Born in Gulf Port, MS and raised in Baton Rouge, LA, Priscilla Nason Shartle married her college sweetheart, Mark, in 1970. Together they raised four children, three sons and a daughter while moving from one state to another in the corporate financial world of insurance. Finally settling in Chattanooga in 1995, they started their own business, the Grapevine, a retail store.

For twenty-five years Pris was a stay-at-home wife and mother and avid volunteer in the communities she lived in – Girl Scouts, Sunday School, Presbyterian Women, PTA, Soccer mom, to name a few. The ten years she lived in the suburbs of Houston, TX, she started and directed the Mothers Day Out at her church.

Over the years she has written plays, skits, programs, Bible studies, curriculum; led workshops, day camps, vacation Bible school, and weekly church programs. Pris was first published in a church newsletter that was mailed to the entire southeastern part of the state of Texas. This led to participation in writing curriculum and leading workshops for area preschool and mother’s day out programs in southeast Texas.

In 2008 Pris, along with Mr. Ellis Smith and TN State Rep. Richard Floyd was influential in getting US Highway 127 designated as Veterans Memorial Highway throughout the entire state of Tennessee. And in 2009 Pris was honored to be designated the Signal Mountain 2009 Woman of the Year.

When Pris is not volunteering she is working at her family’s retail store. Among other things she has designed ads for newspapers and magazines. In addition she and one of her sons maintain a bookstore, Cornerbooks at the Grapevine, which is located in the downtown Chattanooga store.

In 2001 Pris became a staff writer for the Signal Mountain Community web site sigmtn.com, which she and her husband own and manage (with help). Writing and reporting for the web site led to Pris’ attending all but three of the Signal Mountain town council meeting within a seven year period. Her responsibilities included attending local events, interviewing residents and writing articles of human interest. Pris then posted the articles on the web site as well as accepted articles from other sources and posted them as well. Finally it was Pris’ duty to keep the daily calendar of the web site up to date.

Pris started writing for the Signal Mountain Mirror a monthly column called “Hats Off.” She was then appointed editor of the Signal Mountain Mirror. As the editor of the Signal Mountain Mirror, Pris continued to attend the Signal Mountain town council meetings and report on them as well as regularly attend meetings of the local Lions Club, Signal Mountain Social Services, and Mountain Arts Community Center. In addition she was a sighted on a regular basis at most Signal Mountain events. Doing so allowed her the opportunity write articles pertaining to the events which were published on a monthly basis along with her two regular columns. She resigned as editor to write her book, however Pris continues to write as a freelance writer for both the Mirror and Chattanooga Parent magazine.

Volunteering in the community did not stop when Pris’ family opened their business. She has served on the board of the Alexian Auxiliary, Mountain Arts Community Center, Signal Mountain Social Services, Founders Fund, and currently serves as the director of the Signal Mountain Literature Department of the Signal Mountain Community Guild and serves on the board of the Chattanooga Writers Guild. She is active in her P.E.O. chapter and belongs to a writers group that encourages and supports her in her endeavors.

Pris is the author of two books. The first, Ellis Smith: Memories of a Signal Mountain Rural Letter Carrier, published in 2007. This is the story of a local resident of the mountain whose family dates back to the 1850’s and one of the eleven original settlers of the mountaintop. The second book Pris co-authored with Mary Scott Norris, is Signal Mountain, which is a history of the town of Signal Mountain from Arcadia Publishing “Image of America” Series which was published in 2008.

Her children are grown and three are married. Two sons are in the family business. Today, she stays home three days a week to watch two of her grandchildren, and is able to spend the other days at home or working at the stores, along with her husband and sons. Pris is happy to share these responsibilities and have the opportunity to continue to volunteer in the community and concentrate on her writing, which she truly loves, all at the same time.

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