Bonnie Heiskell Peters
Union County Historian since 1994
Bonnie Heiskell Peters was born on a farm in Union County in 1935. Her parents, Dempsy Valpo and Elsie Seymour Heiskell, had 12 children - 6 boys and 6 girls.
Bonnie said she remembers when World War II happened. She was a young girl. Four of her brothers were off to war. The two older brothers, Roscoe and Fred, were married and had a family, so they were not called to the service. Only two of her sisters were left at home—Johnny and Rosella, with her and her mother. The other three, Ola, Dorothy and Joanna, were married.
Her Father passed in 1944 and the boys that were in the service were all out of the states except Ben. He was the only one who got to return home and joined his family for the funeral. The others had to be informed by a letter written by sister Ola. Times were different back then. There were no emails, no Facebook or Twitter and the family had no phone.
Bonnie met her husband, Sam Peters, during a church outing. Mary Charles Mynatt Merritt invited Bonnie on a skating trip to Fountain City Skating Rink with her church group from Cedar Ford Church, where Sam attended. She got to know Sam there and later he called and they started dating.
On June 17, 1953, Sam and Bonnie were married by Loy Shelton at Cedar Ford Baptist Church in Luttrell, Tennessee. The couple made their home in Fountain City where they raised their daughter Sherry Peters Hensley.
Bonnie was educated at Strayer University and The University of Tennessee. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with minors in English and Management and a CPS (Certified Professional Secretary) Certification.
Bonnie’s first job was at JC Penney’s in the women’s shoe department. She was 16 years old and made $0.75 per hour. Her friends, Shirley Rutherford and Carolyn Keck, were working down the street making $0.50 cents per hour: boy was she proud. Her other jobs were at Park Bank and then on to Group Health in Washington, DC.
Bonnie worked at Park Bank while Sam was in the Army and traveling around to various places. He ended up in Washington DC and thought this would be a good place for her so she joined him. She got a job with Group Health Association.
While in DC, Sam started working with Trans World Airlines as a ticket agent. Later an opening was available for Delta Airlines in Knoxville, so they moved home.
Bonnie became a career federal employee. She spent most of her career in intergovernmental relations, coordinating federal projects with state and local governments and with the President’s Office of Management and Budget. She also served as TVA Employee Suggestion Program and served as Assistant Manager of their Employee Recognition Program for 34,000 employees.
Bonnie began significant history projects upon her retirement in 1990 and was appointed Union County Historian in February 1994. It has been said by one columnist, “Bonnie is a walking encyclopedia of this area. She has spent most of her life searching for and finding buried treasures. Bonnie gives her readers a glimpse back into the everyday lives of everyday people.”
Bonnie has numerous professional and community affiliations, founded Adopt-A-Spot Beautification Program (1982), and she has served on several boards, among them are Friends of the Maynardville Public Library, the Knoxville YMCA, Fountainhead Conservatory of Music, Florence Crittenton Agency; life member Union County Historical Society, Knoxville Friends of the Library, East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville Dulcimer Club, Southern Regional Steering Committee Child Welfare League of America, United Way, National Management Association, Union County Business and Professional Association.
Recent endeavors are President, Inskip Lions, Guiding Lion for Union County Lions Club, East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, Union County Cemeteries Association. She was a columnist for Shopper News for more than 20 years and is presently writing for Historic Union County.com. She is also a Master Gardener.
Bonnie has written several books which include:
• Early Heiskells and Hyskells of America, 2nd and 3rd editions
• Our Union County Families, co-authored with the late Winnie Palmer McDonald
• Union County Faces of War, co-authored with the late Winnie Palmer McDonald
• History of Pleasant Grove Methodist Church
• Union County School Day Memories
• History of Hansard Chapel Methodist Church
• Mark Monroe: An East Tennessee Pioneer, co-authored with the late Sam Peters
• Tales from The Hills and Hollows of East Tennessee
• More Tales from the Hills and Hollows of East Tennessee
To order books or for more information, write Bonnie at 3212 Curtis Lane, Knoxville, TN 37918 or call 865-687-3842.
As said by the late John Rice Irwin, I am most familiar with Bonnie’s knowledge and writing skills relative to various historical aspects of this region. I have found her to be one of the very best writers of local history. She is a meticulous and a thorough writer on the subject and is a careful and accurate researcher.