As published in the Historic Union County magazine in April of 2019, an article written by Shannon Carey stated Jim Houston had a real heart for helping others.
He made it his career, both paid and unpaid, to serve the people of Union County, often giving life-saving aid with his work in the Union County Rescue Squad.
Houston was born in Sharps Chapel near Johnson Hollow and Horseshoe Bend. Before moving to Shady Acres across from Postmaster Road, Houston continued to work the family farm, and it’s where he hosted the annual molasses making, well known throughout the county.
In Jim’s younger years he attended Rush Strong School for first through eighth grades. At Horace Maynard High School, he played football and was president of the FFA and the Glee Club. He graduated in 1959.
Career highlights include the Soil Conservation Service, Container Corporation of America, Dempster Brothers, jailer/dispatcher for the Union County Sheriff’s Office and an EMT for the Union County Ambulance Service. In 1994, Houston was elected County Clerk and served for 12 years. During his time in office he met his wife, Meryl.
Houston told Shannon Carey that one of his greatest services was helping organize the Union County Rescue Squad in 1963. He was working at the Soil Conservation Service at the time, and another young man there had gotten in to CB radios. Houston got a CB, too. Soon, the CB club was helping a local doctor coordinate distribution of the polio vaccine.
Before the Rescue Squad, emergencies were handled by individuals in the community. Houston and like-minded young people looked to change that.
“When we started out, we had a 1950 panel truck that somebody donated. We got it painted, and we had a fire extinguisher and some rope, and buddy, we were in business,” said Houston.
“When starting out, finding lost persons was the main thing we did. Then we got some extrication equipment and took some training in first aid and so forth. We just improved on up over the years. We made our own equipment to drag the lake.
“This was back before any fire departments were organized except Maynardville. Back in the early ’70s, we had a pumper on a pickup truck that held 250 gallons of water. We put out a lot of house fires with that.”
Houston taught CPR and first aid starting in 1968. He served as secretary and treasurer for the rescue squad for many years and served as captain from 1970 to 1992. He also served as Region 2 Vice President for TARS, serving rescue squads from Chattanooga to Middlesboro, Scott County to Sevierville, before stepping down from the post.
All the hard work, long nights and stress can take its toll. Houston said emergency situations are worse for him if children are involved, “but that’s just part of being rescue, I suppose. You just have to put it out of your mind and go about your job.”
Houston continued to go on rescues long after retirement. It was his drive to help people that kept him going.
“It’s just a drive I’ve always had,” he said. “I’ve always said that if you can help save one life, all your training and everything is worth it.”
After retirement from the Union County Clerk’s Office, Houston stayed busy “farming and piddling” around the family’s 60-acre farm.
He stayed active with the rescue squad and continued helping out with the Union County Christmas Parade, which he helped organize in the early 1980s. According to his good friend Reuben Stansbury, who has been in the rescue squad since 1965, Houston was the only charter member still with the squad.
He loved keeping the clock for basketball games at Union County High School, a service he performed faithfully since 1957.
“I’ve seen a lot of good ball players come through,” he said. “I just enjoyed it, and I still enjoy it.”
Houston loved living in Sharps Chapel. and stated in the interview with Carey, “I just feel like Sharps Chapel is the best community around, and it’s a good place to raise a family and so forth. I just never did desire to go anywhere else.”