RECAP: Forever Tennessee 2025
An Evening on the Farm
On a beautiful spring night last week, friends gathered on the back lawn of The Land Trust for Tennessee’s Glen Leven Farm to honor Tom Beasley, committed conservationist and Board Member Emeritus of The Land Trust for Tennessee.
Guests mingled under the magnolia tree to the tunes of bluegrass trio Craig Duncan Music, enjoying cocktails generously provided by Lipman Brothers. The team behind Flavor Catering served a light and seasonal meal ending with delicious cheesecake.
Patron supporters enjoyed a reception and remarks from The Land Trust’s President & CEO, Liz McLaurin, followed by heartfelt words from Tom Beasley’s two sons, Jeb and Matt Beasley. They introduced the highlight of the night, a short film by Andrew Kornylak called Land, Love, and Legacy. It featured interviews with Tom Beasley, his three adult children, his daughter-in-law and next LTTN Board Chair Louise Beasley, Senator Bill Frist, and others close to Tom, all set to stunning imagery of the Beasley family’s protected land. The film took guests through Tom’s family history on the land, Tom and his late wife Wendy’s decision to sell 1,800 acres to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency at a loss so that it could be turned into a public park, and more.
After the film, Tom spoke about the importance of The Land Trust for Tennessee’s work, stating that the evening was really about the importance of land conservation more so than it was about him. He also reminisced on the decision to first work with The Land Trust to protect his family’s land over two decades ago and emphasized the need for donor support to ensure the organization can continue to fulfill its promise of perpetual land stewardship.
At the event, Tom was presented with the Forever Tennessee Award. This award was created in 2019 to recognize exceptional conservationists who have worked with The Land Trust for Tennessee to forever conserve land across our extraordinary state.
The funds raised through this celebration will have a direct impact on the lives of present and future Tennesseans as we work to conserve the places we can’t afford to lose. We’re grateful to our supporters and sponsors for joining us in this mission. This work simply wouldn’t be possible without community support.
Scroll to learn more about our honoree and see pictures from the event. Make sure to check out upcoming events at The Land Trust’s Glen Leven Farm and sign up for our monthly eNews to stay in the loop. Thank you for helping us celebrate Tom’s extraordinary impact!
Tom Beasley
Raised on his family’s farm in Dixon Springs, an unincorporated community in Smith County, Tennessee, Tom (a.k.a. “Wish”) Beasley developed a lifelong appreciation for the land and a deep commitment to protecting it for future generations.
After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1966, Tom served his country with honor and distinction in Vietnam as an Airborne Ranger, and for his actions was awarded a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He later served in Panama before returning home to Tennessee, and over the next three decades, Tom’s professional journey saw him grow from a small-town attorney, to a statewide political leader, to a nationally and internationally recognized entrepreneur. Over the same period, Tom and his beloved late wife Wendy raised their three children—Jeb, Matt, and Kristin—on a farm along Beaverdam Creek in Dickson County.
Meanwhile, Tom worked tirelessly to execute a lifelong ambition of stitching back together his family’s historic Smith County farm where he grew up, a Revolutionary War land grant that traces back to 1795, the year before Tennessee became a state. Over the course of the next twenty years, Tom and Wendy partnered with The Land Trust for Tennessee to protect the entire family farm and a neighboring tract, forever conserving more than 700 acres of impeccably managed farmland and forestland in the heart of the Upper Cumberland.
Expanding upon this generous legacy of land conservation, in 2016 Tom and Wendy made it possible for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to acquire more than 1,800 acres along the Buffalo River in Humphreys County to create Buffalo Ridge Refuge, where the agency established the Tom & Wendy Beasley Wildlife Outreach and Special Events Center.
Through the example set by Tom and Wendy, they taught their children and grandchildren about legacy and the value of land, ensuring that conservation forever remains a Beasley family value. Thank you for joining us tonight as we celebrate Tom Beasley and his contributions to the conservation of Tennessee’s irreplaceable landscapes.
Event Recap Video
Photo Gallery
Photos by Nathan Zucker.
