Dr. John C. Osborn was only 18 months old when his father started dental school, so in a sense, he’s been through it twice.
He grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, but his mother’s family was from Knoxville, so there were plenty of visits to this part of the country.
At 15, Osborn started working in his father’s lab, pouring moldings and such, so it was always front and center as a career path choice. After graduating from high school he moved to Chattanooga for college, then on to Nashville for dental school.

Sometimes we just never know what is around the bend! Recently, while driving a Union County road re-surveying historic properties, my friend, Fern Shumate Smyre, pointed out a little late 1800s dentist’s office on Nave Hill Church Road. It was listed in the 1978 survey of the Tennessee Historical Commission, and we were glad to see that it is still there. The dentist was Doctor Ewin Shumate, the eldest of nine children of Daniel and Louisa Shumate of Claiborne County. Dr. Shumate was born February 11, 1867 and died June 14, 1910. He is buried at Andersonville.