William Taylor (Will T.) Chamberlain, an outstanding Lafayette high school athlete, a public school educator and retired executive director of the Montgomery County (Clarksville) ASCS office for the USDA, died this past Tuesday, August 26 after a long illness. He was 88 years-old.

A very well-educated man for his time, he attended Memphis State University on scholarships where he received his bachelors degree, and then earned a masters degree in agriculture from U-T Knoxville in 1948.

He was inducted earlier this year into the Macon County Sports Hall of Fame.

Moving to Clarksville in 1948, he taught vocational agriculture at Montgomery High School for several years before joining the Soil Conservation Service of the USDA, from which he retired after twenty-five years service in 1986.

W. T. moved back home to Macon County, where he bought acreage, built a house and planted his second Christmas Tree farm (the first had been in rural Montgomery County).

His daughter Jan Davis lives on that Macon County farm today.

An active member of Rotary International, Chamberlain received the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship Award from the organization he served so well.

He married Mavis (Wade) Faciane in February, 2000 who survives her late husband.

“My father said many times he was ‘so proud to be back home',” recalled his daughter Janice this week.

Will T. Chamberlain was laid to rest Thursday, August 28 in the Hillsdale Cemetery. A full obituary appears on page 5C of this week's paper.