This month, Signature HealthCARE of Elizabethton held its annual Hall of Ceremony as it inducted four new members.

Those inductees included William Ely, Ann Forsythe, Walter “Dutch” Schweim, and the Southside Christian Church.

Ely was inducted for his academic and professional accomplishments. Those accomplishments include graduating from Carnegie Tech of Pittsburg, obtaining his Ph.D. in Chemistry, serving as a professor at the Great Lakes Bible College in Lansing Michigan, and becoming an ordained minister. Ely would also serve in the United States Army during the Korean War. Ely, however, was not deployed and was able to stay home and teach on base.

Ely was born in Jefferson City, Missouri where he grew up and eventually met his wife, Joan, who he married in the December of 1953. They were married for 64 years before Joan passed away this year. Together they had three children, ten grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. Out all of his achievements, Ely says that his family was his greatest success.

Honored for her personal and academic accomplishments, Forsythe is a graduate of the University of Tennessee where she got her B.S. in Physical Education. She would go on to teach at both Culleoka Elementary School and Lawrence County Christian School. Later, Forsythe also served as a Park Ranger for the Great Smokey Mountain at CadesCove. She was married to Donal Forsythe and is the mother of Kerry Campbell, Kendall Baker, and Elizabeth Forsythe. Among her favorite things to do is sharing her love of flowers and trees with her daughter. She is also a fan of UT football and basketball. Forsythe is a member of the Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Schweim was inducted and honored for his distinguished military service. Born in Salem, Michigan, Schweim spent most of his young years working alongside his brothers and sisters on a farm. Schweim entered the workforce at a young age as he took a job working on an assembly line for the Ford Motor Company. Schweim, however, at the age of 18, enlisted with the United State Marines in 1960 around the time of the Vietnam War. Over his 10 years with the military, Schweim was stationed at many places including the DMZ and Chu–Lai south of Danang. Schweim achieved the rank of staff sergeant and was apart of Special Landing Force. As a helicopter pilot, Schweim, with his unit, would fly into war zones and rescue soldiers who were under heavy enemy fire. Following life in the Marines, Schweim moved to Bradford, Rhode Island where he worked for Bradford Dye for 25 years. Schweim ended up in East Tennessee where he worked for both Color Works and American Water Heater. After retiring at the age of 63, Schweim came out of retirement to work for Mills Greenhouse. Schweim retired again at the age of 72. He now lives with his wife, Sharon, in Hampton with their Dalmatian, Jake.

Southside Christian Church was recognized for its community involvement which includes the Nursing Home Angel Project. Each year, the church collects a list of residents’ names from Signature HealthCARE and their wish lists. These are hung on a tree at the church and church members have the opportunity to adopt and purchase gifts for one of the residents. The wish lists don’t usually stay on the tree long as members quickly go out and fill up the foyer with gifts. In conjunction with its Children Ministry, Southside Christian Church does other projects with  Signature including Easter Egg hunts, trunk or treat, and vacation bible school. The Children Ministry is directed by Tim and Cassie Franklin.