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A resolution mourning the passing and honoring the life and legacy of Philip “Phil” Chazal Ponder.
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WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council joins the people of Nashville and Davidson County in mourning the passing of Philip “Phil” Chazal Ponder on September 30, 2026, at the age of 93; and
WHEREAS, Phil Ponder was born on April 6, 1933, in Ocala, Florida, graduated from the University of Florida in 1955, and honorably served his country as an officer in the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Ponder married his childhood friend and high school sweetheart, Dorothy “Dot” Myrle Connell, on June 7, 1956, beginning a loving marriage that lasted 68 years until her passing in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Phil and Dot moved to Donelson in 1959 when Mr. Ponder began working for Genesco, Inc., and settled in Hermitage in 1969, where they raised three daughters and one son and became deeply woven into the life of the community; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Ponder worked in management positions at Genesco for 30 years before retiring in 1989; and
WHEREAS, what began as an artistic hobby in the 1970s grew into a remarkable second career through Phil Ponder Prints, which he and Dot established in 1979; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Ponder became one of Middle Tennessee’s most recognized artists and a treasured visual historian, creating more than 700 detailed works depicting Nashville’s skylines, historic buildings, churches, homes, landmarks, and neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Ponder’s distinctive combination of pen, ink, watercolor, and precise mathematical calculations allowed him to capture not only the appearance of a place, but also its character, history, and meaning to the people who called it home; and
WHEREAS, beginning in 1982, Mr. Ponder created 12 paintings documenting Nashville’s changing skyline, preserving a visual record of buildings lost, landmarks restored, and new icons added as the city grew; and
WHEREAS, his work titled “Market Street, Too” was transformed into an etched aluminum mur...
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