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Marlena B Beal
Artist/Writer/Creative Editor, Knox County Public Building Authority (Retired)
Location: Knoxville, TN United States
Joined: Sep 13th, 2013

About (request update)

I was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and grew up in rural East Tennessee on my grandfather's farm. Attended and graduated from the old historic Austin High School. Attended Knoxville Business College and the University of Tennessee. Later married and divorced, I have three grown children—William and Matthew (Tennessee) and Brittany (Florida); five grandchildren and three great grandchildren and am a practicing Baptist at Foster Chapel Baptist Church.

In a 1965, when I was sixteen years old, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Youth Opportunity Coop Program (YOC) selected me as one of the high school students with good grades from the junior/senior classes to work one summer for the Tennessee Valley Authority. This opportunity resulted in a twenty-two year career with TVA including two years in the Chairman of the Board’s Office and in 1979 spent five years in their TVA Washington, D.C., liaison office.

In 1984, I returned to Tennessee where I spent twelve years as the Senior Vice President of Contract Administration for Onyx International, Inc., one of the first African American energy resource corporations specializing in the sale of coal and natural gas products. In 2010 I retired from the Public Building Authority of Knox County and the City of Knoxville, Tennessee’s CEO/President’s office.

In the interim during my professional career, I have always continued my artistic pursuits and creative editing. Over the years, I have also volunteered my services to a nonprofit Comcast Community TV Cable Program, “What’s Going On” for over a decade as their technical script writer. I also served on several boards of directors--the First Book Board of Directors for the Literacy Imperative Center in Knoxville, Tennessee; Knoxville Cable Communications Cooperative, and the Minority Business Bureau. I still continue to serve as support editor for the Knoxville Karate Five Association and its president.

Two significant memories of my youth which remind me of how far we have come was working at TVA in the YOC program and going to lunch one day at a café across the street from the building. I sat with my friends for a few minutes and when we were not served I went up to the counter and tried to place an order. I was told we could not be served because we were colored. It was the first time I understood racism in a personal way. Another was being separated from my sister and two brothers after being in school together since first grade when we graduated to high school. Because of integration they were bused off to a high school we had barely heard of and into a very hostile environment. Both incidents were related to being Black in America in this country. The café is no longer downtown and my high school no longer exists under its original name. This is a short spin on a long and blessed life “in spite of’s.”

Current Whereabouts:

Writing and creative editing. Past successes included creative editor for "The Gatekeeper," written by Vanderbilt Brabson, III; and "The Truth Behind the Walls, written by Tracy H. Whitaker and professional pen and ink artist specializing in a unique crosshatch signature style. Technical Script Writer for "What's Going On" show on Comcast Cable Community TV for over eleven years through 2012. Tackling my manuscripts; finishing one and polishing off the second. My writing genre is fiction, mystery, supernatural and horror.

Life & Professional Aspirations:

To continue my writing career and eventually publish two current projects. Pursuing the further promotion of my artwork internationally.

Website:

http://www.marlenabbealartistwriter.com

Education (request update)

University of Tenn, Knoxville class of 1968

Undergrad Major: Business Administration

High School: (Historical) Austin High School in Knoxville, TN class of 1966

Experience

I currently work with Knox County Public Building Authority (Retired) as Artist/Writer/Creative Editor
I have 44 years of experience working in the Administrative and Support Services industry.

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