User:Sunspherebook/Martha Rose Woodward

Woodward, Martha Rose Martha Rose Woodward (born October 18, 1948) is the author of three non-fiction books: Knoxville’s Sunsphere; Biography of a Landmark; Knoxville’s 1982 World’s Fair; and Seven Minutes in Hell; The Eric McLean Murder Case, one fiction book: Even Wounded Birds Fly. She is currently a feature writer for the Knoxville Journal Newspaper in Knoxville, TN. From 1975 until 1999 she was a school teacher employed by Knox County Schools in Knoxville, TN. Since 2005 she has produced a cable access television program, Homespun Hobbies, which airs weekly on Community Television of Knoxville. She also worked as staff writer for the Knoxville-Knox County Focus Newspaper in 2007. Contents: --Education --Early Career --Television Production --Writing Career --Interests --Notes

Education Woodward was born in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, the county seat of Lawrence County Tennessee, which is also the birth city of Fred Thompson, former U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee. She attended public school at Leoma Elementary School, grades 1-8 and Loretto High School, grades 9-12, graduating in 1966. She attended the University of North Alabama in Florence, Alabama, graduating in 1975 with a Bachelor’s degree with a major in Elementary Education. She moved to Knoxville in 1975 to attend Graduate School at the University of Tennessee, graduating in 1978 with a Master’s Degree majoring in School Health. She also completed 45 hours over the Master’s from Lincoln Memorial University in 1992 with a major in School Guidance. Early Career In 1975 she was hired to teach elementary school for the Knox County School System where she worked for 24 years. She served many of those years teaching in self-contained classes in 5th, 3rd, and 4th grades. She also taught English and Reading grade 8, and was selected to work with students in the Talented and Gifted Program from 1997 until her retirement in 1999. Woodward was stricken with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1998, and retired from the field of education the following year. She spent several years in recuperation. Writing Career In April 2007, Woodward was hired as feature writer for Knoxville-Knox County Focus Newspaper, where she distinguished herself by writing news articles and biographical sketches. In 2007, Woodward published her first non-fiction book, Knoxville’s Sunsphere; Biography of a Landmark, which is a 200 page account of the unique building which was built in 1982 as the theme structure for the 1982 World’s Fair, which was held in Knoxville from May until October in 1982. In September 2007, she was employed by the Knoxville Journal Newspaper as feature writer and was sent to cover many of the most highly publicized murder cases in the Knoxville area, including: The Raynella Dossett-Leath Murder Case, The Rick Clark Murder Case, and the Eric and Erin McLean/Sean Powell Murder Case. Since being employed by the Knoxville Journal Newspaper, Woodward has written over 300 articles. Woodward’s second book, Knoxville’s 1982 World’s Fair was published by Arcadia Publisher’s from Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina in 2008-2009. Her first novel, Even Wounded Birds Fly, is due to be published in 2009 by Authorhouse in Bloomington, Indiana. In 2008, she began the blog www.marthasunsphere.blogspot.com in order to let her fans know about her life. The blog has experienced over 200,000 hits were year. By September 2009, she published her third non-fiction book, Seven Minutes in Hell: the Eric McLean Murder Case, with Authorhouse Publishers in Bloomington, Indiana.

Television Production In 2006, Woodward created and produced Homespun Hobbies, a television program which airs weekly on Community Television in Knoxville, TN. The program focuses on Woodward’s areas of interests such as quilt making, gardening, sewing, cooking, writing, and television and radio production. Radio Co-host In 2007, while appearing as a guest on a radio talk show, she came to the attention of radio talk show host, Wild Bill Lindley, who hired her to be co-host for the Salute America Radio Program which airs Sundays on Radio 850 WVLT A.M. Woodward provides the conservative point of view for the program which slants towards the left. Interests By age 9, Woodward was taught the craft of quilt making by her grandmother, Edna Lee Belew Gibbs and her mother, Helen Jean Gibbs Woodward. She has continued with the craft both as a seamstress and collector.