I Am Hamilton shirt presented to James Howard, radio and television personality and Tyner graduate
James Howard, the morning show personality at Sunny 92.3 radio and host of This-N-That on Channel 9, received an “I Am Hamilton” shirt as a graduate of Hamilton County Schools making a difference in the community. The district presents the special shirts to individuals for efforts that positively impact Hamilton County Schools and the children we serve.
Howard has worked in local radio for the past 25 years as an on-air personality for WDEF Sunny 92.3. For the past 18 years, he has hosted the morning show and become a fixture in the morning routine for many citizens of the Tennessee Valley. He also hosts News Channel 9’s This-N-That at 12:30 p.m. each weekday.
“I was born and raised, through and through a Chattanoogan,” Howard said. He grew up in East Brainerd and went to East Brainerd Elementary and graduated from Tyner High School. Howard played football and tennis at Tyner and participated in plays and school musicals. He had roles in a Charlie Brown musical, “Les Miserables,” and “Camelot.”
“I had just a great experience at Tyner,” Howard said. “I look back and think of my coaches and my teachers and the influence they had on me, and I think of encouragement. Just little words of encouragements that teachers and coaches had for me to let me know that I could do this and I could be successful.”
It was Howard’s drama teacher that encouraged him to pursue a career in performance but a chance visit by broadcast representatives to Tyner his junior year put him on his career path. “It was career day at Tyner High School, and I saw this sign that said broadcasting where a couple of guys were sitting at a table in the Tyner cafeteria. I just walked up and started asking questions and talked to them about radio,” Howard remembered. “It was like a light from heaven beamed down on that table, and a heavenly choir sang when I saw that sign. So, career day at Tyner was responsible for me being on radio and television. I think back, and if I had not made that connection on career day at Tyner, I often wonder where I would be today.”
Howard is impressed with opportunities available for students in Hamilton County Schools today. “It is amazing the opportunities that students today have with technology, STEM, and the arts,” Howard commented. “If I were to advise a student today, I would say just keep plugging away and find something you are passionate about in school. Listen to your teachers and keep studying and you will find yourself in a good place someday.”
“I am Hamilton” spotlights the contributions of alumni, teachers, parents, students, support workers, and community members providing opportunities for children in the classrooms of Hamilton County Schools. Better opportunities for children today mean a brighter future filled with possibilities for our graduates, their families, and the community. James Howard will be the subject of an “I Am Hamilton” video feature next week.
Photo: John Maynard, director of CTE programs and Blake Freeman, director of Future Ready Institutes for Hamilton County Schools; present the shirt to James Howard on a recent visit to This-N-That.