People of Greene County: AGNES MCAMIS

People of Greene: Lt. Col. Agnes West McAmis (1919–1997)

Lt. Col. Agnes West McAmis devoted more than two decades to military service while maintaining lifelong connections to the Greene County community where she was born and educated. An accomplished student, athlete, educator, and military officer, she built a distinguished career that began during the Second World War and concluded with her retirement from the United States Air Force as a lieutenant colonel.

Agnes West McAmis was born on November 16, 1919, in Greeneville, Tennessee, to James Wilson McAmis and Frances Agnes Eckelkamp McAmis. Her father, J. W. McAmis, later served as superintendent of the Greeneville Water Works following his service in the United States Navy during the First World War 1.

Caption: Newspaper account reporting Agnes McAmis's childhood accident, December 8, 1922. Credit: The Greeneville Democrat-Sun, December 8, 1922. Courtesy of Newspapers.com.

From an early age, McAmis distinguished herself both academically and athletically. Although she suffered a serious childhood injury that resulted in the loss of portions of two fingers on her left hand, she remained active in sports throughout her youth 2. In 1931, she won recognition in local swimming and diving competitions, an early indication of the athletic accomplishments that would follow throughout her life 3.

McAmis attended Greeneville City Schools, where she consistently ranked among the school's highest-achieving students. In April 1933, she earned first place on the city-wide eighth-grade honor roll with an academic average of 95.54 4. The following month, she was selected as valedictorian of her eighth-grade graduating class, delivering an address entitled The Smoky Mountain Park 5.

Caption: The Greeneville High School "Little Devils" girls' basketball team following its East Tennessee Championship victory, March 16, 1937. Agnes McAmis is pictured in the back row, center. Credit: The Greeneville Sun, March 16, 1937. Courtesy of Newspapers.com.

While attending Greeneville High School, McAmis continued to excel in both academics and athletics. She served as captain and center of the undefeated girls' basketball team during the 1936–1937 season and graduated with the Class of 1938. When she was inducted into the Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2007, her biography—drawing upon contemporary newspaper accounts and school yearbooks—described her as "the person who was always there to hold the team together," 6.

Following graduation, McAmis enrolled at Tusculum College, where she served as president of the Women's Athletic Association, was elected to the Polity Club, and was recognized in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges 7. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941 before continuing her studies at the University of Tennessee College of Law 8.

As the United States entered the Second World War, McAmis chose military service. She enlisted in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on January 23, 1943, at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. During the following months she completed administrative training, graduated from Officer Candidate School at Des Moines, Iowa, received a commission as a Second Lieutenant, and completed the Intermediate Officers School before returning briefly to Greeneville on leave 9.

By 1944, McAmis was serving as adjutant of Section D (WAC) at Gardner Field, an Army Air Forces basic pilot training installation in California. The following year, while commanding a Women's Army Corps unit at Victorville Army Air Field, she attended Purdue University's WAC School for Personnel Administration, an advanced course preparing officers for greater administrative responsibility 10.

Following the conclusion of the war, McAmis was released from active duty in April 1946 and accepted a position with the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. 11. In May 1949, she received a commission as a First Lieutenant in the Regular United States Air Force and was assigned to Headquarters, Military Air Transport Service, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland 12.

Caption: Major Agnes W. McAmis following graduation from the United States Air Force Command and Staff School, 1959. Credit: The Greeneville Sun, May 11, 1959. Courtesy of Newspapers.com.

During the 1950s, McAmis continued to advance through the officer ranks, serving assignments in Maryland, Germany, Texas, and Washington, D.C. In 1959, then Major McAmis graduated from the United States Air Force Command and Staff School at Maxwell Air Force Base before assuming command of the 3743rd Women in the Air Force (WAF) Training Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. She also served as WAF advisor to the base commander 13.

Caption:Announcement of Lt. Col. Agnes W. McAmis's assignment to Torrejón Air Base, Spain, June 1962. Credit: The Greeneville Sun, June 7, 1962. Courtesy of Newspapers.com.

In June 1962, McAmis was assigned to Torrejón Air Base near Madrid, Spain, where she became personnel officer for the Spanish Communications Region. By the following year, local newspapers reported that she had attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and remained stationed in Spain, where she welcomed visiting friends from Greeneville during military leave 14.

Although her assignments frequently took her to California, Maryland, Germany, Texas, Spain, and Washington, D.C., McAmis maintained close ties to Greeneville. Local newspapers regularly noted her visits home to spend holidays with family, attend commencements, and visit relatives throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s 15.

Following her retirement from the United States Air Force, McAmis returned to Greeneville and remained active in athletics as an accomplished golfer. She supported athletic programs at both Greeneville High School and Tusculum College, and through her estate established the Agnes West McAmis Scholarship at Tusculum University in 1998. The scholarship gives preference to members of the women's golf team and, subsequently, to other female student-athletes. Her contributions continue to be recognized through the annual Agnes McAmis Memorial golf tournament 16.

Lt. Col. Agnes West McAmis died on January 11, 1997, in Johnson City, Tennessee, and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Greeneville. Her life and career are documented through military records, local newspapers, and the collections of the Greeneville-Greene County History Museum.

Local Mentions of Agnes McAmis:

1. Featured on the Greeneville Women of Influence mural, celebrating notable women from Greene County (2026). Located at 622 E. Church Street, Greeneville, TN; on the corner of E. Church Street and W. Bernard Street, Greeneville, TN.

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NOTE: Historical research is an ongoing process. If you have additional information or believe a correction is needed, please contact the Greeneville-Greene County History Museum. We welcome documented contributions that help ensure the accuracy of our historical record.

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Sources

1. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), obituary of James Wilson McAmis, November 14, 1951, Newspapers.com.

2. The Greeneville Democrat-Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 8, 1922, Newspapers.com.

3. The Greeneville Democrat-Sun (Greeneville, TN), August 11, 1931, Newspapers.com.

4. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), April 24, 1933, Newspapers.com.

5. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 27, 1933, Newspapers.com.

6. Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Inductee Biography: Agnes McAmis, 2007.

7.  The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 3, 1940, Newspapers.com.

8. Tusculum College, student records of Agnes West McAmis.

9. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 5, 1943, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), August 11, 1943, Newspapers.com.

10. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 1944, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), September 15, 1944, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), August 13, 1945, Newspapers.com.

11. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), April 15, 1946, Newspapers.com.

12. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 11, 1959, Newspapers.com.

13. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), June 1953, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), May 11, 1959, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), June 7, 1962, Newspapers.com.

14. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), June 7, 1962, Newspapers.com; The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 1963, Newspapers.com.

15. The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, TN), December 27, 1945; May 30, 1952; June 7, 1962; and other issues, 1945–1963, Newspapers.com.

16. Tusculum University, Agnes West McAmis Scholarship records; Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame Inductee Biography: Agnes McAmis, 2007.

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Sources Consulted

• Greeneville-Greene County History Museum. Agnes West McAmis Collection.

• Greeneville High School Sports Hall of Fame. "Agnes McAmis." Inducted October 19, 2007.

• The Greeneville Democrat-Sun (Greeneville, Tenn.). Various issues, 1922–1931.

• The Greeneville Sun (Greeneville, Tenn.). Various issues, 1933–1963.

• Tusculum University. Agnes West McAmis Scholarship Records.

• United States Army. World War II Enlistment Records for Agnes West McAmis.