the 8,900 acres Thunder Enterprises acquired or optioned to buy at Jasper Mountain in 2008. Buyers are eager to find a dream home in scenic Tennessee, and were able to offer them a great extension of the community weve created at Jasper Highlands., A man told police that a woman was seen by a neighbor on the back porch of his property. Half our revenue comes from readers like you, meaning we literally couldn't do this work without you. I wanted nothing more than to pursue my dream of acting, which I learned here at the University of Tennessee, she told the December 2015 graduating class at commencement where she received an honorary masters degree in fine arts. As Chief Executive Officer John "Thunder" Thornton, a Blount County native, put it, Bradshaw is the company's "captain.". In 1982, he caught the bus for Hollywood where he has found continued acting successfirst in commercials before branching out into television, theater and film. Before Everlan, Jezek lived in an apartment on Chattanooga's Northshore, but the situation wasn't quite right, she recalls. Haven't been able to find it online anywhere since. It won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Despite two stints of studying at the University of Tennessee, the writer known as Cormac McCarthy never completed a degree. But both of the mountaintop developments, along with the new Cameron Harbor project taking shape on the former Rarity Club on Nickajack Lake, is drawing local workers and relocating seniors. Lot sales for River Gorge Ranch began in May 2022. Similar to Jasper Highlands, most of the homebuyers are expected to be retirees or near-retirees, although the development is not age restricted. John Thornton, the owner of Thunder Enterprises, said he expects Aetna Mountain to double the amount of the investment in Jasper Highlands, a similar mountaintop gated community that Thornton developed over the past decade just 9 miles further west along Interstate 24. His brown eyes almost gleam. I remember catching something on TV a couple years back highlighting John "Thunder" Thornton's massive 25,000 SF home. I was googling My name too see how many others there were in this country. Developer Thornton said of the huge new tract, The property is an incredible piece of Tennessee land with the river encompassing it and multiple bluffs, creating sweeping views of the valley below. Thornton says if he is successful with the donation, it will mean a significant tax deduction for his operation, but that is only a minor role in this drama. Then there are individuals such as John "Thunder" Thornton, a significant UT donor who has made a wealthy career through being a high-profile Chattanooga developer and founding Thunder . "The No. Thursday, November 4, 2021 Developer John "Thunder" Thornton said his Jasper Highlands community is selling out much faster than expected, and he has acquired another 7,400 acres of mountaintop. All rights reserved. Although there are several multimillion-dollar homes on the brow built or planned at Jasper Highlands, the average 2,000-square-foot home at Jasper Highlands is priced at about $650,000. "I think the draw of our county is the beauty of this area with the river and our mountains, combined with a very low property tax rate and cost of living," said Marion County Mayor David Jackson. The lawsuit went to trial in Marion County in December, and a consent judgment of more than $15.4 million including costs and attorney's fees was entered against Ross, who represented himself during the trial. Before moving to Everlan, he owned a townhome in East Ridge. "There's just so much to do in the community," Julie says of the mountaintop village. "It's a beautiful piece of property with 23 miles on the brow, with three-fourths of the brow lots looking down on the Tennessee River Gorge. "Independent living wasn't 'a thing' when we were growing up," says Fincher, a baby boomer herself. Thornton says he will sell a few more and put two or three aside for himself. Fincher says her oldest tenant right now is 98 years old; and she has about eight residents who are in their 50s, the youngest of whom is 54 years old. , . John "Thunder" Thornton was born and grew up in Maryville, Tennessee. We love and take care of each other here.". Put all that together and that's what drove us here.". Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. * Chattanooga money experts weigh in on the baby boomer retirement wave and share advice on reaching the golden years in financial comfort. Studying here gave me my life, Dickey told the new graduates in Knoxville, so anything I can do to inspire and keep peoples dreams goingthats what I want to do.. "He was a big, burly guy who could be mean as a hornet, but for the most part, he was a gentle giant who loved people and loved to take care of folks. By 2034, the Census Bureau estimates there will be 77 million people 65 years and older compared to 76.5 million under the age of 18. Read Later Add to Favourites Report. At 4 feet 11 inches, Leslie Jordan stands tall for comedy. [5] Before Everlan, he had started to suffer from loneliness. He also fought to include African Americans in state delegations to NEA conventions and later persuaded UT trustees to integrate undergraduate education, admitting the first African American students in 1961. Other TV shows in which he has appeared include Ugly Betty, Hearts Afire, Nash Bridges, Boston Legal, Reba, Sordid Lives and Star Trek: Voyager. She has returned to UT Knoxvilles Clarence Brown Theater to star in Steel Magnolias (1990), Our Countrys Good (1994), The Rainmaker (2001), A Streetcar Named Desire (2009) and Sweeney Todd (2012). "We were sold immediately," says Julie. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "There's a lot of camaraderie. His death was announced Wednesday on the Facebook page of Thunders Tavern, the Pascagoula night spot and live music venue he had owned since 1977. State Sen. Janice Bowling, R-Tullahoma, chief sponsor of the bill to allow municipal broadband service across Tennessee, blamed pressure by AT&T's 27 paid lobbyists in Nashville for killing her proposals. The finest fly-fishing water in the nation runs through his ranch. He believes this woman was attempting to break into his home. We couldn't be more excited to be kicking this project off.". But this is the greatest state in the country.". Companies tied to Chattanooga developer John "Thunder" Thornton have agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a state of Tennessee complaint alleging legal violations over the Jasper Highlands water. Census data predicts that by 2030, in a historical first, the United States will have more people over the age of 65 than children under 18. 865-974-4351, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville He earned the bachelor's degree in business management from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1975. Senator. All Rights Reserved, Tennessean buys chunk of Wyoming, aims to give it away. $1.5 billion of homes, resort planned over next decade. He was a character, said former Pascagoula police officer Chuck Fowler of his friend of some 30 years. John "Thunder" Thornton was one of those people. A recent study by University of Tennessee at Chattanooga economist Bento Lobo estimates Jasper Highlands will bring nearly $700 million of new investment into Marion County by the time the property buyers build homes on their lots over the next decade. , , , , , , . . He has served as a trustee on the board of the University of Tennessee and as a board member of several UT-affiliated enterprises. As senator, Sasser served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee from1989 until he relinquished his seat to Frist. Lawyer. "Jasper Highlands has been a tremendous project, but this could easily be double that investment," Thornton said in a recent interview about his latest project. John 'Thunder' Thornton wins $15.4M judgment against Mike Ross, Tennessee suspends sales tax on groceries for 3 months, UPDATE: Volkswagen Chattanooga employees, and driver identified, Woman abducted in Chattanooga and beaten for four days, Georgia medical marijuana stores open, ending long struggle, High school senior graduating two years early offered admission at more than 170 colleges and more than $9 million in scholarships, New details on two Hixson Elementary employees under investigation, One killed, two injured when vehicle hits pedestrians near Volkswagen plant, Chattanooga police make arrests in Saturday shooting/pursuit at Hamilton Place Mall, Coalmont Elementary closing at end of school year, Great week for restaurants in the Tennessee Valley, no restaurants fail inspections, Opening weekend for the Chattanooga Market, Chattanooga Radio Control Club hosts free flying event, East Ridge City Library Celebrates 50 years. 1015 Volunteer Boulevard It's like owning diamond mines in South Africa. Johnny was born on February 17, 1951 in Carthage, Mississippi. JOHN THORNTON, 44, of Chattanooga, is rich, but not Forbes Four Hundred rich. A native of Maryville, Tenn., he started his business life peddling knockoffs of oriental carpets. At the time they began building, there were fewer than 40 homes atop Jasper Mountain. "People have a preconceived notion of what a retirement community is going to be. He left an indelible mark as a legendary University of Tennessee president who transformed the university by turning it into a statewide system of higher education. Thornton has launched himself into developing part of the Crescent H, built in the late 1920s by Heinz Ketchup money. From that day forward, they kept their eyes on the new community and did their research on the developers, Thunder Enterprises. Thornton and Bradshaw say they were ready for the demand created during the pandemic. John Thornton, the owner of Thunder Enterprises, said he expects Aetna Mountain to double the amount of the investment in Jasper Highlands, a similar mountaintop gated community that. Not in terms of acreage. PHOTO COURTESY KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). John "Thunder" Thornton sits in his pickup truck, high on a Wyoming summit, and looks out over the shimmering scenery. That year at homecoming, he was invited to run through the T along with Vol football players before the start of the game. Everlan resident John Wilson agrees. One story, in fact, holds that when Thornton arrived on the Oxford campus, Manning was assigned as Thorntons big brother, to show the freshman the ropes. Stay persistent.. He has been captain . All of them.". An extremely popular dance and night club the Tavern had to be closed upon Mr. Thornton's death in 2019. Only these diamonds swim in pristine waters. There is no visible damage to the residence. He graduated from Knoxville Catholic High School in 1951 and completed one year at UT Knoxville before he joined the U.S. Air Force. The new development is just west of the 2,600-acre Black Creek Mountain development atop the Raccoon Mountain ridge west of downtown Chattanooga. Under Holt, enrollment tripled; faculty and staff doubled; eight new buildings were added to the Knoxville campus; funding increased 400 percent; the Martin campus added graduate programs; the Space Institute was established in Tullahoma; the formerly private University of Chattanooga became part of the new UT System; and a distinguished science program was initiated in cooperation with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. 1,121, with his net worth totaling $1.6 billion. Here are a few of UTs favorite adopted sons and daughters. Then shortly before Sasser left China, NATO troops mistakenly bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, sparking violent protests in Beijing. "There's about 200 acres of land represented in seven tracts that have already been mapped out," he says. Bill Gates claimed the title of the richest person in the world for the fourth year in a row and for the. He has sold 16 of the 23 tracts that will be developed. He began his business career selling knockoffs of oriental carpets. His novel All the Pretty Horses won the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992. John C. Thornton has been chief executive officer of Thunder Enterprises since he founded the company in 1991the first of many successful business ventures he established. They noticed a line of people buzzing in and out of another room and decided to investigate. Sasser handily won reelection in 1982 and 1988 but lost to Bill Frist in 1994. "Most of these sites will be 1 to 1.5 acres in size, with plenty of open areas to provide the privacy most people always wanted but still with a sense of community," said Dane Bradshaw, president of Jasper Highlands. In 1984 he founded American Rug Craftsman, the nations largest producer of decorative floor mats. About 200 of the 1,300 lots are now occupied with residents in homes, and more than 100 other houses in Jasper Highlands are under construction. PHOTO BY JACK PARKER FOR TORCHBEARER MAGAZINE Copyright 2023, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Inc. After his death was announced on Facebook, a flood of comments expressing condolences were posted, many including fond memories of Thornton. For Julie and Dave Harp, it was the sweeping views of the Tennessee River that sealed the deal. We also have more land on top of the mountain for home sites and for green spaces than we did on Jasper Mountain.". "There was the lower cost of living. There are probably thousands of stories the citizens of Pascagoula could tell you where Thunder stepped up to the plate and paid for things he didnt have to, but did it out of the kindness of his heart.. "Everything was so light and airy and fresh and new," she remembers. John Lawson Thornton (born January 2, 1954) is an American businessman and professor and director of the Global Leadership Program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. AKIN, PEYTON KYLE Fly fishing here is a religion, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue each year for Teton County and other surrounding communities. Just off of the Interstate 24 Haletown exit, Exit 161, River Gorge Ranch will be about a 20-minute drive to Chattanooga and will offer a similar appeal to what has drawn retirees and other homebuyers from 48 states and eight different countries to Jasper Highlands, according to Dane Bradshaw, president of Thunder Enterprises. Thunder has been an icon here in the city for many, many, many years, said Pascagoula mayor and lifelong Thornton friend Dane Maxwell. . UT Tower 1248C However this isn't This case. Thornton said when he approached AT&T about providing Gig service to Jasper Highlands he was quoted a price of $1.3 million to serve his mountaintop development more than three times what it ended up costing Thornton to build his own network connected to Alabama. Join Facebook to connect with John Thunder Thornton and others you may know. He won a 2006 Emmy for best guest actor in a comedy series with his portrayal of Beverley Leslie on Will and Grace. Bob Tamasy: What Does A Life Worth Living Require? Eventually he. "Try to find 7,500 acres within 20 minutes of a metropolitan city anywhere, but to find this scenic site next to such a great city like Chattanooga is about impossible," he said. Hed sit there swiveling in that old barber chair all night, listening to music and people would stand there and hang out with him, Blackman said. "That's why I think Jasper Highlands was so successful, and we hope Aetna Mountain will be as well.". "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. "The property is an incredible piece of Tennessee land with the river encompassing it and multiple bluffs, creating sweeping views of the valley below," said Thornton, CEO of Thunder Enterprises. Sasser then served as U.S. ambassador to China from 1996 to 1999 under President Bill Clinton. Amid the pandemic in 2021, the state emerged as the top destination state for Americans retiring outside their home state, according to the Census Bureau. Similar to the Harps, Juanita Jezek knew she had found her new home the moment she walked through the front door. A high-profile Chattanooga developer has won a multi-million-dollar judgment against Rarity Communities developer Mike Ross, but whether he collects it is another question. Rest easy, Big Fellow. He earned the bachelors degree in business management from Tennessee Wesleyan College in 1975. They were subsequently sued by Comcast because Comcast is a monopoly and not unlike this guy. Sasser began his collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, attending from 1954 to 1955 before he transferred to Vanderbilt University.