By Bill Grubb
News Editor

NASHVILLE - Memories, a few laughs and some tears were shared Wednesday at a "celebration of life" service for a very special lady - Connie Hall Givens.
    Family, friends, colleagues, members of the legislature, Governor Phil Bredesen and First Lady Andre Conte came to Nashville's War Memorial Auditorium to honor Givens, who served as Executive Director of Tennessee's Office of Coordinated School Health from 2001 until her death.
    A Hawkins county native, she was the wife of Agriculture Commissioner and former State Representative Ken Givens.
    "Since she and I had so many friends in middle and west Tennessee it was her wish that we would have a service here in Nashville.  Connie fought colon cancer for about 18 months.  The end was not unpredictable, it was just a matter of when so we were able to talk to her and get her preferences," Ken Givens said.
    Givens noted that he was first elected in 1988 but that his wife had actually been to Nashville to testify before various committees on health issues     as the school nurse for the Hawkins County School System several times prior to his election.
    "She actually got down here before I did," he said.
    Givens explained that even though she was battling cancer Education Commissioner Tim Webb allowed her to continue working.
    "It was not uncommon to see her on the BlackBerry at 2 or 2:30 in the morning. He (Webb) allowed  her to work as long as she was capable of working remote.  I and my family will be forever grateful for that," he said.
    Rev. Billy Ray Courtney, who participated in the local service in December also made the trip to Nashville, and said the family told him they wanted to break tradition with her services.
    "They had mourned through Connie's sickness but they knew she went to a better place.  What we want to do now, instead of having a service that mourns her death, is have a service that celebrates her life," Courtney said.  "That is why we are here today, to celebrate a life that's been lived with purpose." 
    State Senator Roy Herron and State Representative Johnny Shaw, both ordained ministers, also spoke about their experiences with Connie Givens.
    "Every time I would see her should would say here's my legislator.  I don't know if she was pumping me up or what but it made me feel good," Shaw said, calling Givens as "his best friend."
    Ken Givens spoke of his wife's childhood, which included growing up as one of five children being raised by a single parent.  Her mother worked as a waitress and from the time she was eight Connie Givens had to help raise her siblings.
    "It was there that her passion to take care of all God's children was born," Givens said, his voice choked with emotion.  "She knew that in today's world about half the families are single parent households and those children face many of the same problems she faced as a child."
    Givens explained when he was in the legislature his wife lobbied him to work on legislation to improve the number of school nurses statewide, which increased from 50 to between nearly 3,000. 
    Before the state provided the additional funding many school systems did not have nurse. At the time she was the only school nurse for the more than 7,000 student county school system.  
    Kellie and Amy Givens both spoke at the service, as did their brother Brian Givens and his wife Jamie Rutherford Givens.   
    "My mom dedicated her life to the well-being of children.  She was a continuous activist for children. That was her calling and it was clear she answered it," Kellie Givens said.
    Terry Joe Harrell, from Rogersville, provided special music for the occasion, including the songs Everything is Beautiful and The Long and Winding Road.
    Dr. Pat Cooper, an educator who has worked with Coordinated School Health programs in Mississippi and Louisiana, delivered the eulogy,  explaining he had known Connie Givens for more than 20 years.
    He said he has often found it difficult to convince government leaders to spend money on programs that often do not show immediate results but that meeting Givens gave him  encouragement and a new perspective.
    Cooper said she had a philosophy based on the fact "if children aren't healthy, they can't be educated."  He said she also believed that spending money on education reform without addressing childrens' health issues would be like spending money on a boat that has a hole in the bottom.
    "We all knew Connie, but what many of you probably don't know is just how well known she was around the country in the health and education arena.  She made a huge difference to a lot of us," Cooper explained.  "Connie had lots of style, lots of spunk and lots of perseverance.  She was an inspiration for us all."