By Megan Venable
Meet Warren Dockter. His education includes an undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee, a masters and PhD from the University of Nottingham in England. That’s right. He’s Dr. Dockter.
Let’s not make a thing about it.
Growing up with family in both Grainger and Blount counties, education was emphasized to him on almost every level. All four of his grandparents were graduates of Maryville College, and his paternal grandfather served as president of the Blount County genealogy and historical society. It was he, Albert W. Dockter, Jr., who particularly supported his education, taking Warren throughout his young life along with him to visit notable historic sites across the nation. So much so that by the time Warren graduated Rutledge High School, he had visited every continental state in the nation plus Alaska. “Education has played an important role in my life,” he says. “I’m grateful to my mom who instilled a love of reading and to my dad for instilling a love of history.”
Warren currently serves as President and CEO of the East Tennessee Historical Society where he recently hosted a History Happy Hour. Guest Lamar Alexander was present to discuss his new book with members. It was Alexander who remarked on his recent visit to London that it was Grainger County’s own Warren Dockter who crafted and narrated audio remarks on an art tour regarding Winston Churchill’s painting “View of Jerusalem” as a piece in the Wallace Collection.
Regarding his scholarship and knowledge of Churchill, Warren is quite humble. He is responsible for the publication of countless scholarly articles, chapters and books on the subject, but denies he is the go-to guy in the world on the subject. “I’m probably in the top three,” he modestly claims. After earning his PhD, Warren lived in the United Kingdom for 12 years, teaching and serving as an archive bye-fellow at Churchill College and then as a research fellow at Clare Hall, Cambridge. It was during this time that he assisted then London Mayor Boris Johnson with his book on the subject.
Despite his love of Europe and support for education, Warren never forgot his East Tennessee roots, and the call to come home never left him. “I’m a bit like Dracula,” he laughs. “I gotta be in my own dirt awhile.” When the position was announced that ETHS was looking for new leadership, the time was right to come back home.
As for the future of ETHS, Warren is full of ideas and passionate about the work his staff is producing. “We have one of the largest repositories of genealogy material,” he says. “Genealogy makes history personal. We want to share everyone’s stories.” And although he plans to continue to travel, he is proud to call Knoxville home. “You have a better understanding of your own home when you’re traveling.”