As a youngster growing up in the friendly confines of Epworth, Georgia, Ron Hartness marked the passage of time not so much as summer followed by fall followed by winter followed by spring but by the athletic uniform that he donned at various points during the year. Ron was a stellar all-around athlete and has been elected to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class of 2019.
When Ron entered Epworth High School in the autumn of 1954, there were four high schools in operation in Fannin County — Epworth, Blue Ridge, Morganton and McCaysville. The only sport offered at those schools was basketball. Ron Hartness tried out for and made the Epworth High School varsity basketball team as a freshman.
Several male students at Fannin high schools who wanted to participate in football opted to pay tuition to attend Copperhill High School across the border in Tennessee. Although this option was available, the expenses and transportation issues deterred many good athletes from expanding their resumes beyond the sport of basketball.
A new world of athletic possibilities opened in 1955, however, when the high schools of Fannin County were consolidated into the new East and West Fannin High Schools. Ron Hartness, and other youngsters, were suddenly afforded the opportunity to play football, baseball and track and field, as well as basketball. Ron played them all and played them all with enthusiasm and skill.
Ron Hartness was a starting end for the West Fannin football teams of 1955, 1956 and 1957. He was a solid performer on both offense and defense as he anchored the right side of the Yellow Jacket line for three seasons. He caught a 60 yard touchdown pass in the 1956 Bryson City game and was largely responsible for the West Fannin comeback to gain a 13-13 tie with Copper Basin in 1957. Late in that game, Ron blocked a Basin punt that was recovered by teammate Wendell Ash for a touchdown that brought the Jackets to within one point at 13-12. Ron then caught a pass from Earl Wade Arp for a successful point after touchdown attempt that ended the game in a hard-fought 13-13 tie.
He started at forward and center for the West Fannin basketball team for two seasons. Ron averaged 10.9 points per game as a junior and 15.6 points per game as a senior. He also averaged at or near double figures in rebounding both years. He scored a career-high 30 points versus Gilmer County during his junior season leading his team to a 50-48 victory. As a senior, he dropped in 25 points in a 49-46 overtime victory at Cherokee County in Canton. He pulled down 22 rebounds in a game with Murray County during his senior season. He scored in double figures in 18 of the 20 games played during his senior season.
Ron pitched and played third base for the West Fannin baseball team during his junior and senior seasons. The school did not field a team during his sophomore year. His best season offensively was his junior year when he hit for a .322 average. Arguably his best sport, Ron also played American Legion baseball for two years. He started for the Georgia Tech freshman team in the spring of 1959 and later for the Ft. Jackson, South Carolina team while serving in the military. Recognized for his prowess on the diamond, he was often recruited to play with the local semi-pro powerhouse team at Isabella during the summer of 1957.
Ron Hartness is a strong leader and was highly respected by his fellow classmates and teammates at West Fannin. His coaches and teammates selected as captain or co-captain of all three major sports teams – football, basketball and baseball – for his senior season of 1957-58. He was also a class officer and student leader.
Following his graduation from West Fannin High School in 1958, Ron Hartness attended both Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia for one year each. He then entered the Army Reserves for six months’ active duty at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and Ft. Knox, Kentucky. He then moved to Atlanta where he worked for the United States Post Office. He married a McCaysville girl, Doris Thomas, in 1962. As evidence of his strong ties to his Fannin County roots, Ron asked his high school friend Leon Guthrie to be his best man, Ron Jabaley and Ronnie Davenport to serve as ushers and high school teacher and minister Powell Hoover to officiate the ceremony.
Ron transferred to the Internal Revenue Service in 1965 and his growing family moved to Washington D.C. and then Memphis, Tennessee and back to Atlanta for periods of time. Ron was promoted to Manager of the Data Processing Center with the IRS in 1971.
Ron retired in 1990 and Doris retired from the Department of Transportation in 1996. They had purchased a 65-acre tract of property in Fannin County and he and Doris built a home and moved back to their beloved mountains in 1997. Ron and Doris have three grown children, Chandra, Duane and Tech. Ron stays active by playing golf twice a week.
It is nearly impossible to find anyone who speaks ill of Ron Hartness. He is respected by all who have known him both as an athlete and also as a citizen of the community. His daughter Chandra perhaps summed up the type of man he is with the following tribute from a few years ago: “You have blessed my life with your wisdom. You are a man of great character and integrity. You are a wonderful father … we love you for making us feel special and so important!” The Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is fortunate to welcome such a man as a member.
