Joe Wayne Pruett was born June 27, 1933 in the Pine Knot community in Greene County, Arkansas seven miles west of Paragould, the county seat. His parents took Joe to “church,” so he was told, when he was two weeks old. At the age of seven the family moved into Paragould, and he became a city boy. Eventually Joe’s family began attending worship at the Second and Walnut Street church in Paragould where he was baptized at the age of twelve. With the help of a succession of preachers such as J. A. McNutt, Rita Street’s father; R. C. Walker, Ray Walker’s father; Walter Henderson and one or two others, he learned to lead singing, and make “talks” in the Men’s Training Class. During his high school years, Joe’s parents sent him to Plainview, TX two summers for singing schools directed by L. O. Sanderson. After graduation from high school in 1951, Joe attended Freed-Hardeman College, Henderson, Tennessee where he remained for the next three years. Not only did he receive a good Christian education, he found a good wife too - Miss Ruby Yates, of Obion, Tennessee. They were married June 13, 1954 and moved immediately to Thayer, Missouri where they worked with the church. Upon their decision for Joe to return to school and complete his degree, David Lipscomb College was their next stop in 1955. In 1957 he earned a BA degree in Music Education there with a minor in Bible. Shortly afterward they were awarded a beautiful baby daughter, Angelyn. They began a preaching career which took them to Alabama, Georgia, Norway and back to Alabama. In succeeding years, they were blessed with two additional children Starr and Anthony Yates “Tony.” In addition to secular work over the past forty years, Joe has served in the eldership in churches in Hoover and Columbiana, Alabama and preached part-time on a regular basis, served as interim minister, and filled in for ministers who had to be away for a Sunday or two. In 1999, they moved to Fairfield Glade from the Birmingham area where the Pruetts had lived for thirty-five years. Soon after they arrived in Cumberland County, Joe became the minister for the West Avenue church in Crossville and remained there six years, retiring at the end of September, 2005. Since that time, they have been increasingly involved with the Church of Christ in the Glade, which recently appointed Joe to the eldership and for which he became interim minister when Pat Cowden resigned.

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Buford Street was born January 20, 1936 at Ripley, Mississippi. He has three older sisters and one younger brother. They grew up on a farm about five miles from Ripley. They lived in the same home until Buford went to college. In the summer of 1956 he met Rita McNutt. He was immersed into Christ in the fall of 1956. After graduating from Mississippi State University, he and Rita were married November 28, 1957 and made their home in Memphis where he was employed by Union Planters Bank until the summer of 1965. One interruption in employment came in 1958 when Uncle Sam sent his greetings! He was stationed in Columbus, Ohio where he kept our nation at peace with the typewriter. During their stay in Columbus, they were blessed with the arrival of their first child, Ronda. After coming back to Memphis, they were blessed with another daughter, Stacey. While attending the Gragg Avenue congregation he served the church as deacon with responsibility for the education curriculum. After working at Union Planters Bank for a few years longer, he worked in sales for Carnation Foods. While with Carnation they moved three times within a three year period (Fort Smith, Arkansas, North Little Rock, Arkansas, and Greenville, South Carolina). With children school age, they were strongly urged to give some stability and settle. They moved back to Memphis where he served Mid-South Christian Nursing Home as the administrator. In the summer of 1971 a group of investors asked Buford to open a new Facility in Whitehaven (a suburb of Memphis). The church at Holmes Road in Whitehaven asked that he serve as deacon with responsibilities in personal work. In 1973 they purchased three nursing homes in fairly rapid succession. They were both involved in the operation of these nursing homes for the next several years until they sold their businesses in 1987. In 1973 the brethren at Holmes Road asked Buford to serve as one of their Elders. On two different occasions Buford and Rita were foster parents to children from AGAPE, a child placement service in Memphis. The first time was a seven year old boy who stayed with them for two years. The second was two teenage girls (sisters) who lived with them for three years. The summer of 1990, together they opened, staffed, and filled a retirement facility for Holiday Corporation. In 1992 they purchased a house with Rita’s parents in order to take care of them during their last years. They attended services at the Stage Road congregation where he served as deacon with responsibilities in the areas of education and library. Until their deaths (in 1998 and 1999), personal care to Rita’s parents kept them busy. Rita retired in March, 2005 and in June of 2005 they moved to Fairfield Glade where they have enjoyed being involved with the church here in the Glade.

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