Statue honors classic TV hero in Clarksville

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — “Frank Sutton was a local TV hero,” explained Mark Holleman while standing next to Sutton’s statue in Clarksville.

It is a moment frozen in time on Franklin Street that shouts at you to learn more about the Clarksville man it portrays, some already know…

“Most of your older folks do, your younger generation is not sure who he is,” said Holleman.

Frank Sutton, the Clarksville native was a household name across the country as gunnery sergeant Vince Carter, the show was Gomer Pyle, USMC and it aired in the 1960s.

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“It was a sitcom kind of a spinoff of the Andy Griffith show, he actually grew up here, in fact, he is buried nearby in Greenwood Cemetery,” said Holleman.

When the show aired, it was a much different world, a world this city appreciates.

“It all gets back to a simpler way of life and so we wanted to showcase that downtown with a statue of him since he’s a local hero,” explained Holleman.

Holleman is a respected realtor in Clarksville and is one of the leaders that helped make this tribute to Sutton happen. It came to life through the hands of local sculptor, Scott Wise, who designed and sculpted the Pekka Rinne statue outside Bridgestone Arena.

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Holleman is pleased with the result, “People will come down here and look at it, they’ll pose and take pictures with him, so a lot of people do remember him and it’s become a big photo op when you are walking around downtown Clarksville.”

The pose not only evokes Sutton’s character but also is right at home in this military town.

“Yes, the military theme, that’s why we also wanted to showcase him because of our ties to Fort Campbell Kentucky,” explained Holleman.

In his life, Frank Sutton was larger than life, arriving at Nashville’s airport years ago.

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Today, his legend lives on, commanding passersby. Big things can come from small towns and small towns can become big things.

“Clarksville, we are proud of our community, proud downtown is coming alive and there is just so much going on at the new events center and it just adds another piece to the element and downtown Clarksville.”

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