This is the second of a series about former Andrews mayor Ty Whitt Burnette.
We left off where Mayor Ty Burnette and Lt. Commander Wendell Lovingood made the trip to Washington, D.C., to plead the case for federal grant money to install a new sewer system in Andrews. And Mayor Burnette would not leave until the board gave him an answer, which was finally yes.
The pages of history will credit the contributions that Ty Burnette made while serving as mayor. He will long be remembered for his perseverance and fortitude in our town government. The success of his administration is still reflected in this community, and his high standards set an example for others to follow in the years to come.
Ty Whitt Burnette was born to Ernest Starnes Burnette and Dora Whitmore Burnette on Jan. 24, 1919. The only other sibling was his sister, Alwayne, who died in 1966. He was born just across the Georgia line, and shortly after his birth, the young family moved to the Bellview Community, where he grew up. He was named after Ty Cobb, the legendary baseball player, who was a brother to his mother’s friend and neighbor, Nora Spencer Cobb.
Burnette attended school in Murphy, and he worked in Andrews at Olen and Alwayne Stratton’s restaurant. After graduating from high school, he attended Western North Carolina College and worked his way through doing whatever jobs were available. He fired the furnace in the mornings at school, worked in the cafeteria
and still made the “honor roll.”
After completing his education, he married his high school sweetheart, Janice Eloise Morrow, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. W.C. Morrow. The couple married Nov. 7, 1941, and they had two children, Tyrone and Janet Burnette (Stiles).
Burnette worked several years at the Fontana Dam Project in a clerical position. After the completion of the dam, he took a job with the Town of Murphy, as his expertise was in bookkeeping, and later accepted a job as bookkeeper for Battle Furniture and the Battle Hardware Store.
In the late 1940s, Burnette established a general insurance agency with partners, Sam W. Jones and Bill Teas. Several years later, he bought out his partners and operated Valleytown Insurance Agency until he retired in March of 1984.
Throughout the golden years of the 1950s and 1960s, Burnette remained involved in the community, and served on the Town Council under the mayorship of Percy B. Ferebee. He saw a lot of changes in Andrews during his lifetime, and looked upon the face of adversity many times, but he stayed and weathered the storms and was better because of it.
The “little town that would not die” flourished during his years as mayor, and many times Burnette said that he was fortunate to have worked with such a good group of aldermen. Over the years, a few of those who served in Mayor Burnette’s administration were: Dan Hawk, Cliff Huls, Richard Parker and Ray Hogsed.
Burnette once said, “We made progress over the years, but it was slow and steady. It didn’t happen all at once.”
Ty Whitt Burnette died in 2005, and Andrews lost an irreplaceable statesman, closing another chapter of history in the Andrews Valley.
The late, Lt. Commander Wendell Lovingood, who served on the Development Corporation for the county, penned these words upon the death of Mayor Burnette:
“It can truly be said that Ty Burnette was an elected official who always put the public interest above his personal or political interest. Seldom do we see this attribute in many local, state and federal officials. Seldom do we see an individual who is willing to contribute so much of his personal and professional business time to best serve the public.
“Ty Burnette’s record as Mayor of Andrews could and should stand as a model for any person in public service. He will long be remembered for his contribution to this small rural Appalachian town. He was highly respected by his peers and held in high esteem by state appointed and elected officials, including the governor.
“A federal official said, ‘Every small town in America needs a Ty Burnette as its Mayor.’
Ty Burnette and I were very close personal friends. I found him to be of the highest character and ethnic business principles. I consider myself to have been privileged to know him.”
Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.