty Second Annual Banquet

The Tennessee Society of St. Louis held its One Hundred and Twenty Second Annual Banquet at the St. Louis Woman’s Club to promote fellowship of former Tennesseans residing in Missouri while honoring the state of Tennessee and the 7^th President of the United States Andrew Jackson. The formal event began with cocktails and was followed by dinner, program, keynote address and live entertainment. Society President Marty Moore presided over the program.

Traditional toasts were offered by Kevin Hewgley to the Great State of Tennessee, Hunt Brown to President of the United States Andrew Jackson and William McMahon to the Magnificent & Beautiful Ladies of Tennessee.

The guest speaker, John Tanner, served in the U.S.  House of Representatives for 22 years (1989-2011) for Tennessee’s 8^th Congressional District. Tanner is known and respected for his leadership as a co-founder of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition and was a leader in Congress advocating for a fiscally conservative agenda. A native Tennessean, he received both his undergraduate degree and law degree from the University of Tennessee.  Tanner is a member of the boards of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Atlantic Council, Center Forward and Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. He is a partner at Butler Snow focusing his practice on government relations. Tanner and his wife, Betty Ann, maintain residences in Union City, Tennessee and Washington D.C.

Following the presentation, guests danced to the sounds of Trilogy. The band played long-standing favorites including The Tennessee Waltz and Rocky Top.

The Tennessee Society of St. Louis comprises one of the oldest State Societies in America. The objects and purposes of the Society is to unite ex-Tennesseans and the descendants of Tennesseans residing in the State of Missouri in closer fraternal relations and to promote friendly intercourse among them; to welcome and entertain on fitting occasions distinguished visitors from Tennessee; to provide suitable rendezvous for their meetings and gatherings of the Society; to celebrate appropriately memorable events in the history of the “Old Volunteer State” and to familiarize the members with the important and leading events in the history of the State of Tennessee and the lives of its most prominent citizens, and generally to do whatever will encourage good-fellowship of Tennesseans residing in the State of Missouri.