100 YEARS of McGinnis Bus Lines
By Ralphine Major
ralphine3@yahoo.com
In a few days the school year will come to an end. But while school is in session, the big, yellow school buses that transport students are a very important part of the school day.
McGinnis Bus Lines has played a vital role in Knox County and was recently recognized by the Knox County School Board for a “century” of service! After the passing of James and Joe McGinnis (grandfather and father of Perry McGinnis), Perry bought a Thomas School Bus for his mother who continued working the family business. At her death, the family needed someone living in Knox County to run the business. The fourth generation of the McGinnis family (Perry and Carol’s sons) made a huge decision to move to Knox County, Tennessee! Throughout the series, this writer has been amazed that the McGinnis brothers chose to move to this rural area when many had been anxious to leave and move to other places. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” Barron said. He has worked for nearly 40 years in the family business and continues the tradition today! Barron moved from his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now sells Thomas School Buses like the one his father bought several years earlier. He sells to 25 to 30 school districts for Mid-South Bus Center. Currently, McGinnis Bus Lines runs four buses. “We have had as many as six and as few as three, depending on the driver situation,” Barron said. Roland also moved to Knox County from his home in Dallas and serves as a road technician for Mid-South Bus Center. Helping to keep the buses mechanically sound and running smoothly on the highways and country roads is so important for the safety of students.
“We were certainly not expecting such an honor and were deeply grateful for the Knox County School (KCS) Board for recognizing our family’s long history in the school bus business,” Perry said of the prestigious honor. The McGinnis roots run deep in the Gibbs Community where their big, yellow buses can be seen transporting students. As McGinnis Bus Lines looks to the future, a sixth generation of the McGinnis family surfaces. Perry and Carol’s great grandson, young Parker Perry McGinnis, already has a remarkable knowledge of buses according to Barron. What a historic moment for the McGinnis family! Thank you, McGinnis Bus Lines, for 100 years of dedicated service to the students of Knox County!
Words of Faith selected by Barron McGinnis: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV).
