Fred Gordon Key was born February 19th, 1915 on a farm in Monoville, Smith County, Tennessee and died on December 31, 2008. He was 12th of 13 children born to Thomas Orion Key and Martha Woodson Garrett Key. He was a direct descendant of the earliest settlers of Tennessee, who came from North Carolina and Virginia on land grants for service in the Revolutionary War. He married Kathryn Gwaltney Steele from Brush Creek, Tennessee on August 25, 1938. His children are Martha Kathryn Key, a psychologist, and Kevin Steele Key, an attorney"both residing in Nashville. His grandchildren are Kathryn Carson Key Whitehead and Allison Elizabeth Key and Brian Russell Key. He attended Monoville Elementary School, a rural three-teacher school; graduated from Smith County High School at Carthage Tennessee; and took an Engineering program of study with the International Correspondence School. He holds a certificate from The Outdoor Lighting Institute. He was one of the original members of the Civilian Conservation Corps, working in what is now Cherokee National Forest near Elizabethton in 1933. He worked for the Tennessee Electric Power Company from 1934-1939. On August 15, 1939, he went to work at Middle Tennessee Electric Membership Corporation; working his way up from the mailroom clerk, he became General Manager and retired there in March of 1980, after over forty-six years of service. His parting words to his staff were, I bequeath to the new generation the ideal of service to ones fellow man, a viable and progressive organization and the challenge to build a better tomorrow for each succeeding generation. In addition to building electric systems in our country, he worked abroad for the Agency for International Development to bring electrical sophistication to Caracas, Venezuela (1965) and Ghana, Africa (1981). Mr. Key served in several capacities as an outstanding leader. He was elected as a member of the Board of Directors of Commerce Union Bank in Rutherford County on November 16, 1974, which later became part of Sovran Bank, then Nations Bank of Tennessee. He served on the Management Board there from January 1992 through May 1993, making a substantial contribution. He was President of The United Way of Rutherford County in 1984 and a Director, 1982-85. He served 60 years as a Scottish Rite Freemason. He was President of the Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Association; Secretary of Rutherford County Industrial Development Board; Member of NRECAs Insurance and Employee Welfare Committee. He was President of the Murfreesboro Lions Club and a Lion for 60 years; served as President of the Rutherford County Sportsmans Club; was a 32 Degree Mason and Shriner (he was a mason at Mt. Moriah Lodge for 50 years, acknowledged in 1997 and a Life Member of Al Menah Temple); and a Member of the Administrative Board of St. Marks Methodist Church. He received commendations from The Murfreesboro Lions Club (Lion of the Decade, 1975-85; Chairman, Sight Conservation 1989-90; Melvin Jones Fellow for Dedicated Humanitarian Services and a Knight for Sight; and several Presidents Appreciation Awards); Received an award for 50 years of dedicated support to the Murfreesboro Shrine Club Paper Sale; was recognized by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as a Charter Member of the DCSSs Senate Task Force; Received Joint Resolution No. 521 from the State of Tennessee House of Representatives, authored by Senator John Bragg; was recognized for dedicated service for the electrification of the Tennessee River Valley by the Tennessee Valley Authority (1982); was acknowledged by the Nissan Motor Manufacturing Corporation and the Industrial Bank of Japan for capitalizing their plant; and gave continuously to the Middle Tennessee State University Century Club. He was an accomplished genealogist and storyteller, also an avid gardener, and grew species that were rare and beautiful"even some handed down through his family. He was interviewed by Bill Hall, in a TV special on his garden. If he knew you, he had a basket of vegetables picked and delivered personally to you. His fight to best the squirrels, in the interest of the birds, embodied his love of all living things. His wife and family never knew a table without an arrangement of flowers and an abundance of fresh food. Best known for his humor, he greeted every person with a smile and a quip; every event he sees as positive and amusing. He once said, If I have any enemies, I dont know of them. A true people person. Always seeing the best in any situation. Generous beyond comprehension. The service will be held Saturday, January 3rd, at St. Marks Methodist Church in Murfreesboro at 2:00pm. The music program will be given by Ruth McGinnis. Reverend Jim Clardy and Dr. Ralph Hillman will preside. Visitation will be from 1:00-2:00 in the Sanctuary. Memorials in memory of Fred G. Key may be made to the Murfreesboro Lions Club. Woodfin Memorial Chapel 615-893-5151 www.woodfinchapel.com