Chester Co. Schools to honor ‘Voice of the Eagles’ after sudden loss of teacher

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — It’s been one week since Jeff Lewis, the “Voice of the Eagles,” passed away, leaving a big hole in Chester County.

“The best thing to say about him is he was so much more than a teacher,” Presley Connor, a senior at Chester County High School, said.

Those who worked with Lewis said he wore many hats at the school.

“I counted over 25 jobs that he did,” Chester County High School Principal Dr. Ricky Catlett said. “Report cards, he ran progress reports, he was the voice of the Eagles, he was a technology coach, he was a math specialist.”

Students knew him not only as a teacher, but a friend.

“He was my go-to guy, my Beta sponsor, and we stayed at the school until midnight and he was sprinkling glitter, cutting out letters, all because he wanted to see me succeed,” Connor said.

Co-workers say he impacted not only them and the students but the community as a whole. “He made everybody feel like they were important, made them feel like they were going to be successful and could get the job done,” Catlett said.

And since he had such an impact, parents are making sure he’s remembered.

“We want to make sure Mr. Lewis’ family understands how important he was to our children, so the way that we are honoring him is by having decals printed for our boys’ football helmets,” Chester County Junior High School Principal Dr. Belinda Anderson said.

It has Lewis’ initials with a one in the middle, symbolizing that he was the one voice that brought everyone together. The idea came from a Barry Manilow song, “One Voice.”

“If only one voice would start it on its own, we just need one voice facing the unknown, and then that one voice would never be alone. It takes that one voice,” Anderson read from the song lyrics.

On Friday, Chester County High School will dedicate part of the press box to Lewis so students for years to come will remember the “Voice of the Eagles.”