Backroads and Backstories with Paul Bailey

Bio: Throughout his career, Jim Henry has worn many hats, including a Vietnam veteran, a state representative, a cabinet member, a Deputy Governor, a candidate for governor, a city councilman, a city mayor, and, now, you’re the state director for U.S. Senator Bill Haggerty.  

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Discussion of experiences with being a reporter on fresh disaster scenes and the importance of being sensitive to those who have lost everything.
• Mr. Bundgaard’s father was a college coach and his mother was an English teacher and briefly a reporter. She was formative in how he looks at things as a journalist.
• The important questions: “Why do you do this, why do you want this?” - the questions he would ask politicians and how he would get authentic answers.
• He came to Nashville to work for WKRN as a producer, later moving on to covering more political matters.
• Discussions of Tennessee politics in the 90’s and early 00’s - transition from democrat to republican control.
• Goes into the Tennessee Protests- highlights Marsha Blackburn’s role.
• Discusses the era of sales tax vs income tax - how it changed the political climate in Tennessee.
• Mr. Bundgaard then recounts the protests on Capitol Hill.
• Moves on to discuss the differences between the protests back then vs. those that recently took place at the US Capitol.
• Mr. Bundgaard discusses the person he found most interesting and his experience of speaking with him.
• He goes on to discuss who he believed to be the most rogue politician.
• Discusses how he is adjusting to retired life and what he plans on doing in the future.
• The final question: Mr. Bundgaard explains his experience with Muhammad Ali back in the 80’s and then later covering his funeral in Louisville.

Show Notes

• Guest Bob Rolfe, Tennessee’s Economic and Community Development Commissioner, graduated from the University of Alabama with a degree in marketing and ended up working in the finance industry.  
• After working in several different positions over the years, Comm’r Rolfe was asked by Bill Haslam to work for the state.
• Comm’r Rolfe worked under Randy Boyd and was tasked with keeping programs in rural communities successful.
• Comm’r Rolfe discusses the difference between working in the public sector and the private sector. 
• Senator Bailey asks Bob about his job as commissioner.
• Comm’r Rolfe answers the questions with tasks such as recruiting companies to Tennessee and making sure they thrive. If the first two go well, he i s to make sure Tennessee remains in the running for the location of  future expansion. 
• Another side to the job, is making sure there are programs available in rural communities to ensure they thrive as well. 
• Comm’r Rolfe describes a recent win for Tennessee in the company NTT. This is a global brand that will be headquartered in TN, recruiting graduates from universities all over the state.
• Comm’r Rolfe explains Tennessee as being attractive to these large businesses due to our General Assembly being fiscally conservative.
• Comm’r Rolfe explains how California is one of the most unfriendly places to do business due to high-taxes and high regulation.
• The economic growth of the Upper Cumberland had been stagnant until Academy Sports announced they were going to build their distribution center in Cookeville.That put a spotlight on that area and now there have been numerous companies locating there. 
• Sen. Bailey asks how the pandemic affected the recruitment of industry. Comm’r Rolfe advised there being an initial pause, but after some time they were able to retain some of the Foriegn Direct Investment projects. 
• Comm’r Rolfe states they try to treat companies that already call Tennessee home the same way they treat a new prospective company, they continue to provide support and make sure those companies continue to thrive, that way they will want to keep the next phases of their company in Tennessee. 
• They discuss the improvement in electric cars and the interest in getting the companies that manufacture the car batteries into Tennessee.
• They discuss Georgia being our major competitor. 
•  Comm’r Rolfe sees the ECD’s efforts continuing in the next 5 years. They will continue to focus on the Foriegn Direct Investments and headquarter relocations.
• The person who has made the biggest impact on Comm’r Rolfe is Allen Borden, who has travelled with him on 30+ international trips. 
• Comm’r Rolfe describes some of the most interesting CEO’s he’s met on the job and some interesting interactions he’s had. . 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Natalie Allison was raised in North Carolina and knew she wanted to be in journalism from a young age. She’s covered a range of topics from breaking news to now politics.
• Her historical inspiration is Dorothy Thompson who covered the rise of fascism and nazism in the 1930’s.
• Her current inspirations are drawn from many streams of media. 
• Erik Schelzig went to high school in the Philippines and college in DC where he was working on his Ph. D. in political science, then got a job at The Washington Post and loved it.
• He dropped his Ph. D. and got a Master's and went into Journalism and ended up with the Associated Press.
• He started in Miami, then to West Virginia, followed by Tennessee where he now works at The Tennessee Journal, a weekly publication.
• Mr. Schelzig drew inspiration from Tom Humphrey from Knoxville, Tn, and Richard Locker from Memphis, Tn. 
• Senator Bailey asks, how, as an editor and a journalist, have you adapted to the change in news media now that social media and other platforms are in the picture?
• Erik references his blog as a way to adapt, but the other part is that he reminds himself that not everyone is going to see each and every frenzy that goes on in social media. People will miss things and he still has a responsibility to report on important events to make sure they are not forgotten or to tell people about it for the first time, those that may not be on social media.
• Natalie answers the same question. She highlights that she has been a reporter for 8 years and she has always had the expectation of using social media or websites and making sure it gets out on all necessary platforms. She adds, there’s always been a time-sensitive element. 
• Sen. Bailey asks her if these changes are good for the consumers of media, the media, or both?
• Natalie answers there are pluses and minuses
• Erik highlights that there are fewer reporters out in the field due to budget cuts, people expect free news now and don’t see the value in paying for news subscriptions.
• Natalie explains how with fewer reporters, fewer stories can be covered, spreading those who are reporting very thin. 
• Natalie believes important subjects that aren’t being talked about or covered can be highlighted through news media coverage and create change. 
• Erik states there is not an invisible hand that’s guiding what the media should cover or not cover. What is covered boils down to what is interesting. 
• The three discuss competition between journalists. 
• Sen. Bailey asks what they think about the phrase “fake news”.
• Erik’s most memorable story is the election of Kent Williams as Speaker in the House, in 2009, which caused a huge uproar. 
• Natalie’s most memorable moment in 2019 at her first session, the coucher vote day on the House floor.

Links:

• The Tennessean USA Today Network: https://www.tennessean.com/network/
• The Tennessee Journal: https://www.tnjournal.net/
• TNJ: On the Hill: https://onthehill.tnjournal.net/on-the-hill/
  
  

Links

• https://www.capitol.tn.gov/senate/members/s5.html

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Lt. Gov. Randy McNally was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He and his family moved to Oak Ridge, TN, when McNally in 1948 when his dad accepted a job at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• McNally graduated from Oak Ridge High School and went on to study pharmacy. 
• He met his wife during a game of Bridge while a student in pharmacy school and working at Cardinal Health. Jan worked at the same hospital at the time, Covenant.
• McNally’s pharmacy career includes both retail and hospital pharmacy.
• Lt. Gov. McNally is a big lacrosse fan and player. Most recently, he participated in a 24-hour game in Kennesaw, GA that raised over $10,000 for Wounded Warriors. 
• McNally and his wife, Jan, have a fondness for Golden Retrievers. They have rescued four over their 50+ year marriage, including their current pup, Shadow.
• Growing up, McNally did not see himself getting into politics. Initially, he was interested in history but ended up studying biology and chemistry.
• McNally first got involved in politics while in college when he volunteered on Winfield Dunn’s election for governor in 1970.
• McNally first ran for elected office in 1978. Today, he is the longest-serving member in the Tennessee Legislature.
• According to the Lt. Governor, a lot has changed in the legislature during his tenure. He says there is a lot more professionalism now, of which he believes social media has played a part in.
• McNally played a key part in Operation Rocky Top, which focused on breaking up illegal Bingo Operations known as the Cornbread Mafia in the state. The operation led to about 80 people being indicted and all but one were convicted for crimes ranging from income tax fraud to kidnapping and assault.
• McNally was elected Speaker of the Senate in 2017, which also holds the title of Lieutenant Governor of Tennessee. He describes the day as being very special for him and his family.
• After McNally stepped into the role of Speaker of the Senate, he helped Senator Paul Bailey join the Transportation Committee and then later the Chair of the Commerce Committee. 
• McNally says staying grounded and not letting the public recognition get to his head has been his biggest challenge since getting elected to office. He reminds himself that he is a public servant.

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Cameron Sexton is an eighth generation Tennessean.
• While his family roots are from Scott County and Oneida, Tennessee, Sexton grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee.
• Speaker Sexton moved to Cumberland County in the late ‘90s when he began working for Van Hilleary, a congressman at the time.
• The Speaker of the House attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and studied political science with a concentration in public administration.
• Upon graduation from college in 1994, Sexton went to work for now-lieutenant governor and Speaker of the Senate, Randy McNally for his state Senate race campaign at the time.
• 1994 marked a pivotal point in Speaker Sexton’s career and Republican politics in Tennessee with the election of Sundquist, Bill Frist, and Fred Thompson.
• Speaker Sexton helped Paul Bailey on his first race for state Senate.
• Along with scenic views and nice weather, Sexton’s favorite parts of living in the Upper Cumberland are the wide range of outdoor activities you can enjoy, including kayaking, golfing, and hiking.
• Sexton was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and became the whip during his second term.
• With all of its challenges, Speaker Sexton is proud of what the state of Tennessee was able to accomplish in 2020. 
• Speaker Sexton says his office has been cooperating and working with the FBI during their probe into some members of the Tennessee House of Representatives.
• When it comes to the most challenging issues this legislative session, Sexton named Education at the top of his list as Tennessee continues to work toward improving its educational ranking and student achievements.
• Sexton and Bailey agree that the combined governing and budgeting efforts from Governor Haslam and Governor Lee are what helped Tennessee manage 2020 as well as it did.\

Links

• http://www.capitol.tn.gov/house/speaker.html

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Justin P. Wilson was born in California, but moved to Nashville when he was 4 months old. He has lived in Nashville for 75 years. 
• After finishing law school at Vanderbilt, Wilson took his first job at the Donovan, Leisure, Newton & Irvine law firm. 
• Wilson has been in and out the political world for years. In 1996, he became Commissioner of Environment for the state of Tennessee, and then for the Sundquist administration where he was later deputy governor for policy.
• Wilson’s father was finance chair for the state party as well as for the RNC. He was the national finance chair, and he came in right after Watergate.
• The treasurer is chosen every two years when the General Assembly reconvenes a new legislative session, but the secretary of state’s on a four-year term. 
• The comptroller of the state has a lot of responsibilities including keeping the financial integrity of the state. 
• Part of Wilson’s responsibilities as comptroller include auditing all the counties and all the cities they are responsible for. They also have to review budgets and make sure debts are being paid. 
• “Our mission is to make government work better. And local government is a major—of course, is a key to the state of Tennessee.” - Justin P. Wilson 
• According to US News and World Report, Tennessee is number one among the states for financial stability. 
• Wilson says the person who influenced him the most in his political career is Bill Brock, who was a senator from 1970 to 1976. 
• There is a trail named after Wilson that runs through Bledsoe County and Cumberland County.
• Wilson loves to travel and has been to about 100 different countries. 
• Wilson says he has a couple of dogs, about two grand-dogs, a cat, and a parrot. He and the parrot have coffee together every morning. 
• “Remember three things these days: wash your hands, make government work better, and keep your sense of humor.” - Justin P. Wilson 

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Tennessee Secretary of State, Tre Hargett, grew up in Ripley, TN. 
• He served 10 years in the House of Representatives, and was first elected in 1996, then re-elected four more times.
• “Republicans being in control feels like it has made a big difference in how our state has been governed.” -Sec. Hargett
• Hargett is running for reelection in January. 
• Hargett’s father was the Adjutant General of the Tennessee National Guard.
• “I have such respect for the men and women in our families who do serve the National Guard and all branches of our government.” -Sec. Hargett
• Hargett views politics and government as a vehicle to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
• Part of Hargett’s job is to work with all 95 county Election Commissions to try and make sure that Tennessee runs elections that meet the highest test of integrity.
• There are two types of mail-in ballots. There is an absentee by mail ballot, in which case, a voter makes a proactive decision. And there is a way to do that by email, fax, or by traditional mail. 
• Voter list maintenance is a constant effort on behalf of election officials around the state. 
• Two counties in the state of Tennessee: Hamilton County and Williamson County have Dominion Voting Systems. 
• Paper ballot counties have to have some type of audit done in TN.
• Mark Goins said his team and all 95 county election commissions around the state did a great job of upholding the integrity of Tennessee's elections.
• Hargett serves on about 15 different boards and commissions, but also the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
• “We are a very well-managed state due to good leadership at the governor level, but also for a legislature that has been very fiscally conservative.” Sec. Hargett

Transcript
Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Sen. Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Senator Paul Bailey. Today's guest is Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett. Welcome, Mr. Secretary, glad you joined us.

Sec. Hargett: Thank you, Senator. I appreciate the invitation.

Sen. Bailey: Yes, sir. We're always happy to have our friends here in the state government join us for our podcast so that our listeners can always learn more about state government. So, before we get started, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where did you grow up? Where did you go to school? Tell us a little bit of your family.

Sec. Hargett: Well, thank you for asking. I grew up in Ripley, Tennessee, which is all the way on the western part of the state, about an hour north of Memphis. Graduated Ripley High School, and then, later on, went and got my bachelor's degree in accounting from Memphis State University. That tells you how long ago that was. 

And then got my master's degree in business administration from the University of Memphis, whatever it changed names, about a year and a half later. So, that's where I'm from. I lived down in the Bartlett area until 2007, at which time I moved over to East Tennessee after leaving the House of Representatives, and my wife and two sons now live in Hendersonville, Tennessee. So, the 17-years-old and 13-year-old boys.

Sen. Bailey: So, you mentioned that you were a state representative. How many years were you a state representative?

Sec. Hargett: I served 10 years in the House of Representatives, so first elected 1996, and re-elected four more times, and retired voluntarily in 2006 after 10 years. I was one of those people that said I was going to serve 10 years in the State House of Representatives, no more than that. And so, I kept my word and didn't run for reelection that year.

Sen. Bailey: Now, I also understand you were a Minority Leader during that time.

Sec. Hargett: There's a interesting story about that. When I became the Republican Leader in 2002, I told people, we were going to quit calling it ‘Minority Leader,’ we would call ‘republican’ because ‘minority’ was temporary and ‘republican’ wasn’t.

Sen. Bailey: Oh, okay.

Sec. Hargett: And so I told them we need to start thinking about not being in the minority anymore and begin developing our plans to build up to the majority. So, we call it ‘Republican Leader’ back then.

Sen. Bailey: And how many years were you Republican Leader?

Sec. Hargett: Twice elected as Republican Leader.

Sen. Bailey: Okay. So, you basically served four years, then, as Republican Leader.

Sec. Hargett: Well, and actually, my last year I didn't serve as Republican Leader. I had accepted a job within my company. It required a lot of travel, and I was going back and forth between Memphis and Knoxville every other week, and just would not have been able to do it. And knew I was retiring, so it was better to go and pass baton to somebody, and let somebody else lead and also get ready for the upcoming reelections for those people.

Sen. Bailey: So, tell me what you see is the differences between your time as a state representative and the Republican Leader and today.

Sec. Hargett: Wow, a lot of differences. And one of the big ones, though, is—be pretty obvious is that Republicans being in control feels like has made a big difference in how our state has been governed. One of our friends and I—Ron Ramsey, we used to talk a lot about when we were both in the minority, we talked about how it matters who governs and the decisions we get to make as we lead. So, when I was in the House of Representatives, I was in the minority for five terms, and I knew that anytime I had an idea, or one of our members had an idea on the House floor, I had to appeal to at least five other people on the other side of the aisle to get them to come over to our side to be able to pass any amendment or any bill that we wanted to do. 

And now of course, with Republican supermajorities, it's much different to be able to take an idea that we see and be able to go ahead and pass those things after they pass the smell test and the committee process. And so, we're able to govern is the real big difference. And as you know, you and your colleagues have given me the opportunity to serve as secretary of state, I'm elected every four years by members of the House of Representatives and the Senate coming together in a joint convention. And now you've given me the opportunity, with some autonomy, to be able to go and run a department of over 300 people and show that Tennessee government can, in fact, work with a lot of business-like principals.

Sen. Bailey: So, when the General Assembly convenes in January, will this be your time for reelection?

Sec. Hargett: I'll be asking for your vote for reelection this January. Yes, sir. 

Sen. Bailey:

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Jamie Dailey is from Gainesboro, Tennessee. He grew up around music because his father was a local singer and a musician. 
•  “I think that's very important to not forget where you came from...I love the people in Jackson County and the Upper Cumberland.” -Jamie Dailey
• COVID has forced musicians to be innovative with how they are holding concerts and performing. Jamie is hosting an outdoor socially distanced concert at his own property. 
• Next year, Dailey & Vincent are hosting the first ever Cumberland Riverfest. 
• Jamie is raising money to build a performing art center for the community in the Cumberlands. 
• Dailey & Vincent have their own TV show on the Circle Network. The network just signed a deal with Dish. 
• Soon, the Grand Ole Opry will start to ease audiences back into the country music venue. 
• Jamie was the first to surprise musician Jake Hoot and invite him to play at the Grand Ole Opry. 
• The Upper Cumberland has a long history of musicians. Jamie says that music is in their blood. 
• “My point is, you have to do, and play, and sing music first because you love it. If you truly have a passion for it, and you truly love it, the rest will come.” -Jamie Dailey
• Jamie played music with Doyle Lawson for 9 years. They won vocal group of the year for seven years and had six Grammy nominations together. They wrote 34 songs together total.
• Last June, Jamie had issues with his vocal chords and had to see a specialist. His voice came back after 4 months of working with specialists. 
• In Dec. 2016, Dailey & Vincent got to celebrate their 100th show with a 30-minute music segment. 
• Jamie says as Americans we just have to fight the good fight. 

Links:

• Dailey & Vincent: https://www.daileyandvincent.com/ 
• Dailey & Vincent TV Show: https://www.circleallaccess.com/show/daily-and-vincent/ 

Transcript:
Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Sen. Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Senator Paul Bailey. In today's episode, we have Grand Ole Opry member Jamie Dailey, from the bluegrass and country music duo Dailey & Vincent. Welcome to the podcast.

Mr. Dailey: Thank you, Senator, good to see you again.

Sen. Bailey: Well, we're so happy that you joined us today. And you and I became friends a few years ago through, really some legislative processes, as well as my assistant, Miss Brandy. And so, became very good friends, especially knowing that you came from Jackson County. So, I'd like for our listeners to learn a little bit more about you and about you growing up in the Upper Cumberland in Jackson County and just kind of introduce yourself to our audience.

Mr. Dailey: Well, I'm Jamie Dailey from Gainesboro, Tennessee. And Gainesboro is a beautiful little town nestled in the hills, north of Cookeville, about 20 minutes south of Celina, if you will, near Dale Hollow Lake and on the Cordell Hull Lake. I grew up above the Cumberland River and the Roaring River Park, right there is where I grew up. And my dad is a musician and a singer, locally of course. He's 74 now, but when I was growing up, I was around music a lot. 

 And I remember standing above the river up there, singing to the top of my lungs, working “9 to 5,” Dolly Parton’s song. And a few years ago, Dolly had us come to her office, she was singing on our Christmas record and we were singing on three or four of her records, to, and I told her that story about growing up in Gainesboro and singing “9 to 5” and she says, “Well, what did you use for a microphone?” And I said, “A stick.”

Sen. Bailey: Right.

Mr. Dailey: And that's how we grew up. And of course, she thought that was funny. But growing up in Gainesboro was a huge blessing for many reasons. The way we grew up there, we didn't have a whole lot. We didn't know that we didn't have a whole lot, but everyone knew everyone. 

 It was fun. When you were in town, sometimes you would hear the church bells ringing. I wrote a song about that called “Back to Jackson County.” We rode horses on the riverbanks and through the river bottoms, picnics on the riverside, we did that a lot. It was just a great American way of life. And when I go back there, I still have a great sense of that same life. It’s like you almost step back in time a little bit.

Sen. Bailey: Well, one thing that you alluded to was the song that you've written about Jackson County, and that's something that has really impressed me about you and about your success is that you've not forgotten your roots. You've not forgotten where you come from. And also, where you and I first connected was the fact that you have a heart for Jackson County, Gainesboro, as well as the Upper Cumberland, and you have been working very hard to try to bring economic relief, economic recovery, health care relief, to the Upper Cumberland and especially to Jackson County. And I just think that that speaks volume about who you are as a person in that, as someone that has become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, you still come home: I think you're spending your weekend in Jackson County this weekend, and I just think that's admirable, and I appreciate that very much and your hard work for the people in Jackson County.

Mr. Dailey: I appreciate that. And I appreciate how you've always been there every time we've called. And it doesn't matter if I call you—we have a good team of people in Gainesboro that's trying hard, from our county Mayor all the way down to the people working on the city. And a young man named Jordan Hunter down there that's helping very hard. 

 And every time we've called you, you've never not answered, and you've always called us back and you've taken time for us. So, I commend you for that, and Upper Cumberland is very lucky to have you in their corner and helping. And as you know, we are living in a most unprecedented time, as I said recently in a graduation commencement speech to socially distanced graduates in Jackson County. Two of the things that I talked about was we are living in an unprecedented time, and it is important for those students, I believe, to not forget where they came from, no matter how successful they are. We can all come back and try and help the community and give back when we can. 

And I think that's very important to not forget where you came from. But I love the people in Jackson County and the Upper Cumberland. And you know, Senator, I played all over the Upper Cumberland. As a kid, I had a mattress in the back of my Blazer, my old Chevy Blazer that I bought bagging groceries. And, you know, you could get out of town in it, you couldn't get back in town with it [00:05:09 crosstalk]. [laughs]. 

 But I played all over and stayed in the back of my blazer, and played contests and festivals, and Lester Flatt d...

Some of the highlights of the show include: 

• Congressman John Rose grew up in Cookeville. His dad worked for Farm Credit so he spent a lot of his time out on the farm. 
• John developed a passion for agriculture and farming. That is when his goal in life became to take over the family farm. 
• John is the eighth generation of his family to farm on the same farm ground in Smith County and DeKalb County, and his son, Guy, would be the ninth generation.
• Later, John got a BS degree in Agribusiness Economics at Tennessee Tech. He continued his education by attending Vanderbilt Law School.
• A fellow law student and John started a business in 1992 that aimed at training information technology professionals. 
• He ended up selling his business in November of 2000 and John came home to be a farmer. Later, he became Commissioner of Agriculture. 
• His position as the Commissioner of Agriculture helped him learn more about the government and informed his views and perspectives. 
• The episode was recording on the 19th anniversary of September 11. Paul Bailey and John Rose recall where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. 
• John says that the threat of terrorism still exists today. He believes America needs to constantly put up a strong defense. 
• An effective congressman needs to be present and show up for the counties they present. 
• John’s constituents ask him about the federal response to the coronavirus the most out  of any other topic.
• “We cannot stop the spread of coronavirus until we have a vaccine, an effective vaccine.” - Congressman John Rose
• “On the case of President Trump, we have a person who is unapologetically pro-American: believes in this country, believes in the American ideal, and wants to see that grow and continue in advance, and wants to see that passed onto future generations of Americans.” -Congressman John Rose
• “I represent you all, so even if you feel differently about issues of the day, don't hesitate to reach out and let me know. And it's not hard to find us: you can go to johnrose.house.gov, and it has all of our contact information.” -Congressman John Rose

Transcript

Announcer: For the politics of Nashville, to the history of the Upper Cumberland, this is the Backroads and Backstories podcast, with Senator Paul Bailey.

Senator Bailey: Welcome back to the podcast. I'm your host, Senator Paul Bailey. Joining us in today's episode is Tennessee 6th District Congressman John Rose. Welcome, Congressman. Glad to have you with us today.

Congressman Rose: Thank you, Senator Bailey. It's my privilege to be here.

Senator Bailey: Well, as we get started, I'd like for you to tell us just a little bit about yourself and what it was like growing up here in the Upper Cumberland.

Congressman Rose: Sure. So, I was born here in Cookeville, in 1965; Cookeville Hospital over here, the youngest of four in my family. My dad worked for the Farm Credit System, then Production Credit Association and my family moved here the year before in 1964 from our family farm, which is on the DeKalb-Smith county line, down around the Lancaster, Temperance Hall area. And so my dad worked for Farm Credit—so growing up, I grew up in Cookeville but he continued to farm, and so that meant afternoons and weekends and summers we spent a lot of time on the farm. So, I kind of got a little bit of small-town life and a little bit of farm life as a kid growing up. 

And really the farm part really sunk in for me, and I developed a real interest in passion in agriculture and farming, and then later in elementary school and high school, was in 4-H, and then FFA, and developed projects on the farm. And that became my goal in life was to move to the family farm and take over the farm at some point, hopefully. I am the youngest of four, so that was never a certain thing. But it was a great life growing up, and I grew up in a good time, I feel like, and made a lot of impressions on me about rural life in this area. And so it was always my goal, then, to live right here in the Upper Cumberland and hopefully continue the legacy on our family farm.

Senator Bailey: Well, you and I are similar in age, and I have an 18-year-old son as well as two older children, and although we live on a small farm, I still don't think that he's had the full experience of being on the farm like I had. During my time of growing up, obviously, we milked cows, I had bottle calves that I had to take care of, chickens that I had to take care of. And my children didn't necessarily have all of those chores that they had to do on a daily basis. So, I think that our children today are missing out on just a little bit of what you and I went through back then.

Congressman Rose: A lot of them are, sadly, and I've told Chelsea if we don’t—our son Guy, he'll be three here in about three weeks, and I've told her—we moved to Cookeville three years ago, and I said we've got to get back because if he doesn't grow up with that is an everyday part of his life, he won't have the same passion and interest in it. And I'm the eighth generation of our family to farm there on the same farm ground in Smith County and DeKalb County, and Guy would be the ninth generation. I’m certainly hopeful that he will decide—there's no pressure. A 230-year legacy, now. But I hope that he decides to continue it.

Senator Bailey: I totally understand and there's one thing—of course, you're in Washington and spend a lot of time there in Congress. I’m State Senator, and so usually in Nashville on a full-time basis, January through April. One thing that I really enjoy, especially in the spring, is getting on my tractor and mowing hay, and feeding the cattle, and so forth. So, I know that is therapy for me. I usually call it tractor therapy. So, I'm sure you understand that.

Congressman Rose: Absolutely. Being able to complete what I would call ‘real work’ on a farm, there's a therapeutic nature to it to be sure, and a sense of accomplishment that it's hard to get doing the things that we do as legislators.

Senator Bailey: So, then you attended Tennessee Tech?

Congressman Rose: That's right. After I graduated from Cookeville High School in 1983, I worked on a bachelor's degree and ultimately got a BS degree in Agribusiness Economics at Tennessee Tech, and had a great experience there. Great school, great professors, just a wonderful experience. And then went on to graduate school at Purdue in Indiana, and studied Agricultural Economics there. I realized while I was there, that really had not been, necessarily, the best preparation to help me achieve my life goal, which was to come back and take over the family farm. 

So while I was there, I was kind of thinking, what could I do that would allow me to choose where I lived to live in the rural Upper Cumberland and make enough money to buy my siblings out of the farm? And so I decided law school was the answer, that I could become a country lawyer. And so that took me to law school in 1990 and graduated in ’93 from Vanderbilt Law School, and then—not through the plan that I had, but through another plan, and it's strange how God lays out our path for us—but I ultimately got to achieve that goal, and I moved back to Middle Tennessee and into our family farm in 1994. A...