Annette Grogan Anderson
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Annette Grogan Anderson
Annette was born on July 31st, 1934, in Peoria, Illinois. On April 5th, 2022, she died as the result
of a stroke. She came to Knoxville with her first husband in 1969, having earned a BA in
Government from MacMurray College and an MA in Public Administration from the University
of Missouri.
She was widely known and respected in Knoxville for her many decades of work on behalf of
the community, particularly in her twenty-two-year role as Executive Director of the East
Tennessee Community Design Center. Located in Knoxville, the non-profit ETCDC serves the
sixteen counties of East Tennessee. Its mission is "to bring professional design and planning
services to nonprofit groups and agencies that lack the resources to obtain these services through
the private sector."
One of the many projects completed under Annette's leadership was the establishment in 1975 of
the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville. The ETCDC helped convert a 1912 house into
what became an African-American cultural heritage museum and archive. Today, the Beck
Center is a much-visited museum "...designated by the state as a primary repository of Black
history and culture in East Tennessee."
Upon Annette's retirement in 1995, then-mayor Victor Ashe presented her with a key to the city
to thank her for her many contributions. He officially proclaimed the day "Annette Anderson
Day."
After retiring, Annette continued to work on community-oriented projects, including the
revitalization of downtown Knoxville, and on committees affiliated with her church, St. John's
Cathedral. Her interest in theology also led her to take many theology courses. In recent years,
she spent the bulk of her time caring for her second husband, Robert Wilson, after he was
diagnosed first with lymphoma and then with Alzheimer's.
Annette was dedicated to making East Tennessee more beautiful and livable for all its
inhabitants, especially its less privileged ones. She valued East Tennessee for its uniqueness, and
strove to help the area grow. She reveled in hiking and camping in the mountains. She also loved
gardening, cooking, hosting guests, traveling, and reading.
Annette is predeceased by her parents James and Leyla, her brother John Grogan, and her
children Tom Anderson and Sharon Anderson Lees. Her adored husband Robert, whom she
married in 1987, survived for eighteen days after her death. Still living are three stepchildren,
Andrew Abrahams, P. Rachael Wilson and Zahava Wilson; her step-grandchildren Sophia and
Naia, and her son-in-law Ian Lees.
On June 25th, 2022, a joint memorial service will be held for Annette and her husband Robert
Wilson. The service is at 1:00 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Knoxville. In
lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to Knoxville's St. John's Cathedral, or to the East
Tennessee Community Design Center.