Historical Staff Throughout the Years

A. C. Sherwood, Jr., General Manager 1939-1972

 

Carlisle C Butler, architect/master plan

Internationally known landscape architect, Carlisle C. Butler (1908-2003) designed the modern gardens (sections) of Monte Vista in the late 1950s. Born in Richmond and a lifelong resident of the area, he had designed several memorial parks during his career. He created a master plan for Monte Vista, a plan that was state-of-the-art in cemetery history at the time: the creation and development of beautiful memorial gardens that depicted the history of the Christian faith in chronological order, beginning with the Garden of  Light, and continuing with a large bronze Bible in the Garden of the Word. The story these gardens tell lives on today as a shrine of perpetual beauty and comfort dedicated to the memory of loved ones passed. Many of Monte Vista’s statues and sculptures were commissioned from Italy and carved from select Carrara marble that came from the same quarry Michelangelo used to carve his famous statue of David. Carlisle devised a detailed and exacting plan (scaled map) showing each numbered grave site so that families could see the burial space “lot” they were purchasing. Before construction of each new section as Monte Vista evolved, the land would be surveyed and precisely marked for the featured sculpture placement, shrubbery & annual flower beds, water spigots, and access drives. 

Board of Directors

Over the years, the following were members of the board:
Allen Harris, Sr., Allen Harris, Jr., Lester Harris, Paul J Sherwood

Left to right: Allen Harris, Jr, Allen Harris, Sr, A C Sherwood, Jr, Lester Harris, Bill L Staten

Office Staff

Prior to 1948, Mrs Summers was the general manager.  Clarence “A. C.” Sherwood was the general manager 1948-1972, followed by Bill L. Staten, and Jane A. Mann.

Treasurers included Bill L Staten, and Jane A Mann.

Secretaries included Mrs. Attwood, and Jane A Mann.

Sales Staff

Over the years, commissioned salespeople sold cemetery plots by canvassing (house calls) in the community using a hardopy portfolio folder and then in the 1960s, a briefcase sized audio-visual player which projected slides on a small screen with a recorded voice/music track to explain the history of the cemetery and the various sections and availability.

Sales people included: Clarence Overman, Violet Helen Overman, Evelyn Corpening, Bob Hannah, Frank Boyd

Grounds Maintenance

George Hyatt, then Sherman (Shermie) Hyatt were grounds supervisors/caretakers over the years.

Grounds workers included: Erbie Lee King, Frank Shepherd, Hobert (Hoby) Mitchel, Bill Holder

Prior to the purchase of a tractor/backhoe in the mid 1950s, all graves were hand-dug. Mr Sherwood would drive to the Cash Hollow section of Johnson City/Piney Flats to pick up people looking for manual labor work.  On rare occasion, boulders were encountered that needed blasting (no permit was needed in the olden days). Gardens of the Cross and Last Supper were primarily shale, and posed a challenge for backhoes.