Sevier County Students Win Gamble Essay Competition
April 1, 2025
Sevier County Students Win Essay Competition
The essay contest was endowed by the late John Gamble, a Morristown native who
had successful careers in journalism, as a speech writer and as a Hollywood agent.
This year's winners are Kinsey Mullins, a student at Northview Intermediate School,
and Elijah Cates, a student at Northview Junior Academy. Both received iPads and gift
cards at a luncheon held in their honor at the Walters State Sevier County Campus.
The two will also receive priority in the John Gamble Scholarship should they
choose to attend Walters State.
Mullins is the daughter of Rick and Carly Mullins. Cates is the son of Josh
and Heather Cates.
The competition and the scholarship were both established in honor of the late
John Gamble. A Morristown native, Gamble had successful careers as a newspaper reporter,
an aid to a Tennessee governor and a Hollywood agent and producer. He was also a speechwriter
for the late Sen. Herbert Walters, for whom the college is named. Gamble attributed
his success to the fact that as a young boy he read an entire set of encyclopedias
cover to cover. By age 12, he had begun corresponding with over 40 world leaders.
The letters were so well written that those corresponding with him did not realize
that they were writing to a young boy.
As an adult, Gamble wanted the young people from this area to learn about the
world beyond East Tennessee and to contribute to it. Walters State was chosen to administer
an encyclopedia endowment fund. In the beginning, the fund awarded essay winners complete
sets of encyclopedias. Now, iPads are awarded so students can access the encyclopedia
information and much more.
His brother, Ed Gamble, is a retired editorial cartoonist whose work was syndicated
for 20 years. His work is displayed in five presidential libraries.
The essay contest is held in a different county in the college’s service area
each year on a rotating basis.