Chillicothe HS Inducted Six to Distinguished Alumni Hall

Article presented by Adena Health …

Newest members of the Chillicothe High School Distinguished Alumni. left to right: Paul Francis, II (1995); Jerry Salley (1978); Tamara Paul (1992), Charles “Buzz” Knoles (1950); Mickie Donnells Timmons (1954). Not pictured, the late Richard “Sonny” Curtis (1954).
***Dan Ramey/Litter Media***

The Chillicothe High School Alumni Association inducted six members into their hall of Distinguished Alumni on June 15, 2024.

Those inducted are Tamara Paul (1992), Paul Francis II (1995), Charles “Buzz” Knoles (1950), Jerry Salley (1978) and Mickie Donnells Timmons (1954) and the late Richard “Sonny” Curtis (1954)

The 1:00pm induction ceremony took place in the Larry Cox Gymnasium adjacent to Hatton Memorial Gymnasium. Click on the names of the inductee to hear an interview with each.

Mickie (Donnells) Timmons, Class of 1954, was a trailblazer for women in Chillicothe and Ross County, serving as the first female publisher of the Chillicothe Gazette and one of the first women to be named CEO of a major business in the area.

Mickie worked her way up from bookkeeper to Office Manager and finally to president and publisher of the Chillicothe Gazette—the first woman to do so in Gannett’s 186-year history. After her stint at the Gazette, she continued on at the Cincinnati Enquirer, until she retired to Florida and began a “second career” as an artist and gallery owner in Cape Coral.

Throughout her career, she always gave back to the communities where she lived. Mickie fought for equal pay within the Gannett organization and served on numerous boards, including the United Way of Ross County, the Altrusa International organization, the Regional Coordinating Council for Ohio University, and the Ross County Community Improvement Corporation.

At age 88, she remains active to this day in many social clubs and has proudly displayed her artwork at the Pump House Art Gallery and Schlegel’s Coffee House in Chillicothe.

Tamara Paul, Class of 1992, is a best-selling author, certified life coach, and CEO and owner of multiple successful companies. Tamara’s first jobs after high school were in the temp industry and the pharmaceutical industry. She took her experiences from both industries to create Rep Network—a contract sales force.

Today, she oversees over 100 sales reps in her capacity as CEO of By Design Medical and Trio Enterprises, as well as consultant for Element Inc. Her writing credits include “Discover Your Superpowers,” “Work Your Way to Your True Potential,” and “Diary of a Superhero,” all of which are widely available on Amazon.

Tamara’s life story is one of service and dedication to the community at large. She has served on numerous boards, participated in roundtable discussions, and was the Director of Diversity for Primary Care of Ohio. She has also provided outreach to the homeless and opened up her own home for various activities. Tamara accomplished all of this while also being a wife and mother of two boys.

Paul Francis II, Class of 1995, became a successful musician and music instructor in the greater New York area. As a drummer, Paul has collaborated with such recording artists as Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Brian Newman, and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and he has provided backup for Stevie Wonder, the Rockettes, Molly Ringwald, and McGuffey Lane. In addition, he is the founder of the Paul Francis Quartet and the leader and director of the Brooklyn Jazz Orchestra. Paul’s work has been featured in a variety of television shows and movies, including HBO’s Boardwalk Empire and the soundtrack to the 2018 film, “A Star is Born,” featuring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

Throughout his career, Paul has also served as a music instructor for high schools, universities, and community schools throughout New York and Ohio. He has taught masterclasses and clinics at The Ohio State University, the University of Cincinnati, Capital University, and SUNY, among others. Although he resides in New York, Paul has never forgotten his roots and regularly returns to his hometown of Chillicothe.

Charles “Buzz” Knoles, Class of 1950, is one of Chillicothe’s most recognizable and longest-serving community leaders. He held multiple positions with the Chillicothe Gazette, where he retired as Advertising Director, and he helped found VICOM, a precursor to the Internet, while working for Horizon/Chillicothe Telephone Company.

His list of contributions to Chillicothe and the surrounding area is extremely long. He has served as the President of Chillicothe Noon Rotary, President of the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Ross-Chillicothe Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and Chair of the Salvation Army.

One of his proudest accomplishments was bringing the Gus Macker 3-on-3 basketball tournament to Chillicothe, which was one of the largest of its kind and helped fund the Junior Achievement Program in Ross County’s schools. This led to a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

Buzz was happily married to his wife Marlene for 62 years and at the time of this biography, he has four children, six grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild on the way.

Jerry Salley, Class of 1978, took his musical talents to Nashville after graduating from CHS and became a world class songwriter and performer in country, gospel, and bluegrass music. Billboard Magazine has described him as “One of Music Row’s greatest veteran tunesmiths.”

Indeed, Jerry has proven himself to be incredibly versatile, as he has written over 540 songs that have sold more than 18 million records worldwide. He penned Sir Elton John’s only chart single to appear on the Billboard Country chart, as well as songs recorded by such legends as Loretta Lynn, the Oak Ridge Boys, Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntyre, and Brad Paisley. He is also an eight-time Dove Award nominee who has performed on the Grand Ole Opry, as well as Late Night with David Letterman, Live with Regis and Kathy Lee, and NBC’s Today Show, where he sang background vocals with Linda Ronstadt.

In 2018, Jerry created Billy Blue Records to help up-and-coming artists. It has become one of the premier labels of its kind in just 6 years. Jerry continues to release new music, including his newest album “The Songwriter,” just released in May of 2024.

Richard “Sonny” Curtis, Class of 1954, was a rockabilly and country music guitar player whose recordings in the late 1950s made their way to up-and-coming superstar, George Jones. Jones was so impressed that he hired Sonny to play steel guitar for his band, “The Jones Boys.”

Within 10 years of graduating from CHS, Sonny hit the big time and began touring with the Jones Boys and another Greenfield native, Johnnie Paycheck. Sonny played with Jones and his wife Tammy Wynette for 20 years, becoming the longest-tenured member of the band. During that time, he performed alongside Jones on national TV on the “Jimmy Dean Show” and contributed to the duo’s many Grammy and Country Music Awards.

After Jones and Wynette divorced, Sonny continued to play with Wynette until his wife became ill and he returned home to Ohio to care for her. Following her death, he opened a music store in Columbus, Ohio, where he taught thousands of central Ohio musicians how to play guitar. Sonny was inducted into the Columbus Musicians’ Hall of Fame and was renowned for his contributions to the music industry until his death in 2019.