In Memoriam

Former Tennessee Historical Commission Board member Mr. Ridley D. Wills of Nashville died on January 16, 2025 at age 90. He served on the Commission from 1985 to 1990. As the author of 34 books mainly on historical subjects and a noted historic preservationist, in 2022 Wills was the recipient of the THC’s highest honor, the Preservation Leadership Award.

Mr.  Ernest Omar “Ernie” Bacon, 87, died on January 20, 2025. Bacon served on the Tennessee Historical Commission from 2015 to 2021. A longtime leader in historic preservation efforts in Franklin, Mr. Bacon was a former alderman who was instrumental in securing and preserving historic landscapes including the Eastern Flank of the Franklin Battlefield, and Harlinsdale Farm. He also served in key roles for Franklin’s Charge, the Tennessee Preservation Trust, Historic Carnton Plantation and the Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County.  

Dr. Kevin Smith, Chairman of the Tennessee State Review Board for the National Register of Historic Places, died on March 14, 2025. He was 61 years old. A distinguished and respected archaeologist, author, and professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Dr. Smith was largely responsible for the State of Tennessee purchasing and saving the Castalian Springs Mound Site in Sumner County. He led years of archaeological field schools at the site and made enormous contributions to knowledge of prehistory in the region. Dr. Smith also was also the guiding force behind the 2015 “Ancestors” exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum that brought together Mississippian Period Native American statues from public and private collections.

Mrs. Joanne Cullom Moore of Corona died on April 14, 2025 at the age of 90. Mrs. Moore served as a board member of the Tennessee Historical Commission for 31 years, from 1991 to 2022. Her tenure included being named the first chair of the Tennessee Wars Commission committee in 1995, and later serving as vice chair for West Tennessee. She was a past president of the West Tennessee Historical Society and a member of numerous historical and genealogical societies.