PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — Earlene Teaster has received many accolades in her career as a city leader and government employee. The latest: Congratulations on 60 years of service with the city of Pigeon Forge.
The Pigeon Forge City Commission honored the Sevier County native and city manager Monday for six decades as a public employee.
Teaster started with Pigeon Forge in 1961 as city clerk. She became city manager, running day-to-day city operations, in 1980.
According to the city, she's the first woman to be a city manager in Tennessee. She's also the longest-serving city manager in the state, according to the city.
In a prepared statement, Pigeon Forge Mayor David Wear said: “Everyone who resides in, works in, or visits Pigeon Forge is a beneficiary of the leadership and work ethic that Earlene Teaster brings to the office of Pigeon Forge city manager. She leads with love, and her guidance has been and continues to be steadfast."
Teaster knows Pigeon Forge as well as anyone in East Tennessee. She started as a city clerk the same year the city itself was established.
The city and region have seen extraordinary growth since then.
In 2000, she was named City Manager of the Year by the Tennessee City Management Association.
Teaster and her late husband Glen have two sons, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
