By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Dylan Bondurant’s life story is one of ‘local boy does good after choosing home.’
He’ll tell it as the keynote speaker at the 39th annual Union City High School Academic Top 10 banquet Monday night at Marty Sisco Gymnasium.
The Top 10 students from each of the four classes at UCHS – based on grade point averages – will be recognized at the banquet, which is set for 6:30 p.m. The event is not open to the public.
Twenty-five area businesses and individuals are sponsors of the event.
A 1999 graduate of UCHS, Dylan is a widely respected and highly successful optometrist at Drs. Bondurant and Jordan PLLC in Union City.
Bondurant elected to return home to make a life for himself and his family after graduation from Southern Optometry School in Memphis, taking advantage of an offer from longtime local eye doctor Charles Denaburg despite multiple opportunities to practice in larger cities.
And Dylan insists he has no regrets, calling it “one of my best decisions,” – something he’ll reiterate in his address to distinguished honorees at Monday’s banquet.
“I never felt anything but a call to return here after I finished school,” he said. “I always prayed through every decision, and I really appreciated Union City – from the education to the lifestyle to the close-knit nature and community atmosphere. There were a lot of family connections a lot of outdoor connections for me.
“Dr. Denaburg approached me when I was in undergraduate school at UT Martin and told me about his intentions to retire. That provided me with an excellent job opportunity immediately after graduation.”
Dylan, a Top 10 honoree himself while a student at UCHS, had glowing words for the education he received — an experience that he insisted had him well-prepared for higher learning and life.
“I remember the Top 10 banquet. I wasn’t consistently in attendance, but my mom ‘asked me’ to try and achieve that before one particular year,” he grinned.
“No doubt, the influence of teachers, all my football coaches over the years, and my parents (Jim and Mary Nita) prepared me for my path into life and adulthood. I started off with the best kindergarten teacher ever, Mrs. Betty Gillett, and had so many people shape me and my work ethic along the way.
“Union City Schools always pushed academics. There were other opportunities for success, too, be it in athletics, the arts, the band, or whatever your interests were. It’s almost like a private school setting because of the demand for excellence. I appreciated that and the opportunities I had.”
Bondurant was a standout linebacker for the Golden Tornado football team, a key contributor to teams that went a combined 28-3 over junior and senior seasons that included a state runner-up finish and a semifinal trip.
He not only has fond memories of teammates and those experiences but of multiple coaches who influenced him away from the gridiron.
“I had several opportunities to play college football after high school, but I got a stinger my senior year that ended up being a nagging injury,” he recalled. “The coaches were real honest with me about how much of a challenge college football was, and I also had the opportunity for an academic scholarship. I felt like they steered me in the right direction.”
Now Dylan and his wife Courtney, who was once a UC Elementary School teacher but now is a stay-at-home mother and the director of the children’s ministry at Crosswinds Church, are raising their three children in his hometown community and Union City Schools.
“I wanted to raise my kids here,” Bondurant said. “I have a 14-year-old, a 12-year-old, and a first-grader who are doing very well. I believe everyone who attended school here should strongly consider coming back and making this their home, just to take advantage of the opportunities we have in this community and this town.”
For certain, Dylan Bondurant has.