Charles Lynn Haston, Sr.

From a White County, TN Farm to a Leader in Tennessee Higher Education

From a White County, TN farming family to a Vice President of Middle Tennessee State University and other leadership roles in Tennessee higher education, Lynn Haston has lived a very full and productive life. Beginning as a seven-year-old paperboy in East Sparta, TN, he worked a wide variety of common jobs throughout his teen and young adult years, including a couple of stints in Detroit automobile plants. There is so much that could be said about his professional life and experiences! I want to present a few of the highlights from the life of this remarkable Haston cousin.

Charles Lynn Haston's Family Background

Great-Great-Great Grandson of Daniel Haston

Grandparents: Joe Morgan & Willie Rogers Haston

Parents: Charlie V. & Elizabeth Maude Mitchell Haston

Charles Lynn Haston was born on February 3, 1932, in White County, TN. His parents were Charlie V. and Elizabeth Maude Mitchell Haston. I know that Lynn would be quick to add that his mother’s Mitchell family played a major role in his development as a child and young adult.

In an era when higher education was not on many of the minds of young men in White County and Sparta, TN, Lynn was determined to pursue a college education but probably not yet aware of how far he might go up the ladder of higher education.

1st and 2nd Grades – Sparta (TN) City School
3rd through 6th Grades – Elementary School; Detroit, Michigan
7th and 8th Grades – Doyle Elementary School; Doyle, TN
High School – White County High School; Sparta, TN (top ten graduate)
Freshman and Sophomore Years College – Middle Tennessee State University; Murfreesboro, TN
Final Two Years College – George Washington University; Washington, DC – Bachelor of Arts
[Enlisted in the army, stationed at Fort Knox, KY]
Summer term at Tennessee Technological University; Cookeville, TN
Graduate School – Vanderbilt School of Law; Nashville, TN – LL.B (Legum Baccalaureus)
Graduate School – Memphis State University; Memphis, TN – Masters in Business
Graduate School – Memphis State University; Memphis, TN – EdD (Doctor of Education) ABD (all but dissertation)

Lynn's Professional Experiences

Some Highlights of Lynn Haston’s Professional Career

House Document Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. – 1952-54
State Auditor and Legislative Liaison, Comptroller of the Treasurer, State of Tennessee, Nashville, TN – 1956-59
Nashville Bank and Trust, Nashville, TN, Assistant Trust Officer – 1959-64 (Nashville Bank and Trust merged with Third National Bank)
Third National Bank, Nashville, TN, Assistant Trust Officer – 1965
Owensboro National Bank, Owensboro, KY, Assistant Trust Officer – 1965
Memphis State University, Memphis, TN – Administrative Assistant to the President, Legal Counsel, and Assistant Dean of School of Law – 1965-73
State University and Community College System, State Board of Regents, Nashville, TN, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board – 1973-75
Tennessee School of Boards Association, Nashville, TN, Legal Consultant – 1974-79
Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, Vice President for Administration – 1975-1980; Associate Professor in MTSU School of Business – 1980-1981

White County, TN Roles, After MTSU Years:
Practiced law in Sparta, TN
City Attorney for Sparta and Spencer, TN
City Judge and Municipal Court Judge of Sparta, TN
White County, TN Election Commission Member and Chairman
Chairman of the Democratic Party for White County, TN
Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce for Sparta and White County, TN
County Commissioner for White County (two years)