Joe Hardeman ExumJoe Hardeman Exum, Sr. was born in Madison County, Tennessee on July 14, 1927, to Queete and Raymond Exum, both natives of the area. Joe was educated in the local schools, graduating from Jackson (TN) Senior High School. Immediately after graduating,he volunteered for the Navy during WWII. At the end of the war, he was discharged after a short period of service. After the war, he attended Union University in Jackson, Tennessee and the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where he received B.S.E.E. and M.S. degrees. After college he returned to Madison County where he was employed by the local utility as an engineer. He remained at the utility, working his way up through the ranks, until he retired in 1990 as General Manager of the electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities. Joe married Martha Jane Jacobs of Humboldt, Tennessee, in 1953 and they remained married for 66 years until her death in 2019. Their family consists of a daughter, a son, five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. In Joe's retirement, he has remained active at church, Rotary Club, men's bridge club, men's coffee club, traveling with family and, finally, writing about his ancestors and the rest of their descendants. Read More Read Less