James A. “Jim” Prince, a respected and beloved educator, passed away on October 2, 2023, just a few days before his 93rd birthday.
Jim was man of the hour at the dedication of the new Adrian Burnett Elementary School on January 6, 2023. He had been the school’s first principal in 1976 after having served at Halls Elementary (in the old building that stood on the corner of Emory Road and Hwy. 33) and as a teacher and coach at Powell High School.
His family saw another side of Mr. Prince, calling him Jim, Dad, Papa and JP. His hobbies, they wrote, were adopting animals from Union County Animal Shelter; walking his acres; planting flowers, bushes and trees; and reading a good book under the shade tree with his animals around him. His full obituary is here.
Newcomers to Halls and current students at Adrian Burnett should look for someone who would have been a kid in 1976 (they would be 50-60 today). Ask them about Halls Elementary and Adrian Burnett School and Mr. Prince. You’ll learn about Halls when Carolyn Cocca was president of the PTA, planting daffodils on the grounds of Halls Elementary and agitating for a traffic light at Andersonville Pike and Hwy. 33. The principal knew every kid’s name and probably had taught their parents. It was a simpler time.
Family and friends will celebrate the life of Jim Prince on Sunday, October 15, from 1-4 p.m. at the Corryton Community Center located at 9331 Davis Dr. in Corryton. The family requests memorials go to the Union County Animal Shelter, P.O. Box 625, Maynardville TN 37807. “This shelter had a special place in his heart.”
Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Jim Prince and school board member Patti Bounds at the groundbreaking for a new Adrian Burnett School, March 29, 2021. https://www.knoxtntoday.com/new-school-ahead-for-adrian-burnett/