NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As Nashville leaders consider adding Dolly Parton's name to Nashville International Airport, many travelers may be surprised to learn the airport already honors another Tennessean.
Not through its official name, but through its three-letter airport code: BNA.
While discussing the proposal to name the airport after Parton, NewsChannel 5 asked travelers if they knew what the "B" in BNA stands for. "I have no idea," traveler Amelia Johnson said.
When asked the same question, traveler Cricket Deweese gave a pretty good guess. "Beautiful Nashville Airport — that's what it stands for," she joked.
The answer is Col. Harry S. Berry.
According to Nashville historian Jim Hoobler, Berry was a West Point graduate who commanded artillery during World War I and later served in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
But Hoobler said Berry's greatest impact came during peacetime. "In the Franklin Roosevelt administration, he became the state WPA administrator, and boy did he go to town," Hoobler said.
As Tennessee's Works Progress Administration administrator during the Great Depression, Berry oversaw construction projects that helped shape modern Nashville.
Hoobler pointed to projects ranging from Central High School and West End High School to the Davidson County Courthouse, the John Sevier State Office Building and the Tennessee Supreme Court Building.
Berry even left his mark on some of Nashville's most recognizable public spaces. "The steps leading into Warner Park, the Steeplechase," Hoobler said while listing some of the projects connected to Berry.
His influence extended to aviation as well.
Hoobler said Berry played a key role in Nashville's early airport, serving as an administrator at what was then a small municipal facility. "This is Col. Berry's first Nashville airport terminal — look how small the terminal is," Hoobler said while examining a historic photograph.
After Berry's death, Nashville honored his contributions by naming the airport Berry Nashville Airport. "When he passed away, in memorial to him and for all the great things he did for Nashville, they named the airport Berry Nashville Airport — BNA," Hoobler said.
Today, Berry's name is largely absent from the city he helped shape. Aside from the historic steps at Percy Warner Park and his grave at Mount Olivet Cemetery, there are few public reminders of the man behind BNA. "Maybe one of the historical commissions could put up a marker recognizing his contribution to the city," Hoobler said.
As debate continues over whether Dolly Parton's name should be added to Nashville International Airport, airport officials have indicated the BNA airport code would remain unchanged.
That means even if the airport receives a new name, the legacy of Col. Harry S. Berry will continue traveling with it.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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