The hit of the dinner was this plate of apple turnovers made by Pete DeBusk's 90-year-old mother, Maude. They contain June apples from her own farm.
Fifty of us were on a bus the other evening on the way to Gibson Station, Virginia, to a picnic at a farmhouse owned by Pete and Cindi DeBusk. It was one of Knox Heritage‘s fun Summer Supper fundraisers. In fact, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees, it was the hottest one on record!
DeBusk was on the microphone acting as tour guide, pointing out interesting sights in Maynardville, Harrogate and nearby vicinities when a woman shouted out a question to him. “Pete, were you raised in the farmhouse where we are going to have dinner?”
DeBusk chuckled and shook his head. “No, honey. I was raised in a trailer. My parents were in the coal business.”
Pete DeBusk on the bus to Gibson Station
DeBusk touched briefly on the story of his life. How his father moved the family all over Appalachia building coal tipples. How Pete attended 16 schools before graduating from Thomas Walker High School in Rose Hill, Virginia, which also was the town where he was born.
He went to Lincoln Memorial University on a basketball scholarship and originally planned to be a veterinarian, before deciding that he’d rather be a doctor. While saving for medical school, he became a pharmaceutical salesman, traveling the mountain highways with which he was so familiar to call on hospitals and clinics. During these visits to doctors and hospitals, DeBusk noticed so many patients wearing dirty and damaged plaster casts. That’s where he came up with the idea of a cast boot, which he patented in 1973.
Cindi DeBusk making remarks at the picnic.
Today, his company, DeRoyal Industries, headquartered in Powell, manufactures 6,000 different medical and surgical devices and employs more than 2,000 people worldwide. Many work in the manufacturing plants here in East Tennessee and other parts of Appalachia.
DeBusk never did become a doctor. But he did found and principally fund the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at his alma mater, Lincoln Memorial University, as well as several nursing and physician assistants programs there. He is committed to improving health care in the area. And he’s committed to education in general, which he thinks is the key to improving the economic status of the Appalachian people. (DeBusk also is responsible for LMU’s John J. Duncan Jr. College of Law, located in Knoxville’s Old City Hall Building, which has made the news lately as it struggles for accreditation.)
But, back to the Summer Supper. As you will see from the photographs, it was just a relaxed, if hot, evening celebrating life in the countryside of the Cumberland Gap area, also known as the Trail of the Lonesome Pine. We ate an 85-pound country ham prepared the local way (boiled for a day, coated in mustard, and baked for another day!) and fruits and vegetables from the farm of Pete’s mother, Maude. A feature of the dessert table was a big plate of Maude DeBusk’s famous apple turnovers made with June apples from her farm.
A word about Gibson Station. It is named for Major George Gibson who fought in the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. He settled in the area in 1785 and the chimney of his original home still stands near the big white farmhouse that Cindi and Pete DeBusk recently purchased.
Kim Trent, the executive director of Knox Heritage, welcomed everyone onto the party bus for happy hour. We boarded at Knox Heritage's offices behind WATE on Broadway and picked up Pete DeBusk, one of the richest men in America, standing by the side of the road at the Pilot in Halls! (Love this town!)
Our friends, Dawn and Richard Ford, enjoying the bus ride.
John Cate and Gail Jarvis on the bus
Knox Heritage volunteer Sam Maynard made a great "flight attendant" on the bus!
When the bus arrived at Gibson Station, Kelly Conley greeted us with a special cocktail called "The Lonesome Pine."
The cocktail napkins had a picture of the farmhouse on them!
The band called themselves Last Transfer Grass. They are, from left, George Marsee, Scott Powers, Bill Sowder and Alan Powers.
Church pews and folding chairs made ideal spots to listen to the music.
Kay Clayton helped serve the soup course.
Chilled cucumber soup was a great idea.
The table settings just screamed, "Sit a spell."
What country supper would be complete without deviled eggs and sliced maters??
Brenda Wood, left, was another of the hostesses. She's with guest Gail Jarvis.
Here's the farmhouse.
Dorothy Stair, left, and Gay Lyons with one of the much-used fans distributed to everyone.
Kim Trent and Cindi DeBusk
Bill Regas trying some of the corn and zucchini medley.
Robin and Chad Tindell having some very colorful new potatoes.
Rich and Jane Ray
A full plate
This is my plate. Maude DeBusk made SIX kinds of green beans! I had to sample them all!
Cindi DeBusk collects yellow and pink Depression glass. Here's a yellow piece.
A stack of pink Depression glass plates was on the dessert table. I just love it.
Oh my God, this dessert! I pray it is in the next Knox Heritage cookbook!
Robin Tindell had a great idea to bring this battery-operated fan!
Patricia Jobe, left, and Phyllis Kramer
Pat DeBusk, left, is Cindi DeBusk's mother. She and her friends Janice Idol and Brenda Ogle made the desserts (except for the apple turnovers).
Pete and Cindi addressing the group
Chef Tom Porter, left, and sommelier Dave Bowling were on hand to help out.
This is an absolutely fabulous rose that Bowling found to pair with dinner. It was dry and delicious.
Jeromy Welch, left, and Scott Bird in the farmhouse dining room
I loved the way Cindi mixed her Depression glass in with her fine china.
Genetta Dittrich, left, Angela Campbell, center, and Willene Chalmers
Cindi with Sylvia Lacey
I loved this bush with flowers that looked like flames. Believe me, it was appropriate!
I thought the setting was lovely.
Cindi's daughter, Madison Wilder, came in from South Carolina for the event.
Guests Kathy Darnell, left, and Rosa Mar
Richard Ford, left, and Alan Carmichael in their "thinker" pose. They believe this pose makes them look thoughtful!
Cindi and her father
Another wonderful Summer Supper came to an end. Thanks so much to Cindi and Pete DeBusk who picked up the entire tab.
Very nice post. I can really appreciate the time and effort. The pictures look great and the food, man. If you guys could have dialed the temperature back about 30 degrees it would have been perfect. Maybe there’s a call for Autumn Dinners.
It was a “hot,” “hot”, “hot ” Knox Heritage summer supper in every way: the people, the food, the house, the bus ride, the libations, the tour guide and the music. One of the best summer suppers I have attended.
It looks lovely! I’m sorry I missed it. By the way, the photo of Kim Trent is mislabeled as Kim Henry.
Hey, Urban Guy! Thanks for the comment. I totally agree about the temp! I know they do these in the summer because there is less competition for folks’ time (and money), but it would be more comfortable in the fall. Unfortunately, there’s this little thing called football . . .Ha!
Rosa: I agree. It was one of the best!
Chyna: It would have been fun to have you there! Thanks for the catch on Kim’s name! I know too many Kims!
What a great Summer Supper — bus trip, Southern food, a little history, Depression glass . . . even the heat!!! You know I love good food AND antiques, so thanks for including pictures of both. Please, encourage Gay to write another cookbook — I need the recipes for those deviled eggs and that yummy dessert!
I think you would have enjoyed it, Rusha. I’m thinking of collecting blue Depression glass. It would go with my wedding china.. Do you know if it is hard to find?
Thanks to all who came (and sweated) and had a good time with us. I’m definitely collecting the recipes from this Supper and all others this year for the 2nd ed. of the Knox Heritage Summer Suppers Cookbook. I want the recipes for all six green bean recipes, the apple turnovers, the cucumber soup, the baked country ham, the desserts, the Lonesome Pine cocktail–all of it. Kim, Sam, and I had a blast being the “flight attendants” on the party bus. Thanks so much to Pete and Cindi (and everyone they recruited) for making the evening possible. It was magical.
Gay: Please get that chocolate dessert recipe!
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