Bill Boner

William Hill Boner (born February 14, 1945) is an American educator and former Democratic politician from Tennessee. He was the third mayor of the Metropolitan government of Nashville and Davidson County, serving from 1987 to 1991. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives, as the Representative from the 5th District of Tennessee, from 1979 to 1987.

Biography

Early life In high school, Bill Boner was a basketball player and tennis player for the East Nashville Eagles. On March 13, 1962, his team won the state championship. Boner scored 18 points within six minutes and 48 seconds in the second quarter. He was elected student body president for the 1962-1963 school year, his senior year. He was also elected governor of Boy's State despite not planning to run until the last minute. He and his teammate missed part of the basketball season that year due to injuries from a car accident. A cheerleader from the nearby Glencliff High School cheerleader was critical condition. Nonetheless, he was selected for the first team All-Nashville in 1963. Boner attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he was elected president of the freshman class and played basketball. He participated in campus life, including a panel on religion, and gave a presentation called "Decision-Making in Personal Life" at a church's study series called "Moral Man and Moral Society". After university, he became the manager of a Shell station in Smyrna. On February 1, 1969, he became the basketball coach for Trevecca Nazarene College and took on a teaching role in the physical education department. During his first year coaching, The Tennessean called the team "loveable losers" for its remarkably poor performance.

Mayor In 1987, Nashville Mayor Richard Fulton was prevented from running for a fourth term. Boner entered the race. He was opposed by managed health care executive Phil Bredesen. Boner won the first round, but was short of a majority. Under the Metro Charter, Boner defeated Bredesen in a runoff and became mayor of Nashville.

Appearance on The Phil Donahue Show During his term as mayor, Boner made a controversial appearance on the October 15, 1990 episode of The Phil Donahue Show.

Boner appeared on the show with Traci Peel, a country singer in Nashville. The couple were engaged while Boner was still married to his third wife. In the Donahue appearance, Boner played harmonica, while Peel sang "Rocky Top".

After term as mayor Boner did not seek reelection for a second term. Following retirement from political office, Boner owned a pallet factory in Tompkinsville, Kentucky, and purchased a restaurant franchise in Atlanta.

Boner returned to the Nashville area, becoming a social studies teacher at Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee. He was a driver's education instructor for the Williamson School System.

In 1995 and 1996, Boner hosted a nightly hour-long television interview show on Nashville's WNAB called Prime Talk.