CONTENTS
ON THE COVER
FEATURES
Robin Hall, a computer science major from Memphis, Tennessee; Petra Kangere, a geographic information science major from Harare, Zimbabwe; Bri Pharris, a nursing major from Cookeville, Tennessee; Karley Brown, a marketing major from Jamestown, Tennessee; and PJ Barnes, a business major from Crab Orchard, Tennessee, tour the 100,000-square-foot Ashraf Islam Engineering Building, set for completion in Spring 2024.
BUILDING A CAMPUS FOR THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE Q & A WITH PRESIDENT OLDHAM ON CAMPUS PROGRESS
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FOUR QUESTIONS WITH NEW STUDENT TRUSTEE ADDISON DORRIS
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A GOLDEN EAGLE RETURNS HOME: TENNESSEE TECH’S SUSAN LUNAHAZLEWOOD TAPPED TO LEAD CRAWFORD ALUMNI CENTER
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WHERE STUDENT INTERESTS MEET INDUSTRY NEEDS: A LOOK AT TECH’S NEWEST DEGREE PROGRAMS
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BLACKSMITHING PROGRAM AT ACC: A PHOTO ESSAY
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ROSAMOND REFLECTS ON PAST SEASON, LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
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ROSAMOND REFLECTS ON PAST SEASON
BILLION DOLLAR BOOM: ASSESSING TECH’S GROWING IMPACT ON THE REGION AND STATE
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RURAL REIMAGINED: TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES, CHANGING LIVES
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POULTRY SCIENCE CENTER: A PHOTO ESSAY
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THREE GENERATIONS OF GOLDEN EAGLES FIND “HOME” AT TENNESSEE TECH
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CLASS NOTES
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FRIENDS REMEMBERED
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WHERE STUDENT INTERESTS MEET INDUSTRY NEEDS 8
More majors for more careers. Tennessee Tech continues to add academic programs for students. Take a look at Tech’s latest fields of study.
Golden Eagle Women’s Basketball team won the 22-23 Ohio Valley Conference Championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
THREE GENERATIONS OF GOLDEN EAGLES 26
The stories the Wilmore family can tell about life at Tennessee Tech University span generations.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EXECUTIVE EDITOR KAREN LYKINS
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
BOBBIE MAYNARD
CONTRIBUTORS
MEGAN TROTTER BAILEY PHONSNASINH JAMIE FANCHER IRENE SULLIVAN JONATHAN FRANK
DESIGN
CARSON SMITH LORIE WORLEY
TENNESSEE TECH UNIVERSITY
VISIONS LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Our goal for this issue was simple. Every mention of change, growth and academic excellence must include how Tech students will experience it and benefit from it. We chose that approach because each faculty and staff member at Tech involved in transforming our campus starts with putting students first.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The hundreds of hours of design and planning new buildings focused on how students could use the spaces. Student safety and convenience started the conversation about the Peachtree pedestrian pathway project, which will be finished early next year. The interviews and profiles provide support and inspiration for students and graduates.
CRAWFORD ALUMNI CENTER DIRECTOR
While you read, look at this issue through the lens of a student with the world ahead of them. We know if students and their parents visit campus, Tech becomes a top choice, often the choice, for their college experience. Encourage families and prospective students to schedule a tour. During fall and spring semesters, they will receive personal tours from a student Trailblazer guide matched specifically to them and meet faculty who will guide them. And you come see us too.
NICK FANTASIA JESSIE HOLLOWAY CODY BRYANT THOMAS CORHERN
SUSAN LUNA-HAZELWOOD EXECUTIVE BOARD DENZEL ARMSTRONG ‘17 DONTRELL BAINES ‘09 ERIN VICKERY BULLINGTON ‘07 LOFTON CARTER ‘20 RUSSELL CLARK III ‘08 JONATHAN FRANK ‘12 NANCY HAMILTON ’93, ‘15 CHALA CRIPPS MCDONALD ‘01 CODY HUDDLESTON ‘10 PENNY JUDD ‘00 SARA PIERCE RAMEY ’05, ‘07 CHARLES WHITE ’85, ‘87
Wings Up,
Karen Lykins Visions is published by Tennessee Tech University for alumni and friends. Visions is online at www.tntech.edu/visions. For the most up-to-date information on alumni activities, visit alumni.tntech.edu or call 800-889-8730. Correspondence is welcome. Editorial Office: Visions, PO Box 5104, Cookeville TN 38505-0001 Phone: 931-372-3214 | Fax: 931-372-6138 | visions@tntech.edu Tennessee Tech does not condone and will not tolerate discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, genetic information, disability, veteran status, and any other basis protected by federal and state civil rights law. Tennessee Tech complies with Title IX and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities, admissions or employment. For inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies, contact equity@tntech.edu; for Title IX, TitleIX@tntech.edu The TTU policy on nondiscrimination can be found at www.tntech.edu/ideaa. OCM293-PRNT-24
BUILDING A CAMPUS FOR THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Q & A WITH PRESIDENT OLDHAM ON CAMPUS PROGRESS 1. How has the university sought to create a sense of community and foster student engagement through its campus development plans? Everything we do at Tech is about and for the benefit of students. Certainly, a big part of that student experience is the look and functionality of the physical campus. We are blessed to have a beautiful and welcoming campus, but we are constantly looking at ways to make it even better for the overall student experience. This requires actively listening to students both collectively and individually, in formal and informal settings to explore new opportunities for improvements. 2. Could you share some examples of how student feedback and input have influenced the decision-making process regarding campus development? The new Burnett Student Recreation and Fitness Center that we currently enjoy started out 10 years ago as an informal conversation with a group of student leaders. Their passion for leadership for what they saw as the most significant student need at that time grew in scope and level of support culminating years later into The Burn we now enjoy. 4
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3. How has the university leveraged technology and innovation to enhance the student experience within the campus environment? Online classroom management and digital course materials are significant examples of technological enhancements. We also continue to expand the use of various digital platforms, i.e. video monitors, phone apps, etc. to keep everyone informed about important campus news. We are currently exploring the implementation of smart outdoor kiosks to provide more interactive, real-time information assistance to students and campus visitors. 4. Looking ahead, what are the future plans and visions for further enhancing the student experience on campus? We are aggressively implementing plans to make the campus more pedestrian-friendly with enhanced outdoor activity spaces. We plan to build a much-needed student activity space with the addition of a new student event center. We continue to improve the campus shuttle system while also looking to add one or more parking garages as soon as possible. A new student residence hall is in development and improvements to campus dining options are ongoing. 5. What are some of the campus development initiatives of which you are most proud to see the results? Although proud of all the work done with campus improvement to date, I am particularly proud of the new Burnett Student Rec and Fitness Center, the Laboratory Science Commons and the soon-toopen Ashraf Islam Engineering Building. These new facilities not only continue the architectural tradition of the Tech campus but even more importantly set a new expectation and standard for a 21st century Tennessee Tech that visibly demonstrates the character of Tech students – Bold, Fearless, Confident and Kind.
Tennessee Tech University senior Addison Dorris, a marketing and human resource management major from Portland, Tennessee, was named student trustee for the 2023 – 2024 academic year. VISIONS caught up with Dorris to learn about her experiences at Tech and what drives her commitment to advocate for her fellow Golden Eagles. Why did you choose to attend Tech? Since the moment I stepped on campus, I knew Tennessee Tech was the place I was meant to be. At Tech, I felt like more than just a number. I felt like each and every person I met wanted me to succeed. What do you like best about Tech? Some of my favorite aspects of campus life include the faculty and staff, the resources and opportunities available to students, the beautiful architecture of buildings and outdoor areas and the ice cream in the University Center. Tech has something for everyone. What are your plans after graduation? I plan to pursue a business-related master’s degree while beginning a career in human resources. Whatever I do, I want to be serving and helping others. What is one piece of advice you would give to other current and prospective Tech students? Get uncomfortable! It is so easy to sit back and watch college pass you by, but you make the most out of your college career when you take chances and discover new opportunities.
A GOLDEN EAGLE RETURNS HOME:
TENNESSEE TECH’S SUSAN LUNA-HAZLEWOOD TAPPED TO LEAD CRAWFORD ALUMNI CENTER
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ennessee Tech alumna Susan Luna-Hazlewood’s career as a sought-after fundraising leader has taken her to the shores of South Carolina, where she previously served as a development coordinator for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and the bright lights of downtown Nashville, where she was senior director of individual giving for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC). Now, the Cookeville native and 2007 Tech graduate – who also held past roles with the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and the Upper Cumberland’s WCTE-TV – has made a full circle with a return to the place where it all started, this time 6
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in a position as director of Tech’s Crawford Alumni Center. Luna-Hazlewood assumed the role in September 2023. “Because I had such a wonderful experience as a student at Tech, I decided early on after graduation that I wanted to stay involved,” said Luna. “I started attending alumni events and became a True to Tech donor. I realized that my career in the arts and non-profit fundraising could lead me back to Tech eventually.” In February 2022, Luna-Hazlewood’s career did exactly that. She accepted an appointment as associate athletics director for development, a post in which she helped lead key capital
campaigns to upgrade Tech’s athletic facilities. Then, in the late summer of 2023, Luna-Hazlewood saw an opportunity to serve her alma mater in a new capacity by leading the Crawford Alumni Center’s day-to-day operations, including its outreach to more than 80,000 Tech graduates like herself. “The chance to work with such a great team for an organization I love is something I could not ignore,” said Luna-Hazlewood, who credits her predecessors and current Alumni Center staff for leading the center to its current place of success. For Kevin Braswell, vice president for university advancement at Tech, Luna-Hazlewood was a natural fit for the role. “Susan brings impressive and diverse experiences to a highly visible role that is vital to Tech’s overall advancement effort,” said Braswell in a message to members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. “Her knowledge, skills, abilities and credentials are a great fit for the core competencies for this key leadership position.” As Luna-Hazlewood begins her work at the Alumni Center, she also finds herself reflecting on her own memories as a Tech student. She recounts her time playing intramural sports and singing in Tech Chorale as particularly meaningful highlights, along with her involvement in Tech’s Delta Upsilon chapter of Kappa Delta Sorority. “The friends I made in Kappa Delta at Tech have been with me through some wonderful life experiences and some terrible moments. Being part of Kappa Delta on a national level has provided opportunities to connect, both professionally and personally,” Luna-Hazlewood added. Now as a Tech alumna who also holds a Master of Public Administration and a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation, Luna-Hazlewood says she still feels a deep sense of pride in the university that shaped her.
“I am especially proud of Tech’s involvement in the community,” said Luna-Hazlewood. “Tech has a great relationship with the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce and the local business community. I am constantly seeing and hearing about the Tech Women’s Basketball and Football teams out serving the community in different ways. The Tech Drumline performed at Art Prowl [an annual art tour in Cookeville] last year and the School of Music hosts a haunted house experience in the Bryan Fine Arts Building for the community.” Still, it was a season of deep personal difficulty that left Luna-Hazlewood most aware of the strength and compassion of the Golden Eagle community. In November 2022 Luna-Hazlewood and her husband, Michael, learned that their young daughter, Ellie, had neuroblastoma, a high-risk cancer. “Our world was turned upside down,” said Luna-Hazlewood of the diagnosis. “My bosses, John Smith and Kevin Braswell, along with the entire advancement division, university leadership and Cookeville community rallied behind us and have continued to support our family in so many ways during her treatment. The Tech tennis team along with Awesome Eagle and Tennis Upper Cumberland participated in a ‘Play for Ellie’ event. The women’s basketball team honored her as a part of their cancer awareness game. I am incredibly thankful to everyone at Tennessee Tech for their help and encouragement.” Inspired by her daughter’s tenacity, and with gratitude for the outpouring of support from her university family, LunaHazlewood is hitting the ground running in her new role. “My main goals are to increase alumni engagement, increase support for the university and help connect students, alumni and the community,” said Luna-Hazlewood. “I am excited and grateful for this opportunity!” V FEATURES
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WHERE STUDENT INTERESTS MEET INDUSTRY NEEDS: A LOOK AT TECH’S NEWEST DEGREE PROGRAMS
UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter and Tech President Phil Oldham sign a memorandum of understanding formalizing a new partnership on workforce development supporting cleanup at the Oak Ridge Reservation.
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U.S. economy is projected to add more than eight million new jobs by 2031 – and leaders at Tennessee Tech University are acting to ensure future Golden Eagle alumni are equipped to step into those roles. With over 200 fields of study spread across more than 2,700 individual course offerings this past fall alone, Tech has long been a training ground for an educated, careerready workforce that is ready to meet the demands of a changing labor market and tackle real-world challenges. In fact, Tech graduates have the highest starting career salary of any public university graduates in the state, according to SmartAsset. But in recent years, Tech’s degree programs have charted new territory – adding majors and concentrations at the intersection of student interest and industry needs. “We’re always updating, always enhancing all of our academic programs. Our main goal is to ensure that our academic programs are relevant to today’s society and workplace,” said Tech Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lori Mann Bruce. “We want to ensure that each and every student graduating from 8
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Tennessee Tech leaves with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in their chosen profession. “To do that, sometimes we introduce entirely new academic programs and sometimes we do significant modifications or overhauls of our existing programs,” Bruce explained. “For example, just this past year alone, we developed five new certificate programs, we created 20 new or totally revised concentrations, five new minors, four significantly revised degree programs and introduced three brand new programs.” Among the new course offerings in the fall of 2023 was a much-anticipated bachelor of science in music with a degree option focusing on live audio. The curriculum is designed specifically to train students for future careers in the live performance industry as audio engineers – mixing sound for live events which might include concerts for touring musicians, theatrical productions or even services for large houses of worship. “We had students who wanted to be involved with music but didn't really fit the traditional models of someone wanting to be a K-12 educator or wanting to be a professional
Eric Harris, music professor at Tech, works with students in the new live audio degree option.
Julie Baker talks with students in the College of Education, where a new Ph.D. program in Higher Education has been established.
performing musician,” said Colin Hill, director of Tech’s School of Music. “This degree will allow students to prepare for careers in the commercial music industry.” Hill says that industry research shows there are nine jobs in live audio for every one job in the recording studio industry. Eric Harris, music professor at Tech, adds that the new program creates a pathway for Tech to “become a national center for excellence in the training of professionals for the live audio industry.” Recognizing that a skilled workforce starts in the classroom, Tech is also doubling down on its commitment to future educators and university administrators with a new online doctoral degree in higher education. “Two aspects of this program that I think really stand out and differentiate it from other programs in the country are its focus on data science and emerging instructional technologies,” said Provost Bruce. “Students in that program will learn how to mine and utilize data to create solutions and approaches to challenges in higher ed. They will learn how to use advanced instructional technologies to engage and interact with students, whether those students are online or in-person.” Lisa Zagummy, dean of Tech’s College of Education, agrees. “In today’s data-driven, evidence-based context, the knowledge and skills acquired through this program will contribute to additional growth, success and position graduates for greater contributions to their institutions,” Zagummy added.
In fall 2024, the College of Engineering is set to launch one of its most significant new degree programs to date: a bachelor of science in nuclear engineering that university leaders say will directly address the industry’s workforce shortage. It will be only the second nuclear engineering degree program offered in the state. “The average age of nuclear reactor engineers in the workforce is just over 50 years old,” explained Tech President Phil Oldham in a letter to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. “According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are ‘about 700 job openings for nuclear engineers each year, on average, over the decade.’ These statistics demonstrate a clear need for a higher number of nuclear engineers in Tennessee and beyond.” With a median annual wage for nuclear engineers across the country of over $120,000, Provost Bruce sees ample opportunity for Tech graduates to claim their share of these promising careers. “We’ve got this combination of growth in the nuclear industry at the same time a lot of the nuclear engineers are aging out of the workplace. That’s going to create a lot of job opportunities for citizens in the state of Tennessee,” said Bruce. “Tennessee Tech is being proactive to get this program in place so that the people in the state of Tennessee can help fill that gap in the industry market.” Whatever their chosen major, Golden Eagles are equipped for meaningful careers and competitive salaries. In fact, based on total cost and alumni earnings, Tech provides the highest return on investment for any public university in Tennessee, according to PayScale. V FEATURES
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BLACKSMITHING PROGRAM AT ACC: A PHOTO ESSAY A video is available for this story by scanning the QR Code. Jay Replogle, a graduate of the metals program at Tech’s Appalachian Center for Craft and winner of season three of the History Channel’s bladesmithing competition, “Forged in Fire,” hammers a heated blade in the Craft Center’s metals studio.
Replogle taps a guard down onto the handle of his newly-forged Bowie knife.
Alex Franklin grinds his blade to refine its shape and give it a sharp edge.
David Kelly watches as Replogle explains how to fit the blade inside the handle they created in class to create a tight fit and ensure no moisture can later get inside to cause rust. 12 VISIONS
Neil Twilla demonstrates the sharpness of the knife he forged during his summer class at the Craft Center by slicing through a water bottle.
At the end of the week-long summer workshop, students created beautiful and functional Bowie knives in the metals studio. FEATURES
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ROSAMOND REFLECTS ON PAST SEASON, LOOKS TO THE FUTURE
Jordan Brock navigates the court in a Tennessee Tech Women’s Basketball matchup with Little Rock during the team’s outstanding 22-23 season.
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ennessee Tech University’s Golden Eagle Women’s Basketball team won the 22-23 Ohio Valley Conference Championship and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Tech earned their first NCAA tournament win since 1990 with a victory over Monmouth University in the First Four round of the 2022-2023 season. The team would eventually fall to No. 1-seeded Indiana on the Hoosier’s home floor in the first round. Head Coach Kim Rosamond contemplates the past season and looks to the future for the team. Expectations were high going into the 22-23 season. The team was picked in the preseason to win the OVC despite losing a very experienced and talented senior class to graduation. New roles would need to be established and embraced according to Rosamond. “We had a talented and experienced group of returning upperclassmen who we knew would need to set the tone daily
for us. We also had several newcomers who would need to play vital minutes for us to be as good as we thought we could,” Rosamond said. “We understood there would be a process to playing our best basketball by the end of the season. Rosamond said her staff believed this team could be special from the beginning. The returners decided last spring after a disappointing loss in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game to Belmont that the 2022-23 motto would be “Nothing but Net.” This team’s mentality was that they weren’t settling for anything but to cut the nets down in Evansville in March. “There were struggles, setbacks and challenges throughout the year, but this team used it as fuel to make us stronger and better in the end,” Rosamond said. The turning point in the 2022-2023 season for the team and staff was the loss on Feb. 11 at Tennessee FEATURES
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State University according to Rosamond. After that game, the players and staff committed to making the changes needed to help them be the team they knew they could be. They changed their defensive philosophy up, they started using their depth better, and the players started focusing on behaving like champions every day before they arrived in Evansville. “We rattled off eight straight wins to finish the season, won a championship and won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 33 years,” Rosamond said. “This season was such a great reminder that you can’t let adversity or tough times stop you from where you want to go. Perseverance, determination and belief are powerful tools when we use them. Our players were committed to being part of history, and they made it happen.” Rosamond said they return what has the potential to be their deepest roster yet, and the nucleus of their championship team along with three talented signees. “All 12 players on our roster can play. It was exciting to have Maaliya Owens decide to come back for her fifth year along with some very experienced and valuable upperclassmen. The competition that we will have in practice every day will be as good as it has ever been. Every season the chemistry piece is a work in progress, and the chemistry/connection is the secret sauce behind any team,” Rosamond said. “You have to work at it daily just like you do offense or defense, but I also believe the chemistry piece is what makes our team unique.” She said there was pressure the day she and her coaching staff took the job at Tech, but considers that pressure a privilege. The program won its 1,000th game this past season so there were a lot of wins and championships before she arrived, and she understands and embraces the expectations. “There is a championship standard here at Tech on the court, in the classroom and in the community when it comes to women’s basketball,” Rosamond said. “No one expects more from us than we do within ourselves, but we 16 VISIONS
also understand championships are earned not given.” Rosamond has always believed that the best teams are “player led.” With nine players returning who helped cut down the nets in March, she is excited to have a locker room that has experienced March Madness and now understands the process and sacrifice needed to win championships. While the end goal for this new season is to win a second-straight OVC championship, Rosamond reminds her team of the importance of focusing on the daily process of behaving and acting like a champion rather than focusing on the final destination. “If we can consistently show up and bring the best version of ourselves every day, in every area of our lives from now until March – we can know that we did our best,” Rosamond said. “At the end of the day, that’s all we can control.” Rosamond said her favorite things about coaching the Tech team is that ‘it matters,’ and ‘the people.’ “Women’s Basketball matters at Tennessee Tech.” It’s why she and her coaching staff wanted the job seven years ago. Rosmond said the commitment that Tech President Phil Oldham and Athletics Director Mark Wilson have made to the staff and program is tremendous, and it matters to them both that it is done the right way. Women’s basketball also matters to this community, and they support it. “Because of the tradition at Tech, the strong academics and the unwavering support, we are able to recruit not just high-level players but, most importantly, high-level young women,” Rosamond said. “I love the type of studentathletes we get to coach at Tennessee Tech. Doing something you love with people you love is so rewarding.” When Rosamond is scouting players to play for Tech, she looks for six core values that are the basis of their program – positive attitude, respect, relentless mindset, accountability, compete in all you do, and team first. “Of course, there has to be a level of talent, skill and athleticism, but if we don’t see those six core values on and off
Coach Rosamond celebrates with the 22-23 team following a win.
the court – we know it’s not a fit,” Rosamond said. “The talent catches our interest, but the character, intangibles, effort in the classroom and who someone is as a person are what sells us on a prospect becoming part of our basketball family.” Rosamond understands the national stage the team played on during March Madness, and she said the exposure the program, university and community experienced was priceless. “I want to thank everyone who called/messaged, supported us, donated to our program, came to Evansville and Bloomington to watch us, or even just cheered us on from home,” Rosamond said. “The love and support our players felt is impossible to put into words, and it is a memory none of us will ever forget… so from the bottom of our hearts – THANK YOU.” Rosamond said the team plans to capitalize on the positive momentum from the championship season and build on it. She knows it must be a team effort which
includes coaches, players and basketball fans in the Upper Cumberland. When their staff arrived, their dream was to fill the lower bowl of Hooper Eblen night in and night out. “They say if you build it – they will come,” Rosamond said. “Our players have rebuilt this program back into something everyone can be proud of, now we need our fans to come fill the Hoop and help us continue to raise the standard.” She wants to shatter season ticket sales and season attendance records. Her goals for the future are set as she was recently awarded a five-year contract extension through the end of the 2027-2028 campaign. “We want to be a championship program year in and year out, and we want to make the Hoop one of the toughest arenas to play in the country,” Rosamond said. “I have no doubts – together – we can make those things happen right here in Cookeville.” V FEATURES
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BILLION DOLLAR BOOM: ASSESSING TECH’S GROWING IMPACT ON THE REGION AND STATE
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hard to put a price tag on the value that Tennessee Tech University brings to its surrounding communities and state, but Yolunda Nabors, senior economics lecturer at Tech, has done exactly that. Using university and state data, as well as economics modeling software, Nabors performs an annual footprint analysis of Tennessee Tech which shows that, in the last non-pandemic year, Tech’s economic impact on the state topped $1.5 billion. The analysis also showed that Tech generated more than $892 million in personal income for Tennesseans over the course of the year and created more than 11,800 jobs. Nabors’ research additionally found that the university injected more than $860 million into the Upper Cumberland region’s economy alone. Tech’s outsized imprint on jobs and wages in the community led the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce to recognize the university in early 2023 with its Economic Impact Award. “Tennessee Tech is proud to be an economic engine for not only the Upper Cumberland, but also the entire state,” said Tech President Phil Oldham at the time. “From the career-ready graduates we produce each semester, to our first-in-class academic research, to the nearly 1,200 jobs we provide here on campus, Golden Eagles leave a lasting mark on our region with a ripple effect that spans across Tennessee and beyond.” Even amid the challenges faced by all institutions of higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest footprint analysis for the university shows that Golden Eagles persisted. At the height of the public health emergency, Tech maintained an economic impact of $1.1 billion – a testament to the university’s strength in times of trial. “Tennessee Tech University contributes to the Tennessee economy through its staff, students, activities and capital investments,” explains the latest analysis. “The effects on the economy yield observable impacts on employment, GDP, output and personal income.” At the core of Tech’s rapidly expanding impact on jobs and wages is the university’s Office of Research and Economic Development, which set an all-time record for externally
funded research in fiscal year 2023: more than $36.3 million. The total haul, which represents an increase of more than 50 percent from fiscal year 2022, was driven by 167 sponsored research activations that span across Tech’s academic departments, colleges and schools. “There has never been a year where we’ve seen this kind of growth,” said Carl A. Pinkert, Ph.D., theninterim vice president for research at Tech. “President Oldham issued a challenge to our faculty to grow our research capacity here at Tech. The faculty took it to heart and truly upped our game as far as proposals going out the door and the opportunities we pursued.” Pinkert answered a call to serve at Tech on an interim basis after a distinguished career that included service at the University of Alabama and Auburn University. He departed the role in September 2023 to make way for a permanent successor, John Liu, Ph.D. “So many people came together,” said Pinkert, reflecting on Tech’s research gains. “Everyone has a passion for where Tech is going, and I think that is a reflection of the leadership at this institution. You’ve got people who care. That’s what I have seen here.” Research wasn’t the only factor behind Tech’s lasting mark on the Tennessee economic landscape. For example, the latest footprint analysis also shows that, even in a year where in-person campus traffic was significantly down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans at the university’s athletics events still spent an estimated $5.5 million while in our community – dollars that directly stimulated the local economy at its most difficult hour. While Tech has long since returned to normal operations after the challenges of the pandemic, its goals for the future are anything but. With Tech welcoming its fourth largest freshman class in university history in the fall of 2023, an ambitious research agenda, and even a new football stadium on the horizon, Oldham says Tech will continue to grow its footprint and expand economic opportunity for Tennesseans. “We are demonstrating the culture of innovation, discovery and academic rigor that has always been part of Tech’s story,” said Oldham. V FEATURES
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RURAL REIMAGINED: TRANSFORMING COMMUNITIES, CHANGING LIVES
Unveiling the logo for the city of Monterey created by Tech graduate Laura Beth Hellerstedt as a part of a Rural Reimagined project are, from left, Michael Aikens, director of Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation; Rafferty Cleary, the then-cultural administrator of Monterey; and JJ Reels, the then-mayor of Monterey.
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ince its beginning in 2018, Rural Reimagined – the response to Tennessee Tech’s strategic plan which called on the university to tackle big and complex societal issues in a Grand Challenge – has not only given students irreplicable real-life experience but also changed the lives of countless people all over the state. Rural Reimagined leaders Michael Aikens and Andrea Kruszka have both seen the initiative grow from just an idea kicked around at meetings to a massive movement involving hundreds of students and faculty at Tech and 67 rural counties. 20 VISIONS
“I can’t say enough about the transformational effects of Rural Reimagined on our local communities, our state and even our nation and world,” said Aikens, who is also Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation founding director in the Office of Research and Economic Development. “It leverages the unique talent and assets of our university, provides our students with invaluable experience and helps our rural communities across the state transform and flourish.” Kruszka, who is also Tech’s assistant director of the Center for Rural Innovation, added, “There was a definite need for a focus on rural areas, especially
Visitors enjoy the sights from Bee Rock in Monterey. The scenic spot was incorporated into the city’s logo after Tech students and Rural Reimagined leaders sat down with city officials to create a vision for tourism branding.
our economically distressed and at-risk counties, and being able to work directly within those areas and see our work make a difference is incredibly rewarding.” Both Aikens and Kruszka have a hand in many of the Rural Reimagined projects going on at Tech and are involved in each in varying degrees, as well as heading up their own projects. They offer students and faculty their expertise in skills, such as in making connections with community, state and federal leaders; assisting researchers with grant applications, and helping to measure the real impact of the projects – most of which are for distressed or at-risk counties. One of these projects was a partnership with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development in the Rural Tourism Branding Initiative that focused on the city of Monterey, Tennessee. The Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce sought a way to show off the city’s unique characteristics. Aikens and Kruszka took feedback from city officials to a Ph.D. student at Tech who analyzed the notes and passed it on to a graphic design student who then created the city’s color palette and logo. “Monterey received a beautiful new brand that they have wholeheartedly embraced,” Kruszka said. “You can see the logo on their government vehicles, stickers, t-shirts, ornaments and just about anything else you can imagine. The graphic of the logo shows off Bee Rock, which is a popular destination for rock climbing, photography and scenic views in general. This helped them find a way to show it off.” Not only did Monterey receive marketing design help, but Rural Reimagined is also working to conduct an economic
impact analysis, which measures the financial effects from improvements to a community. An analysis like this can cost anywhere from $25,000 to $150,000, which puts it out of reach of most, if not all, rural communities. The Center for Rural Innovation developed a program to provide these analyses to any rural community in Tennessee for no cost. “We started a research project that surveys tourists at Bee Rock to determine how much, on average, they spend specifically in the town of Monterey,” Aikens said. “Using that data, combined with cell phone traffic counts, we will feed this data into impact analysis software and develop a comprehensive report to the town detailing the impacts and return-on-investment of Monterey investments into the Bee Rock area. This will further guide their future investments and tourism strategies.” One of the most important aspects of Rural Reimagined is that it makes sure each project works with people in the rural counties, not just prescribing what help Tech students and faculty think they need. Everyone involved is tasked to actively listen to the people they are intending to help. It helps ensure the problems being tackled are the ones that are the most important and impactful to the community. “To be a part of this extraordinary program, seeing the measurable and observational impacts on real community members – there is nothing I’d rather be doing,” Aikens said. “I am so incredibly excited each day to see the outcomes of our current projects and to experience the rapid growth and future of the Grand Challenge.” V FEATURES
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POULTRY SCIENCE CENTER A PHOTO ESSAY
Tennessee Tech’s Poultry Science Research Center allows students to gain hands-on experience, apply current industry practices, gain a better understanding of the scientific process and be leaders in the industry.
Pictured are Sarah Stokely, Amanda Ramsey, Samantha Zahn, Wyatt Montooth and Victoria Ayres, assistant professor in the School of Agriculture.
A video is available for this story by scanning the QR Code.
A crowd of industry professionals, students and professors gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the building and the naming of the Aviagen Poultry Science Laboratory inside.
Margaret Schonborn inspects the health of one of the chickens inside the Poultry Research Center’s lab. FEATURES
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Ally Chambers, left, and Madison Jones lower the overhead water dispensers into a pen of chickens.
From left, Chambers, Ayres and Jones adjust the controls in the research center, which can change everything from the lighting to the air flow to create a comfortable environment for the chickens in the barn. 24 VISIONS
Schonborn holds an egg up to a light to inspect the yolk with a technique known as “candeling” to test for freshness. The smaller the air bubble she sees inside, the fresher the egg.
Young hens explore their pen while eating from a feeder.
Jones uses an oven to break down calcium to use as an additive to the chicken’s food to ensure the birds get enough of this nutrient in their diet. FEATURES
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THREE GENERATIONS OF GOLDEN EAGLES FIND “HOME” AT TENNESSEE TECH
Members of the Wilmore family and three generations of Tennessee Tech alumni are, from left, Lucas Wilmore, Jack Wilmore, Selena Wilmore, Eugene Wilmore, and Beth Ann Wilmore. Eugene’s son and Jack’s brother, Barry Wilmore is pictured on page 26.
A video for this story is available by scanning the QR Code.
THE
stories the Wilmore family can tell about life at Tennessee Tech University span generations and the distances Tech degrees have taken them go from accounting services for the U.S. Army, to leadership at one of the country’s largest vehicle manufacturers, to nursing and medical school and even into space. Eugene Wilmore earned a degree in industrial management with a minor in accounting in 1958, when the university was known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute. His fondest memories of the university then were of attending every basketball game and building homecoming floats. He was even at the pep rally in 1952 when three students who famously stole a metal golden eagle from the front of a hotel in Monteagle, Tennessee presented their find to the student body – a story that became legendary at the university and is at the origin of the iconic eagle that sits atop Derryberry Hall today. But Eugene is quick to say his proudest Tennessee Tech moments now involve the generations of students that followed him.
“Both my sons of course went to Tech, my daughtersin-law and two of my grandchildren – one is a nurse and one is a doctor, both in the medical field,” Eugene boasts. “We never told them where to go to college, but we were very pleased for them to go to Tech.” Jack Wilmore was Eugene and Faye Wilmore’s first son to choose Tech, earning what was then known as a degree in industrial technology in 1984. “My dad had gone there,” Jack said. “My goal was not to go to Tennessee Tech because my dad went there, but I went to Tech, and it felt like home. Everything about it felt like home.” Jack quickly connected with the other students on campus, working as a resident assistant in the residence halls and finding his place both socially among friends and academically. It wasn’t long before Jack’s younger brother Barry “Butch” Wilmore, came to Tech as well. The two called the fifth floor of Maddox Hall home during what was Jack’s sophomore year and Barry’s freshman year. “We wanted each other to win,” Jack recalls. FEATURES
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Selena Wilmore, right, ‘85 Human Ecology, celebrates with her son, Lucas Wilmore, as he graduates from Tech with a biology degree.
Jack and Selena Wilmore connected during their time a Tech. Both earned degrees from the university and went on to have children who did the same.
“We bonded even closer there. We even had some cousins who were at Tech at that time too, adding even more to that feeling of home. “The thing that really stands out to me is that I met my wife there,” Jack said. “We got engaged there in a park on campus. Overall, the education was fantastic.” Jack and Selena Wilmore, who earned her own Tech degree in human ecology in 1985, were married and started a family as Jack began his career in the automotive industry. Barry prospered at Tech as well, playing as a walkon in the Golden Eagle football team’s 1982 season and earning a name for himself on the field, all while earning an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering in 1985 and then a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Tech. After his Tech career, Barry became a naval officer and pilot and was selected by NASA to enter its astronaut program in 2000. After piloting an 11-day mission to the International Space Station in 2009 and taking a second space flight to the ISS in 2014, Barry is now working on the Boeing Crew Flight Test, the inaugural crewed flight of the CST-100 Starliner to the ISS. Barry’s wife Deanna is also a Tech graduate, although Barry says the two knew each other during their time at Tech, but their relationship didn’t blossom until later, and they ultimately married and started their own family. Currently, Barry also serves on the university’s Board of Trustees, remaining connected to the university and often bringing his dad, Eugene, back to visit campus. Another generation of Wilmores to make their way to Tech were siblings as well: Jack and
Selena’s son Lucas and daughter Beth Ann. Lucas initially took a baseball scholarship to play at another university, but when his sister Beth Ann decided to go to Tech, his path started to shift toward Tech as well. Much like her father though, Beth Ann wasn’t immediately sure she wanted to go to Tech, thinking she might rather find new experiences than her other family members. “At first I didn’t want to go to Tech, but we went to visit and the moment I walked on campus, I was in love,” she said. “It just felt like I was at home.” She made fast friends with people in her residence hall, classes and the campus ministry she joined. Although she admits the faculty in the nursing program kept the course work rigorous, the relationships she built with both her fellow students and her professors helped build her into the nurse she is today, she said. “I still have some of the friendships that I formed in nursing school. They are still my friends now and my colleagues,” Beth Ann said. But it didn’t take long into her time at Tech before Lucas had joined her as a Tech student as well. “When I went to Tech a lot of my brother’s friends were also at Tech. We all became friends through a college ministry we were all a part of. We all went on a trip that summer before school was starting up and we were jokingly saying ‘You should transfer to Tech, Lucas.’” It was an easy choice, Lucas says, as he had made the decision to ultimately go to medical school and become a physician, something he knew Tech could prepare him well for. “I came to Tennessee Tech knowing that it was going to
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set me up better in terms of applying to medical school,” Lucas said, but he also remembers fondly fun times exploring local outdoor spots near Cookeville and taking an English literature class with his sister. Beth Ann, who earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Tech in 2012, worked as a nurse for several years before deciding to take her education a step further and return to Tech for a master’s in nursing education in 2020. “I love teaching or educating our patients and other nurses,” she said. “I already had such a great relationship with the nursing faculty at Tech, and I just knew that was the right next step for me.” Today, she works for a non-profit healthcare center in Franklin, Tennessee as director of nursing, and Lucas is a practicing family physician in Middle Tennessee. While their dad shares stories of freshman antics around rivalries with Middle Tennessee State University, Beth Ann and Lucas recall a snowy winter in Cookeville when they built a giant snowman in the back of a truck and drove it around campus. The family’s memories of Tech span the story of a university that has grown to meet the needs of generations of students. Tech’s campus is much different today than when Eugene Wilmore hitchhiked between his home in Carthage, Tennessee and his studies in Cookeville each week. After all, most college students didn’t have a car in the 1950s,
let alone a truck bed for parading a snowman around campus. But the university’s reputation hasn’t changed, they say. “I was drafted into the U.S. Army,” Eugene recalls of the time shortly after he graduated from Tech and married his wife in 1959. “After basic (training) they sent me to Fort Benjamin Harris, Indiana, to the finance school, and that’s where they kept me. I believe it was because of my degree, that I was a college graduate of Tennessee Tech, that they kept me there. I worked there at the Army Finance School the remainder of my Army career.” Eugene enjoyed a long career in finance and is happy to see others in his family enjoy success as well. “I’ve worked with a lot of Tennessee Tech graduates,” said Jack, who recently retired from a leadership role with Nissan. “I would hire a Tennessee Tech graduate. It’s more than just the education. People know Tennessee Tech outside those walls.” It’s a sentiment that his daughter shares, often hiring nurses with Tech degrees, knowing the level of training they have. Much like his parents never told him he had to go to Tennessee Tech, Lucas says he won’t pressure his own daughters, of which he now has three, to go to Tech, but he says he would be just as proud as his father and grandfather have been to see another generation of Golden Eagles find their future at Tech. Whether that be in finance, engineering, medicine or space exploration. After all, Tech is home for the Wilmores. V FEATURES
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ALUMNI
CLASS NOTES
Find our Friends Remembered pages exclusively online at www.tntech.edu/visions.
1954
Capt. James D. Stallings ('54 agricultural science) was added to the National Security Agency’s Cryptologic Wall. Capt. Stallings was an electronic warfare cryptologic officer who was killed on Sept. 25, 1966, when his vehicle hit an anti-tank mine and came under enemy fire in Vietnam. The NSA’s National Cryptologic Memorial honors those who served in silence.
1974
Lamar Rogers ('74 agricultural science) recently reached his 1,300th career win. Rogers is the head women’s basketball coach at Clarkrange High School and is currently the winningest active high school coach in the country.
1977
Gail Vaughn Ashworth ('77 music education and '79 M.A.) was named one of the Best of the Bar by the Nashville Business Journal. Ashworth is a founding member at Wiseman Ashworth Trauger and is past president of the Nashville and Tennessee Bar Associations.
1979
Ray McCay ('79 computer science) has been named chief revenue officer for Cyemptive Technologies, a cybersecurity company that provides information technology infrastructure solutions.
1981
Mike Purcell ('81 mechanical engineering) received the RE/MAX 100% Club Award which recognizes high-achieving real estate professionals for their service to buyers and/or sellers.
1982
Marc Burnett ('82 journalism, '86 M.A. and '93 Ed.S.) was featured in an art exhibit titled “Horizons: Paintings by Marc Burnett” at the Cookeville History Museum. Burnett is a retired Tennessee Tech vice president for student affairs. Karen Lynn Stewart Stevens ('82 business management) was awarded second place in her age category in The Tennessee Magazine’s poetry contest for her poem, “You Don’t Say.” She has
returned to the Volunteer State from California, where she was employed at Northrop Grumman Corporation first, and later as a systems analyst at Rockwell International, now The Boeing Company.
1983
Farhad “Fred” Khosravi ('83 mechanical engineering and '86 M.S.) received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor which celebrates inspiring Americans who are selflessly working for the betterment of the United States and its citizens. Khosravi is the managing director of Incept LLC, a health sciences and technology accelerator and development company. Dr. Lynne Parker ('83 computer science) was selected to lead the Artificial Intelligence Research and Education Initiative at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Parker recently completed a four-year post as deputy United States chief technology officer and director of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Office within the White House. CLASS NOTES
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1985
Dr. John Howington ('85 chemistry) is the new presidentdesignate for the American College of Chest Physicians and will serve as its 87th president in 2025.
1986
Ginger Scoggins ('86 mechanical engineering) was named American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) president for the 2023-24 term. She previously served on the ASHRAE Board of Directors as president-elect, treasurer, vice president and director and regional chair. Scoggins is president and owner of Engineered Designs, Inc., a full-service consulting engineering firm.
1989
Don Hill ('89 electrical engineering) is the new executive vice president and chief engineer for Nashville Electric Service.
1990
Melissa Clayton ('90 business management) was named chief financial officer for Hopkinsville, Ky. Sam Huddleston ('90 civil engineering) is the new assistant city manager for Engineering and Economic Development for the City of Murfreesboro.
1991
Mark Thurman ('91 wildlife and fisheries science and `94 M.S.) was named chief of the 32 VISIONS
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency’s fisheries division.
1992
Shelia Swift ('92 nursing) is the new executive associate dean of Academic Affairs for the University of Tennessee-Knoxville’s College of Nursing.
1993
Bryant Dunaway ('93 sociology) was elected to serve as vice president of the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference. Dunaway is the district attorney general for Putnam County. Allison Gernt ('93 nursing) received the DAISY Award. According to the DAISY Foundation, “DAISY Award recognitions honor the super-human work nurses do for patients and families every day wherever they practice, in whatever role they serve, and throughout their careers from nursing student through lifetime achievement in nursing.”
1994
Dana McWilliams ('94 health and physical education and '08 M.A.) was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Tennessee Hall of Fame. McWilliams is the head women’s basketball coach at Upperman High School.
1995
Julie Fuller ('95 mechanical engineering) is the new managing
director of National Recovery Technologies (NRT), an equipment manufacturing and engineering company that provides sorting solutions to the recycling industry. Chad Jennings ('95 chemical engineering) is the new plant manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Golden Triangle Polymers Company facility in Orange, Texas.
1997
Dr. Julie C. Baker ('97 secondary education, ’00 M.A. and '10 Ph.D.) received the Ohio Valley Conference’s Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Student Success Award. The award, given to one faculty member from each OVC member institution, is based on criteria that includes excellence in teaching, research and service. Baker is a professor and associate dean in Tennessee Tech’s College of Education and interim associate provost. Brigadier General Amy Holbeck ('97 biology) is the new chief of staff for the Georgia Air National Guard and is the first female general officer in the history of the Georgia ANG. Kevin Raper ('97 Ed.S. instructional leadership) was officially sworn in as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives on Jan. 10, 2023.
1998
Dr. Chester Goad ('98 secondary education and '02 M.A.) was named president-elect for the National Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). AHEAD is the leading professional membership association for individuals committed to equity for persons with disabilities in higher education. Goad is director of Tennessee Tech’s Accessible Education Center. Andrew Lynn ('98 music) received the Music Teacher of Excellence Award from the Country Music Association Foundation. Lynn has served as band director at Stewarts Creek Middle School in Smyrna, Tenn., since the school opened in 2006. He was one of 30 music teachers in the nation who received the award last year. Tim McDermott ('98 accounting and ’02 MBA) was named chief information officer at Cookeville Regional Medical Center.
2000
Eric Ray ('00 business management) was named vice president for human resources at Colorado State University.
2001
Dr. Amanda Roberts ('01 agriculture, '17 M.A. and '18 Ph.D.) is the author of “LITE: The High Treason Incident.” “LITE” was named a 2022 Forward INDIES Finalist and is a 2023 IPPY Medalist, receiving a bronze medal in the Best First Book Juvenile/Young Adult category.
2002
John Searby ('02 M.A. English) is the new executive director for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, N.C. Searby also serves as executive director of Catawba Riverkeeper, the only nonprofit, on-the-water advocate for the 8,900 miles of waterways in the Catawba Wateree River Basin.
2003
Dr. Jeremy Byrd ('03 interdisciplinary studies) is the new executive director of Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity.
Patrick Wade ('03 finance) was named president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Murfreesboro.
2005
Dr. Amber Spears ('05 multidisciplinary studies, '08 M.A., '09 Ed.S. and '14 Ph.D.) received the Celebrate Literacy Award from the
International Literacy Association. Spears is an associate professor of literacy in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Tennessee Tech and is the first faculty member at Tech to receive this honor. The award recognizes her outstanding contributions to promoting literacy, particularly through her work with the Elinor Ross Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School.
2006
Margot Carter ('06 biology and ’11 M.S.) is the new tennis director at Vero Beach, Fla.’s Riverside Park Racquet Complex. Carter was a member of Tennessee Tech’s women’s tennis team.
2008
Michael Chai ('08 Ed.S. instructional leadership) received the Professional Educators of Tennessee Principal of the Year Award. Chai is the principal at Arnold Memorial Elementary School in Cleveland, Tenn.
2012
Dr. Amanda Carroll ('12 Ph.D. environmental sciences) was appointed associate member of the American Chemical Society Committee on Education (SOCED) and named chair of the SOCED Undergraduate Student Advisory Board. Carroll is a senior lecturer in Tennessee Tech’s Department of Chemistry.
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Lamar Moore (’12 finance and ’13 MBA) was named to the Top 100 People in Finance Magazine list. Moore is a vice president and senior credit officer with City National Bank.
2014
Tara Cowan (’14 political science) was featured in a Tennessee Tech press release titled “Tech alumna finds success as a fiction writer.” Her fifth and latest book is titled, “Secrets of an Old Virginia House.”
2018
Ekramul Haque Ehite (’18 M.S. mechanical engineering) received the Pharos of Alexandria Global Learning Award from The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). This award recognizes a junior or senior undergraduate or graduate student ASABE member who has excelled and demonstrated leadership on the local, national and/or international levels.
Shayan Khan (’18 electrical engineering) is the chairman and co-founder of the U7+ Student & Alumni Network, which is an extension of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities. The U7+ Alliance is a coalition of university leaders from G7 countries who meet to discuss issues in higher education with 34 VISIONS
a goal of building a sustainable future for students and preparing them for the professional world.
2020
Laura Barry (’20 M.S. nursing) was named a Tennessee Action Coalition Nurse Leader Rising Star. Barry is a clinical instructor at the University of TennesseeKnoxville’s College of Nursing. Rhyan Karney (’20 history) is the new assistant archivist at the London-based law firm Child & Child.
2021
Mark Rine (’21 wildlife and fisheries science) received the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award from the Putnam County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Mikayla Wood (’21 environmental studies) is the new STEM librarian for engineering at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
2022
Andrea Kruszka (’22 professional studies) was named to the inaugural class of “Movers &
Shakers” by Cookeville Lifestyle. This local magazine highlighted 20 of Cookeville’s most impactful community members for its summer 2023 issue. Kruszka is the assistant director for Tennessee Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation. Aaron Lay (’22 agriculture) was accepted to Harvard Law School. Lay is a former recipient of Tennessee Tech’s prestigious Derryberry Award, the university’s highest student honor, and a former Tech Student Government Association president.
2023
Rob Frazier (’23 professional studies) launched the Signature Media Group, a complete marketing agency with business and change consulting services. V
COOKEVILLE - TN'S COLLEGE TOWN
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the hometown of Tennessee Tech, Cookeville embraces Golden Eagles like no other. With College Town Weekends, the university connects students with both on-campus and off-campus events into one list so students can easily find weekend activities of interest. Students are encouraged to take advantage of
all that Tech and the surrounding community have to offer. After all, Cookeville is Tennessee’s college town! Fall 2023's College Town Kickoff event in downtown Cookeville featured food trucks, live music and more! V
Class Notes
FRIENDS REMEMBERED
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FRIENDS REMEMBERED
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Visions PO Box 5111 1000 N. Dixie Ave. Cookeville TN 38505-0001
Amidst the action, NASA astronaut and Tennessee Tech alumnus Barry Wilmore, a Board of Trustees member, once sported the number 8 jersey during Tucker Stadium’s heyday. The 2023 football season signaled the end for the current Tucker Stadium, largely unchanged since the 1960s and early 1970s. Post-season, construction begins on a new stadium, breathing new life into this nearly sixdecade-old venue. This offers a chance to preserve its legacy and create new legends, like Barry Wilmore, while providing fresh experiences for the program and its devoted fans, ushering in a new era.