KINGSTON, Tenn. — To his mother, Harriett Westmoreland, Michael Dunn was "an inspiration".
Dunn was the namesake of the Michael Dunn Center in Kingston, which serves people with disabilities. Michael passed away last week at age 58. His family said he loved Jesus and his family.
"He called me one time, he said, 'Ronnie, turn on Channel 10 right now.' I say, 'What is it, Michael?' and he said, 'Turn on Channel 10 right now.' So I turned it on. And it was the life of Jesus. And at this point in it, Jesus was away from his family. They were searching for him. Yeah, he was in the temple. And he was like 12 years old. And so he said, 'Ronnie, you see that? 'And I said, 'Yeah, I see that. 'He said, 'When Jesus was a little boy, he was 12 years old. And when I was a little boy, I was 12 years old. Me and Jesus same age," Ronald Westmoreland, Michael's stepfather, said.
Michael Dunn was born with Down Syndrome but Harriett said that didn't stop him from living his life to the fullest.
"He never thought he couldn't do anything," Harriett said. "He taught himself to ride a bicycle. He wanted to drive but he couldn't pass the driver's test. That's how I got him out of not wanting to not be able to drive."
In 1971, Michael's grandfather and several others founded a center to serve those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was later renamed and became better known as the Michael Dunn Center.
"The Michael Dunn Center was born out of a need for families with disabilities in the area, people who wanted something different for their child that knew that opportunities were present, and they just needed to access them," Michaele Butler, the President and CEO of the center, said. "It has grown over the last 53 years to support over 1,200 children and adults. And then the main theme is everybody deserves a life that is fulfilling and meaningful and the most independence possible. So we're instrumental in making that happen for people and there's just not a greater, I think, honor to be able to do that."
Harriett said Michael accomplished many things, including getting married to his wife Karen, who also has an intellectual disability.
"His whole goal in life was to move out and to get married, which he did both," Harriett said. "It's funny, they balanced each other out. She was a lot more verbal and social and he had a speech defect. But he could do math, could read could, you know, that she couldn't do so they balanced each other out. And after they got married, you know, then she got to go everywhere and do everything with us; that she didn't have an opportunity to do."
And Michaele Butler said his legacy will continue to live on through the center.
"He wasn't just someone who the center was named after, he was what we all strived to be. He was witty, he was honoree, he was funny, he was incredible," Butler said. "And everything we do, we wanted to do, because we knew that was important to him. And that's what we're doing for everybody else, all of his friends and anybody who will come through our halls from this point forward, and anybody who's been there since that's what we do."
And Harriett agrees.
"The family, of course, will always, you know, keep his memory alive. Through the Michael Dunn Foundation, the financial support that people can give to that foundation will keep his memory alive, but he's always gonna be in our hearts, and in a lot of people's hearts. And that because of the center, he will never be forgotten. Even when we're long gone."
His stepfather Ronald said their time together wasn't as long as he would've liked. But he said Michael still made a difference in his life like he did for so many others.
"He changed a lot of people's lives just by being Michael," Ronald said. "I only got to be with him for 45 years, Harriett and I have been married, but he changed my life. And he did that for a lot of people. Just by watching Michael, live, love, laugh and have fun."
The Westmorelands said the community has been so supportive during this difficult time for their family.
The Michael Dunn Center provides services and programs to people of all ages who have disabilities. The organization provides early intervention for kids, work programs, outpatient therapy and so much more. The goal is to empower those with disabilities, to live their lives more independently.
On March 3, there was a proclamation in Roane County for Michael Dunn Center Day, to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the center.
