We talked to Gene Davidson who owns the Clifton Marina. He’s lived either in Clifton or nearby Waynesboro all of his 80 years.  A pharmacist for most of his career, Gene created the marina in the early 2000s after he retired.

Clifton Marina BEFORE

Gene and I talked about his childhood and how rough Clifton was back in the day. Something like seven taverns on one block when he was growing up and a fight most every weekend and a murder a year. The town is one of the poorest towns in one of the poorest counties in Tennessee with a median income of $22,500 a year,. 22% of the population lives below the poverty line. This brings accompanying problems with low employment and drugs.

Clifton Marina AFTER

We talked about his family, his brief career in politics, and about future prospects for the river and humanity in an era of increasing global climate change. Despite his good humor, he wasn’t terribly optimistic about the future, but was grateful that he’d had such a good life.

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