Sheriff Joe Guy (Athens, Tennessee)

Today we met our first individual. Joe Guy is the Sheriff of McMinn County, Tennessee. We went to the McMinn County Correctional Facility, located in Athens to interview and take his picture.

Republican, Joe Guy has been the Sheriff to McMinn County for nearly three years. Formerly, he worked as the assistant to the County Mayor. After some years of being a local individual and living with the people, he chose to run for Sheriff and join a somewhat different perspective of local government.

Using his slogan of ‘Experience, Education & Integrity’ he began his campaign and ran against his Uncle David Guy. In good spirits, they both used fun slogans with a slight play on words. David Guy: “The right Guy” and Joe Guy: ‘Joe is the right Guy for sure.’

Since being elected as the new Sheriff, Joe has made a big difference as a local and trustworthy official of the law. One of his bigger accomplishments has been his job to control and minimize a huge problem to his area. McMinn County has had an unfortunate issue with a drug that has swept the nation as one of the most destructive and socially damaging substances ever created. Methamphetamines have created a social unrest and has hurt many communities around the country. McMinn county has felt it worse than many others. knowing that they had one of the highest percentage of users and cookers, Sheriff Joe Guy knew he had a job ahead of him. With this in mind he was positive and passionate in the fact hat he was going to make a difference.

After working diligently to control the creation and output of this deadly substance, the locals have seen a dramatic decrease of 30% to 40% of available meth. In the world of drug-abuse and sales, this is a huge success. He now continues to help balance this with the help of the locals that care to clean their town and become a wholesome community once more.

Joe Guy has also done many other noteworthy things in his community. He has written a book on McMinn County history, which was very interesting. It is formatted from a selection of years worth of articles written in a local newspaper. When asked about his new position and whether he enjoyed what he was doing, Joe responded with ‘This has been the best job I have ever had.’ He said this with honesty and a bright smile, signifying his love for his community and fellow man.

(click images to view larger)

On the wall inside the Justice Center, we found a poem written by Joe Guy up on the wall of the waiting room. I found it to be valid to his current and future endeavours:

• Blessed are the Peacemakers
• Who’ve walked upon these grounds
• In the faces on these walls
• Their pride and courage still are found.

• And when you pass this way, recall
• Fallen comrades brave and bold
• And find yourself a worthy heart
• To wear their Badge of Gold.

Joe Guy

McMinn County Sheriff’s Department

Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy

Class 718

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Above, you can find our first Polaroid photograph of Drake and myself with Joe Guy outside the correctional facility in Athens, Tennessee after taking his portrait.

–> click image to view larger!

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A Quick Re-Cap…

Once again, welcome to our blog– affectionately named after the obvious fact that this is a ‘Across The USA’ style project. Now, we are pretty sure that we aren’t the only ones doing exactly the same thing– well maybe not ‘exactly the same…’ So, please allow me to explain:

Well, this story began a few years ago when Drake wanted to visit me out in California. He planned a trip and stayed two weeks traveling with me and enjoying the weather. The following year he scored himself an internship at Zoic Studios in Los Angeles. At this post-production studio he spent several weeks working with a many great and truly talented people. After a short while, he began growing a true interest in the southern California life. Drake returned to Delaware with a plan in mind– a vision of a future spent mingling, learning and collaborating with the film, photographic and post-production industries that have not only made LA & California great, but also the entire artistic vision of modern American entertainment.

My story is slightly different… I have already had the privilege of spending a few amazing years in Santa Barbara, California. I originally ventured out to this spot because I felt in need for a more inspiring environment to study photography. After a few years of practicing and learning under some of the great local teachers at the Brooks Institute of Photography, I returned to Delaware to plan and pursue my future goals…

This summer marked a convenient occasion that would allow both Drake and myself to attempt a short but well-planned cross-country trip. As mentioned, Drake discovered a new-found love for southern California and decided he was going to move out west to try his luck in Santa Monica and re-connect with some of the people he met the previous year. My decision to join the adventure laid in the simple yet inescapable fact that I wanted to travel and take pictures… Or maybe, I just need to pick up my stuff that I placed in storage months ago. 🙂 Either way, we both knew this would mark the perfect opportunity to develop a well structured set of projects.

As a photographer, I highly enjoy meeting new individuals. With this in mind, I wanted to do a project that went in the photo-story direction. A photograph or portrait accompanied with a short paragraph or article seemed like a solid human-interest piece that yielded value on many levels.

For the second project, I wanted something that would easily bring both my talents and Drake’s together in one image. A simple yet effective idea for this was charcoal. As we travel, Drake would do an abstract charcoal sketch on a pad of a given scene we would come across. Once the sketch was completed, he would hold it up and allow the sketch to connect within our perspective.

Naturally, the final project would be a more straightforward style of what one would expect from travel photography– a little photo-journalism, night time long exposures, fall colors, street signs, out-of-car shots and panoramics. There is allot to photograph out there, so we both hope you will show an interest in our little production and follow us across the USA.

Much Love,

Walter Krogh Sites