University of Memphis Magazine, Summer 2011 Edition

SUMMER 2011

Celebrating a Century

of Dreamers, Thinkers and Doers.

Above: University of Memphis freshmen gathered near the University Center shortly after New Student Convocation August 29 to mark the beginning of a new school year. Approximately 23,000 students are attending the U of M this fall, a record number.

On the cover: 100 years and counting! University of Memphis faculty, staff, students and alumni joined together on the Alumni Mall earlier this summer to celebrate the U of M’s centennial.

The University of Memphis Magazine Summer 2011 Vol. 32 No. 2

issue IN THIS

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QR codes now appear throughout The University of Memphis Magazine to supplement stories with videos, music, web pages and other similar content. To make use of the code, download and launch a QR code reader on your smart phone then point the camera at the image. As an examtple, scan the code above or visit www.memphis.edu/uofmvideos to watch a video featuring the new Centennial Fanfare by U of M professor James Richens.

From the president Newsbits 100 years and going strong

By Greg Russell Where Nathaniel Trezevant once raised cotton, a teachers school would grow, later to expand into a major urban research university.

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Sporting an attitude By Greg Russell The U of M has generated national champions and record-setting athletes while knitting a closer than usual relationship with the city.

These times they are a-changin’

By Gabrielle Maxey From the Memphis State Eight to Vietnam War-era demonstrations around the flagpole, U of M students have a history of making their voices be heard.

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Columns Classnotes Club and Chapter events In Memoriam

FROM THE

EDITOR Greg Russell (MS ’93) grussll@memphis.edu

PRESIDENT

ART DIRECTOR Aaron Drown adrown@memphis.edu CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Gabrielle Maxey (BA ’80) gmaxey@memphis.edu LAYOUT Will Marshall wjmrshll@memphis.edu PHOTOGRAPHERS Rhonda Cosentino rgcsntno@memphis.edu Phyliss Massey WRITER Laura Fenton lmfenton@memphis.edu CONTRIBUTING WRITERS James Northcutt Curt Guenther PRESIDENT Dr. Shirley C. Raines VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING Robert H. Eoff (BA ’71) ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING Linda Bonnin

MISSION The University of Memphis is a learner-centered metropolitan research university providing high quality educational experiences while pursuing new knowledge through research, artistic expression, and interdisciplinary and engaged scholarship.

The University of Memphis is one of 45 institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents system, the sixth largest system of higher education in the nation.

TBR is the governing board for this system, which comprises six universities, 13 two-year colleges and 26 area technology centers. The TBR system enrolls more than 80 percent of all Tennessee students attending public institutions of higher education.

The University of Memphis’ name, seal, logos and Tigers are registered marks of the University of Memphis and use in any manner is prohibited unless prior written approval is obtained from the University of Memphis. The University of Memphis Magazine (USPS-662-550) is published quarterly by the Division of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing of the University of Memphis, 303 Administration Building, Memphis, TN 38152-3370.

Periodical Postage paid at Memphis, TN 38152.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Alumni & Development Office, The University of Memphis, 120 Alumni Center, Memphis, TN 38152-3760.

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Dear Alumni and Friends: On Sept. 10, 1912, Tennessee Gov. Malcolm R. Patterson predicted a “bright” future for a small teachers school on the eastern-most outskirts of the city of Memphis. The occasion was the grand opening of West Tennessee State Normal School on the site of what had been cotton fields. “Ole Normal,” as it was called, quickly achieved its primary goal of producing high-quality educators for West Tennessee’s elementary and secondary schools. But neither Patterson nor even the most optimistic prognosticator could have guessed what would transpire over the course of the next century for a school that began with just 200 students.

The University of Memphis has grown from those early roots into a major metropolitan research institution with 23,000 students, scores of renowned researchers and the state’s largest honors program. The University is home to five Centers of Excellence, 26 Chairs of Excellence (the most in the state) and numerous highly acclaimed research consortia. Just last year, computer science professor Dr. Santosh Kumar was named by Popular Science magazine as one of the nation’s Top 10 up-and-coming young researchers for his work in wireless technologies, one of many notable milestones reached by our esteemed faculty.

Thirty years ago, then-president Thomas Carpenter outlined an ambitious plan that would move the University to the level of a high-tier research institution. Dr. V. Lane Rawlins moved the plan forward through the 1990s, and during the past decade, I have worked with University faculty and Provost Ralph Faudree to set even more ambitious goals. The work of our researchers is helping us to achieve these goals. For example, chemistry professor Dr. Abby Parrill-Baker is moving cancer research to new heights, while psychology professor Dr. Chuck Blaha’s work in finding new treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders is nothing less than groundbreaking. Faculty from the Center for Earthquake Research and Information were asked by the federal government to come to the East Coast to provide their expertise in the wake of the recent 5.8 magnitude earthquake.

In observance of our centennial, we have planned a series of events over the next 16 months that will not only pay homage to the past, but will also showcase the talent and achievements of our researchers, students, past athletes and alumni. Our official Centennial Kickoff gala Sept. 30 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts will feature performances by Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music faculty and students as well as the debut of compositions written specifically for the centennial by longtime music professor James Richens. Check www.memphis.edu/centennial for details on other upcoming events.

The coming year will be an occasion for you to reflect on your own time spent at the University of Memphis, to experience its growth since you were on campus and to see firsthand how a prediction made 100 years ago has come true.

Sincerely,

Dr. Shirley C. Raines THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1912. West Tennessee State Normal School begins its first regular session on Sept. 10 with Seymour A. Mynders as president and 200 students.

1913. John Willard Brister is named the second president after Mynders unexpectedly passes away.

1914. The first student publication is a monthly journal, The Columns.

1915. Under a new law, the State Board of Education is established.

1916. The DeSoto yearbook begins publication.

Portrait perfect: McMahan paints a president Holding eyeglasses in his right hand and papers in his left, University past president Andrew A. Kincannon looks as though he may step right out of the portrait and frame.

“It gives a little glimpse of him as if you had walked into his office at the University,” said Mary Ann Griesbeck, great-granddaughter of Kincannon, who was president of then-West Tennessee State Normal School from 1918 to 1924. “He just comes to life.”

The portrait of Kincannon, commissioned by the U of M to artist Jamie McMahan (BS ’65), will be added to the University’s collection of past and current presidents that hangs in the Administration Building’s atrium.

McMahan has painted seven other portraits of past presidents as well as official portraits and private works for people across the country, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alex Haley. He also was commissioned by the Georgia Legislature to paint a portrait of John Ross, who was chief of the Cherokee nation during the Trail of Tears relocation.

Prior to putting the first brushstroke on a canvas, McMahan met with two of Kincannon’s relatives: great-granddaughter Griesbeck and granddaughter Charlotte Westenberger, both of Memphis.

Kincannon, known as “Dear” to his immediate family, held a master’s degree from National Normal University in Lebanon, Ohio.

He also served as chancellor of the University of Mississippi and superintendent of the Meridian City Schools in Meridian, Miss.

“He was a wonderful grandfather,” Westenberger said. “He had a great sense of humor. He came from a big family and I never heard him say a bad word, never heard him talk about anybody in a derogatory way. He was just wonderful.”

Westenberger and Griesbeck met at least three times with McMahan, sharing stories, family photos and Kincannon’s personal possessions, such as letters and watch fob. “[McMahan] was interested in all of our stories, and we talked and laughed and had such a memorable time recalling those things,” Griesbeck said.

After understanding Kincannon as a person, McMahan went to his studio to begin the portrait. Because Kincannon was not alive to pose for the portrait, McMahan hired a stand-in.

“All I had to work with was a picture of his face, head and shoulders,” McMahan said. “I got a model to wear a suit and vest with a watch fob. I tried to give it a suggestion of something dated, but something dignified nonetheless.”

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Artist Jamie McMahon has painted several past presidents, and used a stand-in for his most recent work, Andrew A. Kincannon.

Nothing in the portrait is arbitrary. From the crisp blue of Kincannon’s eyes to the royal purple on the hood of his robe, McMahan incorporated items as extensions of Kincannon’s character. The background of the portrait is of an office or library setting, adding to Kincannon’s academic nature.

McMahan then brought a “rough study,” or small-scale draft portrait, for comments from Griesbeck and Westenberger about Kincannon’s physical positioning, facial features and expression.

“I almost cried when I saw it,” Westenberger said. “It was so moving because it was so like him. It looked like he was going to say something.”

After three months of research and painting, McMahan contacted Westenberger and Griesbeck to view the completed portrait. Both women were in awe.

“We were so pleased with the study, we couldn’t imagine anything better,” Griesbeck said. “But to look at the finished portrait was magnificent. It truly captures his spirit. It’s a magnificent treasure for our families and a lasting treasure for future generations.”

McMahan studied fine arts and mathematics at the U of M, while also playing basketball for the Tigers. He was the Tigers’ leading rebounder and second-leading scorer in 1965. He worked in marketing for IBM until becoming a full-time artist about 22 years ago.

— by Laura Fenton NEWSBITS

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1917. The athletic department cannot participate in games in the spring because almost all players joined the military.

1918. Andrew A. Kincannon, former chancellor of the University of Mississippi, is named the third president.

1919. West Tennessee State Normal School becomes a three-year college.

1920. Women are granted the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment.

1921. The first full-time athletic director is hired.

Stan still “the Man” When it comes to images of the University of Memphis, there is Tom the Tiger, the old Brister Library and the imposing Administration Building. And then there is Stan “the Man” Bronson Jr. For 53 years, his ubiquitous figure has been inextricably entwined with students’ campus memories.

“Hi yew!” is Bronson’s familiar greeting to all who pass him by.

He can be found in the University’s library, in the cafeteria, near the Student Plaza fountain or on the baseball diamond during spring.

Bronson, 82, came to the U of M in 1958 to work as an equipment manager for football coach Billy “Spook” Murphy. He soon became the baseball team’s batboy, a position he has served

Stan Bronson

in since the 1959 season. He was included in the 2006 Guinness

If you are on campus in July, you might just get an invitation from

Book of World Records for being the “Most Durable Batboy” ever.

Bronson to his birthday party, which is thrown by the campus’ cafeteria.

He takes a bow during the middle of the eighth inning of each home game.

Bronson still attends football practices and makes cameo appearances at Lady Tiger basketball and volleyball games.

Trauma at birth left Bronson with a speech impediment and mild palsy.

But he has overcome this to become a true “institution” at the U of M. As former President V. Lane Rawlins once said, “Stan, as all of your many friends at the University will agree, you are ‘the Man!’”

A Mynders mystery If you are lucky enough to live in Mynders Hall — one of the three original buildings on campus — you may receive a “scare” if late nights are cutting into your study schedule.

For the past 100 years, the ghost of Elizabeth Mynders has been seen numerous times in the women’s dormitory named after her by her father, Seymour Allen Mynders, the school’s first president.

Elizabeth died in early 1912; President Mynders had the new women’s dorm built in the shape of an “E” to honor her. She has been “haunting” students ever since, but in a friendly way.

As the school newspaper, The Helmsman, reported: “Elizabeth has a preference for the third floor and will occasionally be seen sitting on a chair in someone’s room or standing at the end of a hallway. She is friendly and insistent on educational priorities.

Students report returning to their rooms to find their textbooks opened to the chapters they should be studying; this apparently happens most to students who stay out late at night. Students are advised to stop by her portrait in the lobby and greet her with a friendly ‘hello’ each day.”

Danny Armitage, associate dean of students, tells a story in which students came into the hall around 4 a.m.

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Visitors to Mynders Hall are encouraged to greet the portrait of Elizabeth Mynders to maintain a friendly relationship with the ghost.

“They were trying to be quiet,” he said, “and they saw Elizabeth at the end of the hall. Upon seeing her, pipes started banging. It was almost like they were caught.”

Former Mynders’ resident Joy Coop “could have sworn” she saw her. “But when I looked back, she was gone.”

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1922. On Halloween, male students take apart large farm equipment and reassemble it in the Administration Building hallways.

1923. During each football game this season, the pre-game prayer ends with “Every man fights like a tiger,” and a nickname is born.

1924. John Willard Brister is reappointed president.

1925. WTSNS becomes the fouryear State Teachers College, but students still do not pay tuition.

1926. The collegiate quarter of 12 weeks replaces 10-week sessions.

U of M remains on research fast track In remote mountains of eastern Chile, University of Memphis geologist Robert Smalley ponders data from the devastating earthquake of 2010 that registered as one of the largest tremors of all time, information that will be used to predict future quakes.

Thousands of miles away, archaeologist Lorelei Corcoran combs through a tomb in Egypt that may rank as the most important find since King Tut’s was unearthed. Closer to home, engineering professors Joel Bumgardner and Warren Haggard are perfecting an antibiotic delivery system that will save lives on battlefields.

In the past two decades, the U of M has become one of the nation’s top research institutions after opening in 1912 as a school that solely trained teachers. How did the U of M get there?

In the 1960s, Tennessee legislators designated the newly named Memphis State University as the second graduate research university in the state.

“That was part of the plan in terms of how this University was to grow,” said Ralph Faudree, provost for the U of M. “After that occurred, there were different hiring patterns at the University.”

Researchers such as Orges Furxhi have helped the U of M to a higher research tier.

In 2006, the U of M became one of only 62 colleges and

A goal of U of M President Thomas Carpenter when he arrived in

universities in the nation and two in Tennessee to be designated

1980 was to make the University one of the top research centers in

with the Carnegie Foundation’s new classification of “Community

the nation by the end of the century.

Engaged” universities. The U of M is grouped in the “Curricular

Carpenter aggressively approached the goal by adding the Centers of Excellence and Chairs of Excellence programs in the mid-1980s.

These are designed to attract top researchers and faculty. They

Engagement and Outreach Partnerships” classification, the highest of the three levels.

The U of M has garnered publicity in other ways. The Center

focus on such diverse areas as psychological and communication

for Earthquake Research and Information is routinely called upon

disorders, law, accounting, real estate, ancient Egyptian studies,

by agencies worldwide to provide guidance after earthquakes.

teacher education and earthquake information.

Computer science professor Santosh Kumar was recently named

“All of those have a research base and bring in external funding

one of 10 up-and-coming researchers in the nation for his work in

and support,” Faudree said. “That was also a factor in changing the

wireless technology by Popular Science. Psychology professor Art

University to a research institution.”

Graesser and his collaborators have attracted international attention

The U of M has 26 Chairs of Excellence, the most in the state.

for their work in artificial intelligence, including an artificial tutoring

Collaboration among departments, which current President Shirley

device that can carry on conversations with students.

Raines has emphasized, has become front and center at the U of

Some of the more important research milestones include: 1976,

M. The FedEx Institute of Technology, considered the top research

opening of the first shared, core research facility, the Integrated

center in the Mid-South, has aided in this collaboration with an

Microscopy Center; 1994, the U of M is designated as a Carnegie

interdisciplinary research approach since it opened in 2004.

Foundation Doctoral Granting Research University I; 2007, U of M

Computer science professor Stan Franklin said students remain a focal point.

“We’ve gone to research, but we haven’t given up on the teaching, and we do a better job with that than any other place I know,” he said.

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surpasses $50 million in annual research awards while establishing the Office of Technology Transfer; and 2010, Memphis Research Consortium is established.

Visit www.memphis.edu/fedex/index.php for more stories on U of M researchers.

NEWSBITS

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1927. The first student education loans are made.

1928. The first library (later named Brister Library) and the first gym (Memorial Gymnasium) are built.

1929. The school’s name is changed to West Tennessee State Teachers College.

1930. Enrollment is 672, and construction begins on Manning Hall.

1931. The student newspaper, The Tiger Rag, is established.

Smith’s impact at U of M remembered Dr. R. Eugene Smith was associated with the University of Memphis from 1963 until his retirement in 2000, serving in the administrations of five U of M presidents. The most recent, Dr. Shirley Raines, calls him “legendary.”

“He had a profound influence on the development of the University of Memphis for several decades, beginning with the administration of Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys,” said Raines. “He hired many of the people who have worked and still work for the Division of Business and Finance.”

Smith, a former vice president of Business and Finance, died in July.

“He was deeply rooted in University history, and was always loyal and generous,” said current Dr. R. Eugene Smith

Business and Finance vice president David Zettergren. “Dr. Smith listened to all employees and championed programs to show the University’s appreciation.”

Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in business at Middle Tennessee State University in 1957. He came to work for the University in 1963 and eight years later became the school’s Business and Finance vice president, a post he held until his retirement.

While working at Memphis, Smith earned a master’s degree, followed by a doctorate from the University of Mississippi. He also combined the duties of an administrator with those of a professor, teaching educational administration at the U of M, and he served on numerous committees for the University, the Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.

University heads east for bigger West Tennessee presence The University of Memphis has a new home in West Tennessee.

Beginning this semester, the U of M is offering classes at its new Lambuth Campus in Jackson, Tenn. The University acquired Lambuth University in August.

“Lambuth has given its students and alumni a great legacy,

There are 5,409 U of M alumni living in the Madison County area, as well as many Lambuth alumni. “We will grow that number

and the University of Memphis will continue and will build upon

substantially in the years to come, and we look forward to having

Lambuth’s fine educational reputation,” said University President

Lambuth alumni back as we celebrate many milestones,” Raines said.

Shirley Raines.

For more information about U of M classes in Jackson, call

The U of M has been teaching classes in Jackson since 1955.

731-427-4725 or 901-678-5087, email lambuth@memphis.edu,

The city of Jackson, Madison County, West Tennessee Healthcare

or visit www.memphis.edu/lambuth.

and the Jackson Energy Authority each contributed about $2 million to help acquire the campus. The goal is to begin with 250 students and grow to 1,000 students in five years.

Students are admitted to the U of M and are able to attend classes at Lambuth or any of the University’s other locations. The Lambuth Campus initially is offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in

Point your QR code reader here or visit www.youtube.com/ uofmemphisvideos to watch the August 5, 2011, Lambuth Campus press conference.

business, nursing and teacher education. As enrollment grows, the U of M plans to expand into other degrees and certificate programs.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

“Our gift has resulted in the potential for increased support of the U of M while realizing a guaranteed lifetime income. With interest rates at such low levels, it makes your return - partially tax-free - especially attractive. Neither of us graduated from the U of M, but we consider it one of Memphis’ greatest assets. In so many ways our lives have been enhanced because of this exceptional university.”

John and Anne Stokes

A Charitable Gift Annuity: The Gift That Pays In exchange for your gift of $25,000 or more, the University of Memphis Foundation can offer you (or you and another named beneficiary) the security of a fixed income for life.

Your age and the current interest rates determine the annuity rate the University of Memphis Foundation can offer, but look at these sample rates:

For a confidential & personalized illustration, contact:

SU M M ER 2011

Your Age* 65 75 85

Annuity 5.3% 6.5% 8.4%

Your Ages** 70/68 76/73

Annuity 5.0% 5.6%

Annuity rates are subject to change.

Once your gift is made, the annuity remains fixed.

* single life ** joint life

Dan H. Murrell, CFRE Director of Planned Giving 901.678.2732 dan.murrell@memphis.edu 319 Administration Bldg.

Memphis, TN 38152 NEWSBITS

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1932. A tree is planted near the southeast corner of the Administration Building to celebrate George Washington’s 200th birthday.

1933. The Depression era sees annual budgets of only $56,000.

The school doubles the registration fee to $10.

1934. The first part-time jobs are provided on campus to students, paying $10 to $30 a month.

1935. A group of students organize a protest against the legislative committee’s recommendation to close the State Teachers College.

1936. The first student handbook is printed for incoming freshmen.

Law in order as it celebrates 50 years While the University of Memphis is celebrating its centennial, its Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is celebrating as well: the law school is marking its 50th anniversary.

“There was nothing here and we came up from that,” founding Dean R.D. Cox said in describing how the school has evolved into one of the South’s top law schools.

Established in 1962, the idea for the school may have come as early as 1941 in the form of an unlikely debate. Cecil C. Humphreys, a football coach at then-Memphis State College, took on an articulate young lawyer named Lucius Burch at a public forum on the question, “Are civil rights inviolate in times of emergency?”

Humphreys cited historical precedents where civil rights had been suspended during national emergencies. Neither debater could have known that four months later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would issue a presidential order that led to the relocation of JapaneseAmericans on the West Coast to internment camps. The question remains a significant American legal issue even today.

Humphreys was taking night courses at Southern Law University, but the attack on Pearl Harbor ended his studies. When he became president of Memphis State University in 1960, the visionary knew that a fully accredited law school would be a major community asset.

There were two unaccredited law schools already offering night courses in Memphis, but the schools agreed to close their doors

The U.S. Post Office/Customs House was a bustling center of business in the early part of the 20th century; it is now home to the Humphreys School of Law.

Situated in the center of the city’s legal, governmental and business

and send their students to then-MSU if it created a law school that

communities, the world-class facility provides students a prime

offered both day and evening classes. After hard-fought negotiations,

location for interacting with judges, attorneys and business leaders.

and opposition from the University of Tennessee and its supporters

Graduates of the school have passage rates of 100 percent on

in Nashville, the State Board of Education voted to authorize the

the Tennessee Bar Exam, well above the state average. National

establishment of a law school at Memphis.

publications have ranked the program a “best value” law school and

In September 1962, the new Memphis State University Law School opened its doors to more than 140 students who attended

in the top 10 for “Best Quality of Life.”

The law school has more than 5,000 alumni working in all facets

classes in Johnson Hall. The school received accreditation by the

of the legal profession, including more than 50 judges in the state

American Bar Association in 1965, and the following year moved

of Tennessee.

into a new building on Central Avenue.

The building would remain its home for more than four decades,

What does the future hold?

Dean Kevin Smith said the school will continue to provide a

but in January 2010, the law school moved into the former U.S. Post

rigorous yet affordable legal education that has allowed students to

Office/Customs House in downtown Memphis. The stately building

move into law firms and serve on the bench throughout the nation.

offers an unrivaled learning environment. Much of its “classical

“We will also continue to build meaningful partnerships with the

revival” architectural character remains, including original brass

business community and we’ll be expanding our externship and

window cages and hardwood paneling.

clinical offerings,” he said. — by Gabrielle Maxey

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1937. After several cases of food poisoning, the student meal format is changed from table board, family style to a cafeteria plan.

1938. The State Teachers College football team goes undefeated and untied, making them champions of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

1939. Richard C. Jones, former college dean, is appointed fourth president.

1940. The FCC hears the first FM radio transmission, and Winston Churchill becomes Britain’s prime minister.

1941. As enrollment tops 1,000, the school’s name is changed to Memphis State College.

Centenarian “flows” with the times As 103-year-old U of M graduate Flocene Strickland Murphy chats with her son in a retirement home, she is aglow in purple. From the royal purple jacket with a lilac and black scarf draped around her neck, to a large violet watch, Murphy cannot get enough of her signature color.

Why dress heavily in purple?

“It just made me sort of a star,” Murphy said.

That, along with her renowned paintings.

Born in Water Valley, Miss., in 1908, she enrolled at West Tennessee State Teachers College in 1928. Times were tough then — the Great Depression was just on the horizon — so she took a job making $10 a week at a downtown drugstore. Though she worked

Flocene Murphy enrolled at West Tennessee State Teachers College in 1928. She later became a noted painter.

seven nights a week, she still managed to go to classes Mondays

her paintings to help people remember her unusual first name. Her

through Saturdays, and became a sketch artist for The DeSoto

slogan was “Flowing scenes by Flocene.”

yearbook. One incident she recalls shows how times have changed.

Murphy said an art teacher censored one of her drawings of a man and woman sitting on a bench in a garden because it was too racy.

“His hand was on the lady’s arm,” Murphy said. “The art teacher didn’t like that, so she covered it with flowers.”

Murphy taught art education for 22 years before concentrating on her paintings in 1975. She often used scenes of running water in

Murphy was also a member of Xi Beta Nu sorority, which became Alpha Gamma Delta, and was on the homecoming court her senior year.

The last time she set foot on the U of M campus was in 2010 for an Alpha Gamma Delta sorority dinner event.

The campus has gone through many changes and growth since the 1930s, she said. It makes her proud that the school has flourished.

“It makes me realize that progress is slow, but it’s there,” she said.

-- by Laura Fenton

It’s a jungle out there: 100 tigers such as these near the Student Plaza were “released” earlier this month on campus as part of the University of Memphis Alumni Association’s “Tigers Around Town” centennial celebration campaign. Each tiger statue represents a year the University has been open and will be displayed at the U of M through the end of the year. They will then be placed in various locations around Shelby County.

(See story page 46)

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1942. With the approval of a naval training course, military instruction begins on campus.

1943. Jennings B. Sanders is named fifth president. World War II enlistments drop enrollment to 216.

1944. The Department of English begins offering French, Latin and Spanish classes.

1945. Bing Crosby selects MSC’s “loveliest coeds.”

1946. J. Millard “Jack” Smith is named sixth president. Enrollment hits 1,505 as World War II veterans return to campus.

Former baseball exec leads Alumni Association during Centennial year As a pitcher for then-Memphis State University, Allie Prescott delivered some key performances for the Tigers en route to gaining All-Missouri Valley Conference first team honors in 1969. Now he has been called on to lead the University’s Alumni Association during a critical year.

Prescott (BA ’69, JD ’72) is the new president of the Alumni Association, which has big plans as the U of M celebrates its 100th anniversary. He succeeds Deanie Parker, who remains on the board as immediate past president.

“The year-long celebration of the University’s centennial will cause a constant spotlight to shine on our beloved alma mater,” Prescott said. “The Alumni Association will feature five ‘anchor’ events that will unfold during the year, events that will engage students, faculty, administration, alumni and the broader community. All of our events will help us enhance the reputation of the University, and all will create an increased sense of pride in everyone in this region to have such a tremendous research University in our midst.”

Among those events was the unveiling of 100 tiger statues on the

Allie Prescott

U of M campus Sept. 10 as part of the Association’s “Tigers Around

They need and deserve volunteer help from alums to assist in getting

Town” campaign. The 100 tigers represent each year the University

the message out about the University to the larger community.”

has been open and are on display on campus until being placed in various locations in the greater Memphis area in early 2012.

Other events include the Alumni Reunion Weekend in April as well as activities related to homecoming.

Alumni Association Executive Director Tammy Hedges said

Prescott was inducted into the M Club’s Hall of Fame in 1996 for his achievements on the baseball field from 1965 through 1969.

He said he paid his way through law school by serving as a graduate assistant for Al Brown, a former Memphis coach.

“Baseball has been my love since my boyhood days, and the

Prescott was a unanimous choice by the selection committee, made

happiest times in my life on a baseball diamond were when I was in

up of current Association national executive board members and

a Tiger uniform,” he said.

club/chapter representatives.

“The committee felt that Allie was the perfect person to represent

Prescott earned bachelor’s and law degrees from the U of M, and he is a life member of the Alumni Association. He was named Outstanding

the Alumni Association during the centennial year celebration due

Alumnus by the College of Arts & Sciences in 2002 and Distinguished

to his love for the University, his understanding of volunteerism, his

Alumnus of the University in 2003.

excellent representation of the University abroad and his devotion to

Prescott’s term will run through June 2012.

the Memphis community,” Hedges said.

A native Memphian, Prescott is the owner of a consulting

Prescott said he hopes to grow Alumni Association membership to 12,000, among other things. “(Being president) will give me the opportunity to help others better

company, Allie Prescott & Partners LLC, and is a senior adviser for Waddell & Associates Inc. He was president and CEO of the Memphis Redbirds AAA baseball team from 1997 to 2001. Prescott

understand what a true jewel this University really is. I am honored to

and his wife Barbara (BSEd ’71, MEd ’73) have two children, Allie

serve because Tammy Hedges and her fine staff do an incredible job.

and Allison (BA ’06). — by Greg Russell

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1947. Barbara Jo Walker is crowned Miss America.

1948. President Harry Truman desegregates the U.S. Armed Forces.

1949. A master’s degree in education is offered.

1950. Gov. Gordon Browning endorses a proposal for MSC to become University of Tennessee at Memphis.

1951. The first BA degrees are established, and the Air Force ROTC program begins.

100 years of Tiger sports: Hall of Fame now open They were in a plastic bag, stashed away in a drawer hundreds of miles away in Chattanooga, an important part of the University of Memphis’ athletic history many had forgotten about. But a simple phone call changed that.

“It wasn’t like I had a crowd of people coming through my house to look at them,” said Ed Hammonds in describing the two national track and field championship medals he won in 1973. “I felt someone needed to see them.”

According to U of M associate athletic director Bob Winn, now people will see them, as well as hundreds of other Tiger artifacts from the past in the sparkling new Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway/U of M Athletic Hall of Fame.

“I believe that our fans will be very surprised and pleased by some of the treasures we have found pertaining to Tiger history,” said Winn. “We have scoured literally every part of the Memphis campus and have uncovered some very old pieces from our past.”

U of M athletics contacted Hammonds and many more of the 400-plus M Club inductees looking for memorabilia to place in the facility. Among the many items visitors can see are the basketball

(Top) Hardaway was on hand for the grand opening of the Hall of Fame named in his honor. The facility at 570 Normal Street is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Above) The running shoes and gold and silver medals of Ed Hammonds, along with an autographed baseball from Tiger standout Terry Pressgrove.

jersey of the late Larry Finch, football jerseys from such noted players as Bob Rush, Keith Wright and Bob Ford, the baseball from

Hammonds, meanwhile, is the only person in Tiger athletic history

Mark Bowlan’s 1987 perfect game, and newer items such as cleats

to win two NCAA national titles. At the 1973 NCAA outdoor track

worn by members of the 2010 record-setting women’s soccer team.

and field championships, he used world-class speed to win the

“We have case displays devoted to Larry Finch and Elma Roane as

100-yard dash finals and teamed with Maurice Knight, Lynn Fox

well as cases that illustrate different time periods in Tiger athletics,”

and Everet Taylor to capture the 440-yard relay title. A hamstring

said women’s basketball sports information director Tammy DeGroff.

injury had kept him from competing in the 1972 Olympic Games in

Added Winn, “For years we searched for the trophy from the Pasadena Bowl and the silver cup from the 1957 NIT. We have found both of these items and they are now displayed in the Hall.”

DeGroff and historian John Guinozzo scanned and resized more than 4,000 photos that are a part of the Hall. It includes interactive databases and videos of some of the most memorable events in Tiger history.

The Hall was made possible by a $1 million donation by Hardaway, a national player-of-the-year runner-up in 1993. “I

Munich. “He would have won Olympic gold if not for his injury,” said former coach Glenn Hays.

Hammonds, a retired Chattanooga city court clerk, said the Hall will give Memphis fans a way to relive some of the greatest moments in Tiger history, and will allow him to prove a point.

“My grandsons, they look at me and think granddaddy never did do anything because I am old. Well, this will show them!”

— by Greg Russell

wanted to give back to the University that gave me so much and has meant so much to me,” he said.

Winn said the Hall is an ongoing project.

“As with any museum, exhibits will periodically change,” he said.

“We hope that former athletes will visit or hear about the Hall and decide that it is the ideal location for displaying items from their

Point your QR code reader here or visit www.gotigersgo.com/ genrel/083011aab.html to watch a video by U of M athletics of the Hall of Fame grand opening.

playing careers.”

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1952. Greater Memphis State Inc. (now University of Memphis Society Inc.) is founded and leads the effort to attain university status.

1953. The undergraduate program is reorganized into three schools: Arts & Sciences, Education and Business.

1954. The school changes from the quarter to the semester system.

1955. Student golfer Hillman Robbins wins the National Intercollegiate Golf Championship.

1956. A tug-of-war craze is started on campus by one of the fraternities, Lambda Chi Alpha.

Centennial Events Calendar Homecoming Parade

Sept. 23, 5:30 p.m., around main U of M campus (pep rally immediately follows)

Homecoming Game

Sept. 24, 11 a.m., Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

“University of Memphis: Know Your Neighborhood”

Is there a woman who made a difference in your life at the University of Memphis, or a woman you admire for her contribution to the U of M? The Center for Research on Women, African and African American Studies and the Department of History are seeking nominations for 100 women who have made a difference at the University. To nominate someone, submit a 250-word essay detailing the person’s contribution to the U of M, and why they deserve to be selected. Nominees may be students, faculty, staff or donors. Make your nomination at memphis.edu/women. One hundred women will be selected and honored at a banquet on April 27, 2012, at the U of M Holiday Inn.

walking campus tour with local historian Jimmy Ogle. Sept. 25, separate tours at 2 and 3:30 p.m., assemble at south entrance of the Administration Building

Centennial Kick-Off Gala

Sept. 30, 8 p.m., Cannon Center for the Performing Arts.

Performances by students and faculty of the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, along with Grammy Award-winning musician Aaron Neville. Tickets available at Ticketmaster and at the Cannon Center box office.

Tiger Blue Goes Green

Oct. 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Student Plaza. See what the U of M and its partners are doing through sustainable efforts in recycling, engineering, public health, the TIGUrS Urban Garden, architecture and other areas.

Song of Silk Concert

hosted by the Confucius Institute Oct. 4, 6:30 p.m., Rose Theatre.

The program will include the Peking Opera, Chinese dance solos, instrumental music and piano performances.

Memphis Research Expo

Oct. 6, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., FedEx Institute of Technology. The Expo will showcase the research and work done by leading scientists from the U of M, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Admission free. For more information, call 678-1041.

Fall Commencement Ceremony

Dec. 17, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., FedExForum.

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NEWSBITS

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS PROUDLY PRESENTS: The Centennial Kick-Off Concert by

THE RUDI E. SCHEIDT

SCHOOL OF MUSIC with Special Guest

AARON NEVILLE Join us for an evening of music and entertainment as we kick off the University of Memphis’s Centennial Celebration. Find tickets for $20 and $28 at Ticketmaster.com.*

Friday, September 30 8 PM @ The Cannon Center for the Performing Arts Sponsored and supported by the First Tennessee Foundation

S U M M *Eplus R 2processing 011 fees

NEWSBITS

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

By Greg Russell

100 years and going strong

More than a century ago, Tennessee’s state Board of Education received a gift – 48 acres of land on the site of a shuttered plantation six miles from downtown Memphis and two miles past the end of the Buntyn streetcar line. Where Nathaniel Trezevant had once raised cotton, a teachers school would grow, later to expand into a major urban research university.

The University of Memphis has come a long way in its 100 years. Preeminent research accomplishments, the state’s largest honors program and award-winning instruction mark the growth of what began as a training school for teachers in 1912.

But did you know that part of a major motion picture was shot on campus? That two movie stars including Tony Curtis chose beauty queens for the school? Or that a ghost still roams the halls of the original dormitory on campus?

Why not pull up a chair, sit back and read the highlights of our great university, from its top historical moments to some not-sowell-known and sometimes quirky events that give us our character. Our older as well as younger alumni provide insight, too, through their memories and experiences. For the sake of clarity, we’ll divide these events by year. We hope you enjoy.

1909 Good morning, Memphis. Memphians woke up to the banner headline “Memphis Gets the Normal” after the city and Shelby County successfully landed one of three state “normal” schools under the General Education Bill of 1909. (Normal schools provided the final two years of high school and two years of college in those days.) The city of Memphis and Shelby County donated at least $350,000 to the effort while local women’s groups raised money through a popular subscription fund. The Creath Land Company donated 48 acres of land that had been Trezevant’s plantation while another 32 acres was purchased with funds from citizens for the 80-acre campus. (Trezevant sold his land in 1880 and moved to San Francisco; he returned to Memphis in 1900 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery.)

1872 Parking not a problem. Not too many years removed from the Civil War, Nathaniel Trezevant, an 1847 graduate of Yale University who served briefly for the Confederacy, had great plans for the cotton fields that made up his plantation on the edge of Memphis. He began subdividing and naming streets in the area, including Southern Avenue for the southern edge of his property and Central Avenue for the central point of his land.

Those borders for the U of M remain 140 years later. It is a sure bet he never envisioned a major university would take hold — or parking would ever be a problem.

1912 A bell-ringer. West Tennessee State Normal School, with 200 students and 17 faculty members, opened its doors for the first regular term on Sept. 10, a Tuesday, amid great fanfare and a ceremony attended by the governor. By school year’s end, enrollment had increased to 909. The Administration Building, Mynders Hall (a women’s dorm) and the President’s House, plus a landmark water tower fed by an artesian well, made up campus, though a barn here and there could be spotted. The Administration Building proved to be a busy place: classes, offices, labs and even a temporary horse stable were located in the building. “All buildings strictly fire-proof, heated by steam and lighted by electricity,” read a special notice for the school.

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Call that a bargain. Tuition was — get this — free for in-state students and $12 for those from out-of-state the first few years the school was in existence. The only cost was a $2 registration fee. Students also had to be white males or females not under the age of 16 who had finished at least the elementary school course prescribed by the public school system. It was mandatory for enrollees to submit a letter deeming them of “good moral character” from a responsible person and they had to possess sufficient scholastic requirements from high school or a previous college.

They came by train, horseback …

Students began arriving to campus prior to the start of the school year by horseback, buggy, train and streetcar. The Southern Railway built the Normal Depot adjacent to campus, which served both trains and the trolley system. (It cost 5 cents for the 45-minute streetcar ride from downtown.)

Male students proved that collegians even back then were enterprising by lugging female students’ bags from the depot to rooms in the Mynders Hall dormitory, under, of course, the watchful eye of a chaperone. Males, except for athletes who lived in the Administration Building, had residences off campus in what was becoming a booming community — citizens considered it trendy to have homes near the new school. A drugstore, barbershop and post office soon sprang up on the corner of Patterson and Walker, near where the present-day English building stands.

1913 An early graduation. It didn’t take “Ole Normal” long to produce its first alumni. The school rolled out its version of pomp and circumstance for the first time ever as 19 students graduated on May 16, 1913. Twenty-five high school pupils also received 16

degrees during the ceremony. Eleanor McCormack, who was president of the Nineteenth Century Club, gave the commencement address. During that first year of study, there were nine departments from which to chose courses: education, English, history, math, science, languages (Latin, French and German), manual training, agriculture and the Training School, which later became Messick High School.

No they didn’t, did they? Female students living on campus were required to sign out of the dorm and had to explain to the “house mother” where they were going and exactly what time they would return.

They couldn’t travel to town alone and weren’t allowed in automobiles on campus. But they did have their wild side. “The most risqué thing the female students would do on campus was to climb the water tower,” says historian Jane Hooker (MEd ’78).

“That was considered daring and unladylike in those days.” And, as Hooker noted, cumbersome considering that females had to wear dresses that reached their ankles and covered most of their skin during that era.

A ghost of a host. The Mynders family certainly had a major impact on the University in its early days. Professor Seymour Allen Mynders was largely responsible for passage of the state bill that created the school and he later became its first president. But grave misfortune soon followed. His daughter Elizabeth passed away shortly after she was married in early 1912. And just two days into the second school year in 1913, Mynders died from a heart attack. The school president, though, before his death had managed to have the women’s dorm built in the shape of an “E” to honor his daughter. Not to be outdone, Elizabeth to this day works to ensure her own legacy: throughout the history of the 100-year-old dorm, residents have reported close encounters with “E.” (For more information on Elizabeth, see page 4.)

1916 School spirit dampened by war. The editors of the first edition of the school yearbook, The DeSoto, wanted to make a spirited debut, so they ordered blue dye for a school-themed blue and gray cover. But, because of World War I, or the European War as the editors called it, “blue dye, an article manufactured in

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

added to the original departments on campus. Tuition was $4 per course and for each 12-week quarter, students paid $84, which included room and board, laundry and all school fees.

Enrollment had jumped to almost 1,000.

Germany, could not be procured.” The staff instead went with gray and gold. School editors also voiced support for England in the war, but recommended strict neutrality for the United States for a war so far from its shores.

1917 Over here, over there. “Ole Normal’s” male student population was quickly decimated after the U.S. declared war on Germany.

Ninety-five of the 115 males left for the war effort (four were unfortunately killed in combat). The campus soon became home to a Students’ Army Training Corps. Many of the 238 cadets who were enrolled lived in converted office space in the Administration Building. Reveille at 5:30 a.m. would echo across campus, not only waking the cadets, but those in Mynders Hall and, to their dismay, nearby neighbors.

1930 Students get hot under the collar. The extreme heat wave that ushered in the Dust Bowl in the summer of 1930 was reason for one of the first student-led protests on campus. With no airconditioning and a strict dress code during the school day, male students “revolted,” according to Thomas D. Clark, a professor at the time. “Nellie (Angel Smith), the school’s strict disciplinarian, was requiring them to wear coats and ties, even in the extreme heat,” he says. “But they laid their coats on the ground and refused to wear them. Nellie won out by threatening to dismiss them. She never lost a fight.” Smith also required a professor to stay in the library at night to make sure “no hanky-panky was going on.” Smith, the women’s dean of students, did have many supporters: a dormitory that is still in use was named in her honor. Clark, a close friend of writer William Faulkner, would go on to become Historian Laureate of the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1991.

1933 One last chance? The Great Depression was beginning to take its toll on state run schools and a senator from east Tennessee even proposed closing State Teachers College. The Class of 1933 referred to itself as “The Last Chance Class.”

1919 Beefing up appearances. The school’s third president, Andrew Kincannon, didn’t stray too far from his Mississippi State University roots where he was a professor and cowbells were common. Kincannon purchased a herd of Holstein dairy cows and a “new-fangled milking machine.” Swine and rabbits were also brought in by Kincannon to beef up the agriculture department. The school turned a profit by selling the farm animals while the milk and eggs were used in the school’s cafeteria.

1925 Nothing “Normal” about this place anymore. The school had the first of its four name changes as it became known as West Tennessee State Teachers College. A full, four-year college course substituted for the two years of high school training. Physical education, biology, chemistry, arts and penmanship and geology were

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The proposal and a similar one in 1935 were turned down.

1941 Famous “detective” visits campus; “Some Like it Hot.” With enrollment now topping 1,000, the days of the Depression were long gone and the school ushered in its second name change, Memphis State College.

Freshmen were required to wear beanies. Actor Dick Powell, who became famous for portraying the detective Philip Marlowe, visited campus to choose six “Vanity Fair Queens.” (Years later, in the late 1950s, actor Tony Curtis of Some Like it Hot fame also chose a beauty queen for the University.)

A Getwell gesture. Soldiers wounded in the war were often sent to the new Kennedy Army General Hospital near presentday Park Avenue and Getwell Road. (Getwell was once named Shotwell, but was changed during the war years to a more fitting name.) Former U of M women’s athletic director Elma Neal Roane (BS ’40) recalls seeing injured soldiers being transported in ambulances from the train depot down Goodlett past her home to the hospital. “Seeing the wounded soldiers go by was sad,” says Roane, who had been in the neighborhood since 1918.

“Some were crying. It was a sad time for everybody.” Several female students volunteered at the hospital during the war; many of its buildings still stand on what is now the U of M’s Park Avenue Campus (formerly South Campus).

1947 A beauty pageant fairy tale. The first of two Miss Americas who attended the school was crowned: Barbara Jo Walker Hummel (BS ’48) was the last Miss America to win while wearing a swimsuit. In a fairy tale-type twist, Hummel’s physician husband, Dr. John V. Hummel, would deliver Kellye Cash, another 18

University student who was crowned Miss America in 1987.

“You just don’t go out and win Miss America,” Cash said at the time. “I owe so much to the University, to the Student Activities Council, to the Pikes.” Another student, Claire Ford, was named Miss Black America in 1977.

1957 What Elvis wants, Elvis usually gets. As enrollment “swelled” to 2,000, a proposal to make the school a full-fledged branch of the University of Tennessee was shot down. (In the 1920s when the school was known as State Teachers College, its athletic teams — often referred to as the Teachers or Tutors — did wear a “T.”) Gov. Frank Clement then endorsed a bill that gave the school university status and its third name change: Memphis State University. During the previous year, Elvis Presley was one of thousands who signed “We want University status for Memphis State” cards that were sent to the governor.

1959 Eight who changed history. It was a tense time for eight students who changed the face of the University. “We had no idea what would happen, and we knew that there were some real possibilities that some very dangerous things could occur,” THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

says Ralph Prater, a member of the Memphis State Eight, the first African-American students to attend campus.

“But we were anxious to get an education, and to get that education at a reasonable cost. Therefore we were willing to take the chances that we did.” Plainclothes police escorted them to class and they were told they could not go to the school’s cafeteria or student center. Prater went on to a distinguished career as an attorney for Chevron.

The University welcomed back the Memphis State Eight in 2006 with a reception and dinner to celebrate their accomplishments.

1962 Judge this. The Memphis State School of Law was founded and later named in honor of the school’s president at the time, Cecil C. Humphreys. (The law school made national headlines when it recently moved to the stately U.S. Postal Service Customs House in downtown Memphis.) Just two years later in 1964, the University added another major school, the Herff College of Engineering.

1965 Beginning to add up. Enrollment numbers continued to skyrocket under President Humphreys: about 13,500 students were on campus along with 96 new professors compared to 4,973 students just five years earlier. In less than 10 years, the number would jump to more than 20,000.

1967 Bedside manor. Nursing was added to the U of M curriculum; the school became the Loewenberg School of Nursing in 1988 after a gift from the Loewenberg family. Its student nurses travel the world over, including to the Dominican Republic, to provide free health care to the less fortunate.

1977 One fine addition. The College of Communication and Fine Arts was established with founding dean Richard Ranta.

1984 Most excellent. Five Centers of Excellence and seven Chairs of Excellence are now in place. The number of chairs would grow to 26 by the next decade. Centers of Excellence receive special funding from the state for research and attract the top scholars.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

“Strange” looking objects on campus. It is hard to imagine them ever looking out-of-place, but computers began showing up on campus desktops, giving the University a space-age look. President Thomas Carpenter was presented a TRS-80 Model II microcomputer

by Radio Shack, which began offering University personnel a faculty discount program for the purchase of microcomputers. Snail-mail was still the norm since campus email was more than a decade away.

1992 Was that Harvard? No, it was the U of M. The University was struck by movie mania when Paramount Pictures sent a crew to campus to film opening sequences of John Grisham’s The Firm, which starred Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Gene Hackman. Cruise’s character, who was about to graduate from Harvard Law School, was filmed playing a game of pick-up basketball in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse while the University Center and law school auditorium were also used. “Several University staff and alumni had small roles in the movie,” says Jann Mayes (BA ’85), U of M video coordinator at the time and current director of Extended Programs at the school’s Carrier Center. “Many of our students, faculty and staff watched and waited from a short distance to see Tom. The diehard fans were able to get a glimpse of him, while others lucked up and got Tom’s autograph.”

1994 New name, new digs. The school not only got a new name, the University of Memphis, it also opened the Ned McWherter Library, the largest facility on campus. The library has the capacity to store more than 1 million books.

Politically correct. University alumnus Fred Thompson (BS ’64) became the first from the school to be elected to the U.S. Senate.

Thompson, much like former President Ronald Reagan, got his start, too, in the movies, starring in The Hunt for Red October and Die Hard 2 before his career in politics. Former Vice President Al Gore also took classes at the school before he landed in the White House.

2001 Another first. Dr. Shirley C. Raines became the U of M’s first female president. She championed the school’s honors program, which became known as the Helen Hardin Honors Program after the philanthropist donated $2 million to strengthen it several years later. Growth not seen at the U of M since President Humphreys’ tenure begins under Raines.

Alumni answer the call. After the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 sent shock waves across the nation, several alumni volunteered to assist victims. Former Tiger basketball star Lorenzen Wright (’96) raised money by signing autographs and auctioning basketballs for the 911 Relief Fund. Paul Nickl (’91) and Michael Lambert (BSEd ’99) joined the Tennessee Task Force, searchSU M M ER 2011

ing for victims at the Pentagon, which had been struck by one of the hijacked jets. “What I remember is the sheer amount of destruction,” said Nickl at the time. “None of us, even firefighters who have been with the fire department for years, had ever seen anything like that.”

2002 The house that Kemmons built. A man who had appeared on the cover of Time magazine but who was also a high school dropout established a school in hotel and hospitality management at the U of M with a $15 million gift. Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, who “adopted” the University as his own, built an awardwinning Holiday Inn on campus that would serve as a training ground for students in the industry.

2003 Perfect FIT. The University demonstrated its commitment to education and research in the field of technology with the opening of the $23 million, 93,000-square-foot FedEx Institute of Technology. FedEx Corp. heightened its campus presence with a $5 million gift to the project.

2009 A very wise choice. With much fanfare, the University was chosen to host a Confucius Institute, beating out several top schools in the southeastern United States in becoming one of just 150 sites in the world. The professor largely responsible for helping the U of M land the institute, Hsiang-te Kung, is a direct descendant of Confucius.

2011 Continued expansion. The U of M added Lambuth University as an external site. “Lambuth University has given its students and alumni a great legacy, and the U of M will continue and build upon Lambuth’s fine educational reputation,” President Raines said. The school was founded in 1843 in Jackson, Tenn., by the Methodist Church.

Round the world in 68 days. Fogelman College of Business and Economics graduate Wei Chen became the first Chinese citizen to circle the Earth in a single-engine plane. “I am not a hero,” Chen said after the flight, which took 68 days. “I’m just a regular Memphian who has been blessed with community support to give me an opportunity to fulfill my dream.”

For a detailed history of the University, read Dreamers. Thinkers. Doers.

A Centennial History of the University of Memphis, a new book by U of M professors Janann Sherman and Beverly Bond and graduate assistant Frances Breland.

Point your QR code reader here or visit www.uofmemphis.bkstr.com to order your copy now!

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By Greg Russell

Sporting an attitude Ever since Memphis fielded its first football team on Oct. 5. 1912, the Tigers have refused to back down from anyone. The U of M has generated national champions and record-setting athletes while knitting a closer than usual relationship with the city.

Very little divides Tiger Nation when it comes to Memphis sports, but one topic generates plenty of discussion amongst the ranks: What was the greatest moment in University of Memphis sports history?

“It has to be the 1972-73 basketball team’s march to the NCAA championship game against UCLA and Bill Walton,” says Phil Stukenborg (BA ’79), longtime Commercial Appeal sports writer. “The team did so much to unify a city that had been torn apart by the Martin Luther King assassination five years earlier.

There were the ‘Believe in Memphis’ signs that multiplied in the stands. There was the positive national attention the community attracted as an improbable Tiger team moved to the finals. And there was the Memphis duo of Larry Finch and Ronnie Robinson, two prep standouts from nearby Melrose High, leading not only the basketball team, but the city’s healing process.”

Jack Eaton, radio “voice of the Tigers” from 1959 to 1987, agrees. “No doubt in my mind it was playing in the ’73 national championship game. Everybody in Memphis stayed home to watch the title game. Even the burglars stayed home to watch — there were only two burglaries in the city that night! There were so many fans at the airport when the team returned home after one of the games, some fans had to stand on top of a car to catch a glimpse of them. They crushed that car! That’s how popular that team was.”

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WMC-TV sports anchor Jarvis Greer (BA ’79) looks to a crisp November night in 1996 when Tiger fans tore down goalposts.

“The 1996 victory over Tennessee at the Liberty Bowl when Memphis was a 27 or 28 point underdog and the Tigers won the game in the final minutes was huge. Of course, the 1973 and 2008 national championship games were monumental and the first time we beat Ole Miss in football in 1967, which gave legitimacy to the football program, was big,” Greer says.

The Memphis Daily News managing editor Eric Smith, a former U of M publications writer, sees it this way: “The moment Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway signed with the U of M is to me the most important in Tiger history. The decision by Hardaway, a contemporary of mine and in most people’s opinion the most gifted player to ever come out of Memphis, gave the city hope for the future as one of its favorite sons chose to stay home. It energized a new generation of fans and sparked a new era of national prominence for the University’s flagship athletic program — its basketball team.”

So what was the top moment? Was it Memphis’ magical run to the NCAA title game in 1973? Perhaps the 1963 football season or DeAngelo’s race for the Heisman?

As a way to detail the history of Tiger athletics, we’ve combed through our old yearbooks, magazines, media clippings and athletic media guides to come up with 50 of the most memorable THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

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events in U of M sports history. The list certainly is not definitive — we look at all Tiger sports — and if you feel we have left one out, email editor Greg Russell at grussll@memphis.edu or call him at 678-3811 and we’ll include your “top moment” in an upcoming issue.

50. Schuh goes missing. Memphis tackle Harry Schuh was chosen as the overall No. 2 pick in the 1965 American Football League draft by Oakland, but not before a national headlinemaking game of hide-and-seek. In the competition for the top college players, the Raiders of the AFL “hid” Schuh from the rival Los Angeles Rams of the NFL by sneaking him out of a hotel in Las Vegas (with Raiders’ owner Al Davis as a decoy) and flying him to Hawaii. “I was known as the player who disappeared from school,” Schuh recalls. The Los Angeles Times offered up a “Boo Hoo, I Lost My Schuh” headline the day after he signed with the Raiders. Only Joe Namath went higher in the draft.

49. First female to compete on a men’s team, ever.

With few schools offering women’s tennis, Bonnie Dondeville Farley garnered national publicity in the early 1960s when she tried out for and made the Tiger men’s tennis team. She went undefeated with doubles partner Ken Lewis two straight years as the No. 1 doubles team at Memphis. She won the singles title in the No. 5 spot at the Men’s Tennessee Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships in 1963.

48. Tigers race a true legend. Tiger distance runners John Mohundro and Calvin Johnson competed against distance running icon Steve Prefontaine at the 1971 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Knoxville. “He was so far ahead of me, I didn’t see him again until I got back to the hotel lobby, and he had already changed into his street clothes,” says Mohundro.

47. O’Brien nets a first for Tiger soccer. Former Evangelical Christian School star Dayton O’Brien became the first All-America selection in U of M soccer history after leading the Tigers to a 16-4-1 record and second-ever NCAA berth after the 2004 season.

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46. Gostkowski boots his way to record. Tiger kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a school-record 53-yard field goal against Marshall and finished his senior season in 2005 with three 50-yarders to help him to the top of the Memphis career chart in field goals (70 of 92) and total points (369). He is now the most accurate field goal kicker in New England Patriots’ history.

45. Tigers top the “other” Tigers. The 1975 football team with Richard Williamson at the helm pulled off one of the decade’s biggest shockers by upsetting No. 7 Auburn 31-20 at Auburn. Memphis made it two straight wins the following season as Auburn alumni lobbied to take Memphis off the schedule.

44. Memphis in a basketball shutout? The Tigers opened a February 1989 contest with No. 8 Louisville at Freedom Hall on an unprecedented 24-0 run with Elliot Perry knocking in 13 of the 24. Memphis had to hold on late for a 72-67 win.

43. National magazine calls Tiger quarterback “best back in the South.” With James Earl Wright leading the nation in total offensive yards through the first five games of the 1961 season, Time magazine spotlighted the Tiger quarterback in an Oct. 27, 1961, article that featured Alabama’s Paul (Bear) Bryant saying, “Wright is too good to be coached by anyone but me.” Time went on to say, “With Wright running the attack Memphis State might be a match on any given Saturday for any team in the U.S.” 42. Tigers travel to California for 1991 shocker.

Memphis garnered a piece in The New York Times by pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the 1991 season, a 21-10 victory over No. 16 Southern Cal. “I don’t think USC was ready to play us,” said wide receiver Russell Jones, whose 40-yard touchdown catch from Keith Benton in the third quarter tied the score.

“What they know is that we only play basketball.”

41. 1912, a gridiron first. Less than a month after the inaugural day of classes at the school, Memphis players suited up for their first-ever football game on Oct. 5, 1912, at Red Elm Park (later Russwood Park). The Normals or Blue and Gray Warriors, as the team was called, played to a 0-0 draw against Memphis University School.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

40. First win in 35 years? Memphis women’s basketball with new coach Mary Lou Johns returned to competition in 1972 after a 35-year layoff with a 83-27 win over Jackson State Community College. Women’s sports, except for intramurals, had been discontinued in 1937.

39. Chamberlain delivers an ace two years in a row.

Phil Chamberlain won the singles championship and was a part of the title-winning doubles team at the Metro Conference tennis tourney in 1975. The Australian native would repeat the feat in 1976.

38. Tiger baseball finds “no place like home.”

Memphis’ 1981 baseball team posted a sparkling 32-1 home record en route to a 48-11-1 overall mark, including victories over Notre Dame and Tennessee.

37. Handball begins lengthy title run. The Tigers and coach Charlie Mazzone won the first of eight straight U.S. Handball Association’s national collegiate titles in 1986 with Jeff Cottam winning six national titles during the stretch: three singles and three doubles championships. Memphis won its first title in 1977 with Mike Lloyd capturing the first of his two individual championships.

36. Golf team at home plate? On the baseball diamond, Terry Pressgrove had a flair for the dramatic. His best moment came in the 1978 Metro Conference tournament title game against Florida State in Tallahassee. With the Tigers trailing 9-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and runners on first and second, Pressgrove drilled a 2-2 pitch over the right field fence for the win and automatic NCAA tournament berth. Memphis’ tennis and golf teams, also in Tallahassee, somehow made their way to home plate and jumped in the pile of celebrating players as Pressgrove crossed the plate. “Their fans always treated us like bad-guy wrestlers coming to town,” former coach Bobby Kilpatrick says of the intense rivalry. Seminole fans pelted the Memphis faithful with gravel after another game, and a “terrible brawl” broke out during a 1981 nationally televised contest.

35. 1957 hoops team thwarts Louisville. Was it the true arrival of Tiger basketball? Memphis upset No. 3 Louisville 81-78 at Ellis Auditorium in downtown Memphis. The Tigers were ranked No. 16 following the win over the Cards, and three nights later the team upset No. 20 Western Kentucky 86-84 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse.

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34. Tigers go bowling and say goodbye to “Spook.”

The Tigers dominated San Jose State 28-9 in the 1971 Pasadena Bowl in California. The game would mark Billy J. “Spook” Murphy’s final contest as a head coach.

33. Tiger soccer earns first post-season berth. The Tigers upset national soccer powerhouse Saint Louis 1-0 with a late goal by Bernard Licari in the 1993 Great Midwest Conference men’s soccer championship at Echles Field to earn the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance. Current Tiger women’s coach Brooks Monaghan was tournament defensive MVP. 32. Wright captures national title, sets world record.

Terron Wright won the national title in the 60-yard high hurdles in 7.14 seconds at the 1981 NCAA track and field championships. He also ran the 300-yard dash in 29.27 seconds, an indoor world record that still stands.

31. Women begin unprecedented NCAA basketball streak.

Memphis began the first of their schoolrecord four straight NCAA tourney appearances with a heart-stopping 74-72 win over Southern Cal behind future WNBA star Latonya Johnson’s 15 points in a March 17, 1993, contest.

30. Hume breaks 4-minute barrier. Scotland native Colin Hume ran Memphis’ first and only sub 4-minute mile, a 3:59.58, during the 1983 indoor season.

29. Basketball takes first national title. The U of M men’s basketball team topped South Carolina 72-62 behind DeJuan Wagner to win the 2002 NIT championship.

28. Booker ends stellar career. Betty Booker finished her Tiger career (1976-80) with 20 of 32 individual school records including most career points, 2,835, a mark that still stands. She was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

27. Zurcher’s swing nets batting title. Memphis infielder Chad Zurcher captured the 2011 NCAA national batting title with a .443 average, the first Tiger to do so.

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26. Tigers storm the Big Easy to end dry spell. The nation’s longest bowl drought ended in a big way for Memphis.

The Tigers, not in a bowl since 1971, defeated North Texas 27-17 behind Danny Wimprine’s 254 yards passing in the 2003 New Orleans Bowl to complete a 9-4 record.

25. Finch sets single-game mark. With what Larry Kenon calls the “purest shot ever,” Larry Finch set the all-time singlegame scoring record for the Tigers with 48 points during a 11292 win over St. Joseph’s on Jan. 20, 1973. The mark still stands.

24. Allison honored as nation’s best kicker. Junior Joe Allison connected on 23 of 25 field goal attempts to win the inaugural Lou Groza Award in 1992, given to the nation’s top kicker.

23. Baird wins world free throw title. At the World Free Throw Championships held in Charleston, S.C., in spring of 1928, Ellen Baird won the world title in a playoff by hitting 60 out of 60 free throws, the first of three straight such titles.

22. Whitmore captures scoring title on last day of season. Tamika Whitmore led the nation in scoring her senior season in 1999 with a 26.3 pointsper-game average and was named to several first-team All-America lists.

Whitmore would go on to enjoy one of the most successful pro careers of any Tiger, playing 11 seasons in the WNBA, including an all-star season in 2006.

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21. Little’s feat looms large. All-American Mark Little broke six single-season marks in leading the Tigers to a record 52 wins and a berth in the NCAA baseball regional finals in 1994. Little still holds the school mark for hits (104) and runs scored (93), and his .424 career batting average is still a modern-day school record.

20. Tidmore shoots her way to NCAA title. Beth Tidmore scored the U of M’s first NCAA championship ring since 1981 and first for a female when she won the air rifle division at the NCAA championships in 2005.

19. That perfect season. Skeeter Ellis rambled 82 yards for the game-winning touchdown to give the Tigers an 8-0 victory over Delta State and its first and only perfect season, 10-0, in 1938. The team turned down an invitation to play San Jose State in the Prune Bowl in California when bowl officials wouldn’t guarantee travel expenses. “We were all ready to go. We had won 10 and we figured we could have won one more,” said team member Douglas Mayo recently.

18. Last minute goal sends women’s soccer to fourth straight title. Junior Melissa Smith’s goal with 55 seconds left in the 2010 C-USA women’s soccer championship gave the Tigers a dramatic 1-0 win over Central Florida and its fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance. It was also the team’s fourth straight C-USA title. The NCAA streak ties the second longest by a Memphis team in any sport.

17. Casinelli finishes tops in two NCAA categories.

Senior fullback Dave Casinelli finished the 1963 season as the NCAA leader in rushing and scoring. He ran for 1,016 yards and scored 84 points, and is the only Tiger back to win both titles in one season.

16. Huge rally catapults Tigers to 1973 finals. Larry Finch called it his favorite game ever. Memphis stormed back from a 49-40 halftime deficit to beat Providence 98-85 in the NCAA semifinals behind Larry Kenon’s 28 points and 22 rebounds. Memphis outscored the No. 4 Friars 13-1 in the game’s final minutes. The wild post-game celebration included singer Isaac Hayes and thengovernor Winfield Dunn.

15. Bowlan hurls perfect game. Frayser High School product Mark Bowlan tossed the only perfect game in Memphis baseball history in a 1987 contest against Louisville, a 13-0 rout.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

14. Tigers finish just short in 1957 NIT. Tournament MVP Win Wilfong scored 31 points in an 84-83 loss to Bradley in the 1957 NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden.

Memphis students had piled into five chartered buses for the 17-hour ride to New York City to watch the game. Despite the loss, 2,000 fans, including Elvis Presley, greeted the team when it arrived back in Memphis.

13. Women’s team shocks Ole Miss for Sweet 16 appearance.

Linda McKinnie scored 22 points and Kim Duppins added 21 as Memphis defeated the Rebels 72-70 during March Madness in 1982 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Memphis. The Tigers finished with a 26-5 mark and was the sixth-highest scoring team in the nation. Duppins, McKinnie and Metro Conference MVP Regina Street all would have their jerseys retired, joining Betty Booker and Linda Street as the only Tigers with the honor.

12. Race for the Heisman.

DeAngelo Williams became Memphis’ first legitimate threat to win the Heisman Trophy during the 2005 season. His 7,573 career all-purpose yards and 34 100-yard rushing games are still NCAA records. He ran for 200-yards or more nine times in his career, including a school-record 263 yards against South Florida in 2004. He ranks fourth on the all-time NCAA career rushing list.

11. Fast on his feet means two national titles. “Ed Hammonds was a runner who could blow others away — our best ever sprinter,” legendary track coach Glenn Hays says.

Hammonds did have a way of coming through, winning two national titles at the 1973 NCAA outdoor track and field championships in Baton Rouge. Hammonds ran the 100-yard dash in SU M M ER 2011

9.4 seconds for his first gold medal then teamed with Maurice Knight, Lynn Fox and Everet Taylor to give the Tigers a championship in the 440-yard relays (39.6 seconds). The performance helped the Tigers to an overall eighth-place tie with Texas, still the highest finish of any Memphis track team.

10. Roberts wins third national title. Andy Roberts won the 1987 U.S. Racquetball Intercollegiate National Singles Championship for the third time in four years while the Tigers won their 12th straight national team title under Larry Liles (they would eventually win 14 straight). Roberts lost only one match in his four-year collegiate career. The U.S. Olympic Committee named him “Athlete of the Year” four straight years beginning in 1988.

9. Tigers claw way to second Final Four. Keith Lee and Andre Turner guided the Tigers to a then-best 31-3 record and second-ever Final Four appearance in Lexington, Ky., in 1985. Memphis lost 52-45 to eventual champion Villanova in the semifinals.

Four of the five starters — Lee, Turner, Vincent Askew and William Bedford — found their way to the NBA. 8. Robbins putts way to school’s first national title. Hillman Robbins took the college golf scene by storm by winning the 1954 NCAA golf championship, the first national title in school history. Robbins later won the 1957 U.S. Amateur Championship.

7. A “Penny” for your thoughts. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was named a finalist for both the 1993 Naismith College Player of the Year Award and the John R. Wooden Award that are given annually to college basketball’s most outstanding player. He became Memphis’ highest-ever drafted player when he was chosen No. 3 overall in the 1993 draft. He later won a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. Olympic team.

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Legend of the fall From their vantage point a block away at Methodist Hospital, emergency room personnel didn’t hear the hit. They didn’t watch Memphis State quarterback Russ Vollmer make that horrifying tumble down the concrete stairs at Crump Stadium. But the doctors and nurses would certainly know about it soon enough.

The year was 1963 and then-Memphis State University was in the middle of a fairy tale season. The Tigers had bolted to a 4-0-1 record, including a stunning 0-0 tie with No. 2 ranked Ole Miss that knocked the Rebels out of the polls. By year’s end, Memphis would rise as high as 14th in the country, sport a 9-0-1 record and receive a bid to the Sun Bowl (they held out for a Gator Bowl invite that never came).

But a single play during an Oct. 23 tussle with Mississippi State not only looked to doom the season, it did something greater: it gave birth to a legend.

Vollmer, a local star from Central High School, had used the early part of the contest to run all over the Bulldogs. He returned the opening kickoff 79 yards to give Memphis an early lead.

“I think that made them mad,” says Vollmer.

It didn’t help, either, that the Tigers had thrashed the Bulldogs 28-7 a year earlier in Starkville — Memphis’ first-ever SEC win. “Our

Russ Vollmer returns to Crump Stadium, the site of what Coach Billy J. “Spook” Murphy called “the toughest game ever played.” Photo courtesy of The Commercial Appeal.

The stadium went completely silent, then-student Larry Gardner says.

“They carried him off the field to an awaiting ambulance,” he says.

“We thought our only chance of winning had evaporated.”

Indeed, it did look bad as Vollmer was rushed to the emergency room at Methodist Hospital.

“I had no feeling in my back,” Vollmer says.

To make matters worse, the 11th-ranked Bulldogs scored twice

students tried to tear down the goalposts after that win, but their

to take a 10-9 lead going into the half. As the teams sprang back on

fans beat the heck out of ’em with cowbells,” says Vollmer. “That set

the field for the third quarter, there was still no sign of Vollmer.

up an intense rivalry.”

So a year later, with Vollmer orchestrating what appeared to be a

But the unexpected happened.

“All of a sudden Vollmer appeared at the top of those same stairs

second straight upset, Mississippi State took exception — and things

where he had been hit,” recalls Gardner. “Everyone in the stadium,

turned nasty.

especially the students, went wild as he trotted around the field to

“I was returning a punt down the sideline and they chased me out of bounds,” says Vollmer. “I had dropped the ball and was returning to the field when a guy hit me late. I really never saw him coming.

the Memphis State side. We went from the doldrums to euphoria.”

Says Vollmer, “Coach Murphy pulled me aside and said, ‘Do you hear that? Now go out there and kick their butts!’”

“I remember seeing the tops of heads as I flew over the

Vollmer and the Tiger team did just that: late in the game, the

Mississippi State bench. I hit the stairs to the dressing room.”

quarterback drove Memphis downfield 70 yards to set up a game-

Memphis coach Billy “Spook” Murphy charged across the field,

winning touchdown by Dave Casinelli.

screaming into the faces of Mississippi State coaches. “You can’t do

Vollmer was named Associated Press National Back of the Week.

that to one of our players and get away with it,” the fiery coach said.

And the Tigers would finish the season with perhaps their best year

“We are going to get you!”

ever. — by Greg Russell

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

6. Memphis’ best football team?

Memphis fielded what many consider its best team ever as it rolled to a 9-0-1 record and a No. 14 ranking at season’s end under head coach Billy J. Murphy in 1963. A scoreless tie with No. 2 Ole Miss was the only thing standing between them and a perfect season. Memphis also recorded wins over Mississippi State, South Carolina, Houston, Louisville and Tulsa. Murphy was named The Football News national coach of the year.

5. The house that Roane built. The University’s fieldhouse was named the Elma Roane Fieldhouse in 1984 in honor of Roane, who was a U of M athlete, coach, professor and administrator for 45 years. She played in three national softball championships from 1937-1939 at Soldier’s Field in Chicago and she was also a champion badminton player. Roane was credited on a national scale for helping women’s athletics regain stature in the 1980s. “She was fighting for women’s athletics when it wasn’t fashionable or popular,” former President V. Lane Rawlins said.

4. Tigers tame Rebels 27-17. It was certainly the Tigers’ biggest victory to date as Memphis beat Ole Miss for the first time ever in football before 50,414 fans at the Liberty Bowl on Sept. 23, 1967.

3. Tigers have national title in grasp, but … Future NBA MVP Derrick Rose led Memphis back to the Final Four in 2008, this time in San Antonio, but the Tigers fell to Kansas 75-68 in overtime in the title game. Memphis led by nine points with 1:55 remaining in regulation, but a 3-pointer by Mario Chalmers with two seconds left sent the game into overtime. “Ten seconds to go, we’re thinking we’re national champs, all of a sudden a kid makes a shot, and we’re not,” former coach John Calipari said. The Tigers finished the season with a 38-2 mark, a college basketball singleseason record for wins, and were ranked No. 1 for five weeks.

2. Tigers topple Vols 21-17. The Tigers, a 27-point underdog, upset No. 6 Tennessee in dramatic fashion on national TV at Liberty Bowl Stadium in November of 1996 for Memphis’ first win over the Vols. A local TV analyst had predicted the only way the Tigers SU M M ER 2011

could beat Tennessee was “if the Vols missed the team bus.” But Chris Powers hauled in Qadry Anderson’s 3-yard touchdown pass with 34 seconds remaining in the game to complete an improbable 69-yard drive for a 21-17 lead. The Vols seemingly had taken control of the game after kicker Jeff Hall booted a field goal for a 17-14 margin with 6:01 remaining. Defensive back Duron Sutton said containing Heisman candidate Peyton Manning was the key.

“We gave him looks he had never seen. We were baiting him on the corners and bailing out. We had his mind confused.”

1. Meet me in St. Louis. Coach Gene Bartow’s Tigers with Larry Finch, Ronnie Robinson and Larry Kenon leading the way took the city on a wild ride en route to reaching the NCAA title game in St. Louis 1973. It was the first Final Four in Memphis history and a run that united a racially torn city. Memphis closed the first half of the title game on an 8-2 run to knot the score at 39-39, but UCLA, winners of 74 straight games and six straight NCAA titles, rode Bill Walton’s 21 of 22 shooting to top the Tigers 87-66. Robinson summed up Tiger fans’ feelings: “That final game sent chills through me. I can remember the night before the game having butterflies. I remember saying to myself, ‘This is my moment to be No. 1.’”

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

By GABRIELLE MAXEY

These times they are a-changin’ From the Memphis State Eight to Vietnam War-era demonstrations around the flagpole, U of M students have a history of making their voices be heard.

They even helped keep the school from closing in the 1930s.

The first 100 years at the University of Memphis have been – with few exceptions – peaceful ones. Even the angry clashes and flag burnings that rocked many colleges during the Vietnam War largely skipped the Memphis campus. But life at a University mirrors the times that surround it, and even the usually tranquil U of M has seen its share of turbulent times.

The Great Depression created an international crisis, and less than 20 years into its existence West Tennessee State Teachers College found itself struggling for survival. In 1931, the state Board of Education cut the school year from 48 to 36 weeks, then cancelled the summer session and night classes. Faculty members stopped receiving their state salary after August, instead getting half pay raised through tuition and dormitory fees. In December President John W. Brister made the first of many lobbying trips to Nashville. At each turn, the state legislature allocated less funding than requested. Faculty continued on half pay until March 1932. There was fear that the school would lose its accreditation because of low faculty salaries. At the same time, enrollment reached a record high due to the shortage of jobs and the availability of cheap room and board on campus.

With the state out of money, the Tennessee General Assembly proposed closing all the state teacher colleges, saying there were too many teachers and not enough jobs. The plan touched off a passionate campaign on campus and in the community to keep WTSTC open, led by President Brister, the city’s two daily newspapers and local civic groups. Students organized action committees and held large meetings to generate public support for the school. A few selected students made speeches on local radio SU M M ER 2011

stations and from theatre and movie stages. Some 900 students planned to march on the state capital before Brister called for calm. The college remained open, but with a state appropriation so small it equaled the school’s funding in 1913.

In 1959, Memphis State underwent one of its most significant transitions: the first eight African-American students were admitted along side its 4,500 white students. It would be more than a decade before black students were assimilated fully into campus life. They were issued their books early so they wouldn’t have to stand in line with white students at the bookstore. The “Memphis State Eight” were not allowed in the cafeteria or student center, and were assigned separate restrooms. They could not set foot on campus before 8 a.m. and had to be gone by noon. Black students were exempt from physical education and ROTC classes that were mandatory for white students. A special section was designated for them at basketball games, and state troopers escorted them to classes.

At Memphis State, unlike some other colleges and universities undergoing integration, the eight students did not meet with violence. They were generally ignored, apart from a few hecklers waving Confederate flags. Student Ralph Prater recalls, “If I went to a table in the library where white students were already sitting, they would immediately get up and leave. It was certainly frustrating, and we all felt a sense of isolation during our stay at Memphis State.”

Five of the Memphis State Eight returned for their sophomore year; 25 additional black students joined them. Administrators urged the new group to integrate quietly and cautiously, advising 31

The “Memphis State Eight” became the first African-American students to attend the University in 1957.

them not to use the cafeteria. They were allowed to sit anywhere during on-campus basketball games, but relegated to separate sections for games at Ellis Auditorium or football games at Crump Stadium, which were both owned by the city.

MSU continued to bar black students from participating in many sports and extracurricular activities. That changed when Herb Hilliard (BBA ’71) became the first African-American to play basketball for the Tigers as a walk-on freshman in the 1965-66 season.

“I remember people yelling, ‘Get the ball to Leroy,’” Hilliard says. “I didn’t let it bother me.”

Hilliard later became a favorite of basketball boosters. When he hit two free throws after the buzzer to win a game against North Texas State, a huge “Herb for President” banner was hung across the University Center. Hilliard would rise to executive positions during his career with First Tennessee Bank.

With the escalation of the Vietnam War, protests swept many colleges and students burned draft cards, but not at MSU. This may have been due to the conservative values of many Memphis State students or the lack of active campus life at the commuter school. A group of students even organized a campaign to send holiday packages to soldiers serving with the 101st Airborne Division. Tensions between supporters of the war and those who opposed it sparked in 1966 when a publication called Logos surfaced on campus declaring, “As American citizens, we should be ashamed of what our government is doing in Vietnam.”

Over the new few weeks, additional issues of the underground newspaper appeared on campus, prompting shoving matches between the distributors and students who were against its editorial stand. The student newspaper, The Tiger Rag, responded with an editorial on the dangers of radical movements on campus.

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Not until 1970 did a clash related to the war shake the MSU campus. On May 5, a small band of students gathered on the Alumni Mall to speak out about four Kent State University students who were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard during an anti-war demonstration the previous day.

The final speaker called for the flag in front of the Administration Building to be lowered to half-staff in memory of the slain students. As the flag was lowered, other students voiced their opposition, and agitated members of the anti-war group chanted, clenched their fists and raised their arms. While the protesters then moved to Jones Hall, where Air Force ROTC classes were taught, opposing students returned the flag to the top of the pole. When the protesters returned, they attempted to lower the flag again.

There were chants of “down, down, down” and “up, up, up” as fistfights broke out. President Cecil C. Humphreys tried to calm the crowd. After representatives from both sides met in Humphreys’ office, a compromise was reached: the flag remained up that day, but was lowered the next day at noon for a memorial service to honor the Kent State four.

The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 forever changed the civil rights movement. Although MSU had been integrated for a decade, many African-American students continued to feel marginalized. While they attended classes, being a black student meant only partial participation in campus life. There were few black athletes, no fraternities for blacks, and no African-Americans on the Homecoming court.

The Black Student Association was determined to bring change to the University. On April 23, 1969, 75 students staged a sit-in at the office of President Humphreys to protest his refusal to provide $1,750 to the BSA to bring controversial lawmaker Adam Clayton Powell to campus as a speaker.

The students met with Humphreys, but refused to leave until police were called. They eventually left peacefully, but on April 28, 109 students massed and again occupied the office of Humphreys, who was not there. The police were called again, but this time the protesters stood their ground and refused to leave. No violence erupted, but the 109 were arrested and charged with trespassing.

As a result of the stand taken by the 109, along with growing social and political pressures, more black students enrolled and additional black faculty members were hired. AfricanAmericans started to gain a full measure of campus life.

The spring of 1970 also brought to campus the controversial Broadway musical Hair. The show, featuring an interracial cast, followed a group of hippies trying to avoid the Vietnam THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

At left, several students attempted to lower the flag in front of the Administration Building in memory of four Kent State students who were killed during a Vietnam War protest while others fought to keep it raised. Below, the University staged the controversial musical Hair in 1970, prompting protests in the community.

War draft. The show was groundbreaking for its profanity, nudity and drug use. Theatre director Keith Kennedy promised to cut the brief nude scene near the end of the first act. Still, the show ruffled some with conservative tastes. One Memphian called the play “an outrageous assault on morality, an outrageous assault on patriotism, and an outrageous assault on America’s youth.” Still, not everyone agreed. Hair sold out every performance. It proved so popular that six more shows were added to the play’s run.

The women’s liberation movement born in the 1960s generated little action on campus, except over specific issues.

When incoming freshmen received a new health form in 1977, women objected to a series of 19 questions directed at females only, which inquired about sexual activity and birth control. Female students argued the questions were discriminatory and invaded their privacy since men were not asked to answer them. By the next year, the University had dropped the offending questions from the health form.

Protests were a part of student life for Baby Boomers of the early 1970s. But as times changed, so did the students.

Have Memphis students always been too busy with studies, work and other responsibilities to shake things up? Is it because many come from families with traditional Southern values? It’s hard to pinpoint a reason.

Dr. James Chumney, a U of M professor of history and observer of campus life for more than 40 years, points to the social makeup of many students. “Many came from solid, conservative families,” Chumney says. “So many were business-like. They saw this as a chance for a better life for themselves, and they didn’t want to blow it.”

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More recently, the campus has welcomed Generation X’ers, then students of the millennium. At least a few have shown they can still growl when provoked. Last March, seven people, including two U of M students, were arrested at the state Capitol in Nashville. The protesters disrupted a Senate committee hearing and were removed from the committee room. They had been rallying against a bill that would have revoked the collective bargaining rights of the state’s teachers union. Two days later, a state legislator rose on the floor of the Senate and called for the University to take action against the protesters.

Two other senators publicly defended the students, one recalling young protesters during 1960s civil rights demonstrations.

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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of its founding and to celebrate its century of accomplishments, the University of Memphis is proud to announce the release of a limited-edition book!

A Centennial History of the University of Memphis Be one of the first to own this 128-page, hardcover, 9” x 12” coffee table volume that examines the fascinating story of how the University evolved from a small teachers’ college into a major metropolitan research university. The book features a central narrative, interesting facts, a timeline of events and numerous photos chronicling the U of M’s history.

This visual tribute makes a unique and meaningful gift for alumni, parents, students and friends, and it will serve as a cherished keepsake for all who love the University of Memphis.

Visit www.uofmemphis.bkstr.com to purchase your copy TODAY! 34

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the columns U M N I R E V I E

A gallery of presidents, from past to present Seymour A. Mynders (1912-1913) Seymour A. Mynders helped create the school that was to one day become the University of Memphis. The Knoxville native graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1880 and dedicated his life to education. Sporting the hot wool suits and high-collared shirts of the time, Mynders and his successor, John Willard Brister, trekked the state from county to county – by wagon and train – in a relentless pursuit of a school to better educate teachers. They met with success in 1909 when the Tennessee General Assembly passed the General Education Bill proposing a Normal School for each of the state’s three grand divisions.

But Mynders’ hard work had only begun. He negotiated the first construction contracts for the West Tennessee State Normal School, recruited the faculty and developed the curriculum. In 1912 the school opened to 200 young women and men hoping to become teachers. Sadly, the job took its toll. Mynders died in 1913 of a heart ailment that many attributed to the grueling work he did to launch West Tennessee State Normal School.

Did you know?

• Students could earn extra money by working in the dormitories, farm or dining hall. A few defrayed their expenses by fetching the mail or ringing a gong to signal change of classes.

• The football team had several nicknames, including Blue and Gray Warriors, Normals and Normalites. For the first few seasons they played high school teams.

Want more information about campus-related events?

Visit www.memphis.edu/centennial for the latest happenings!

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SUMMER 2011

John Willard Brister (1913-1918, 1924-1939) An 1893 graduate of Peabody College, John Willard Brister served as a college professor until 1911 when he was named Tennessee superintendent of education. His tenure as president of WTSNS that began in 1913 was a rocky one. The Latin scholar left the office after five years in 1918, but was destined to return.

As young Americans were fighting in the trenches of France during World War I, Brister joined the war effort as education secretary for the YMCA. When the war ended, he was named a state high school inspector, a position he held until 1924, when he once again joined the Normal School. His tenure was to see a major change just a year later. In 1925 the school was upgraded to a four-year, degree-granting institution and West Tennessee State Teachers College was born.

Did you know?

• Original plans for the Normal School did not include a library.

Brister solicited private donations to buy 4,000 books and installed his wife as librarian.

• Brister proposed a system to cool the auditorium in the

Administration Building by forcing air across pipes

filled with cool 60-degree water from the college’s well and into the auditorium. The cooling project became a casualty of the national economic crash of October 1929.

Andrew A. Kincannon (1918-1924) Andrew A. Kincannon occupied the president’s office between John Willard Brister’s two terms. A native Mississippian, Kincannon held a master’s degree from National Normal University in Lebanon, Ohio, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Arkansas. A veteran college administrator, he served as chancellor of the University of Mississippi before being named to replace Brister.

Did you know?

• Kincannon was determined that all students learn to swim.

A “pool” was constructed by building an earthen dam over a gully located east of the Administration Building. It was lined

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A GALLERY OF PRESIDENTS

with sand and filled with clean Artesian water. The pool was used for swimming lessons and recreation for three summers until the dam gave way.

• 150 students became ill during the influenza epidemic of 1918. The school was quarantined for a time, but all the students recovered.

Richard C. Jones (1939-1943) Richard C. Jones had an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, it seemed to many. After earning an MS from Peabody College in 1932, he became a public school teacher, superintendent and administrator. In the late 1930s, Jones was appointed principal of the Campus Training School at WTSTC – although he never held the post. Before he could take the helm, the job of dean of the college became vacant and Jones was named to fill the post.

Brister soon became ill and Jones stepped in as acting president.

When Brister died in 1939, Jones was tapped to fill the presidency. He held the job until 1943, when he went to work for the Texas prison system. During Jones’ tenure, the school’s name was changed to Memphis State College.

Did you know?

• The entire 1942 football team joined the Marine Corps

Reserves during halftime of a game in 1942, leading to a hiatus in athletics that lasted until 1947.

• The college was home to the Civilian Pilot Training Program from 1939-44. Three female students were among the 20 students completing flight training during the 1941-42 school year.

Dr. Jennings Bryan Sanders (1943-1946) Dr. Jennings B. Sanders is regarded as the University’s first true scholar-president.

He was recognized for making significant contributions to the historical literature of the Colonial period. Sanders graduated from Franklin College in 1923 and earned his doctorate five years later from the University of Chicago. Before joining Memphis State College, he was a professor and chair of the University of Tennessee Department of History from 1935-42. Sanders resigned as president in 1946 to devote his time to scholarly writing.

Did you know?

• Sanders held conferences with the Army and Navy to restore working relationships (which had been strained during World War II), resulting in several courses in aerial science launched in the summer of 1944.

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• Sanders made it his chief goal to restore the college to full SACS accreditation. He was successful in earning reinstatement in 1946 and resigned just three months later.

J. Millard “Jack” Smith (1946-1960) Jack Smith was the first alumnus to lead the University. He graduated from Memphis State with a BS in 1929 and went on to Peabody College for his MA in 1930. Smith spent 15 years as a teacher and principal in the public school system. Before assuming the presidency, he was director of the Training School and dean of Memphis State College. Under Smith, the college achieved full university status in 1957. He led the school through one of its watershed moments, admitting its first African-American students in 1959.

Did you know?

• The Air Force ROTC rifle team compiled a record of 26 wins and no losses in 1951, tying for 15th among AFROTC units nationally.

• Elvis Presley was pictured signing a “We Want University Status for Memphis State” postcard to be sent to the governor.

Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys (1960-1972) Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys earned his master’s from the University of Tennessee in 1938 and his doctorate from New York University in 1957. As president, he saw student enrollment climb above 20,000 as post-World War II baby boomers flooded the nation’s campuses.

Plagued by growing pains, MSU grew rapidly. New buildings popped up everywhere as students and dollars poured into the growing school. Academic achievements were also on the rise: MSU awarded its first doctorate and established a law school.

The student pranks of a simpler time mirrored the turbulent mood in the country, giving way to angry student protests over the Vietnam War, civil rights and other issues. The Department of Theatre and Dance staged the controversial musical Hair.

Did you know?

• Humphreys first joined the University in 1937 as a teacher and assistant football coach, and was named athletic director in 1946.

• He served with the FBI during World War II. • The University fielded its first costumed mascot, Pouncer, in 1960.

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

A GALLERY OF PRESIDENTS

Dr. Billy Mac Jones (1973-1980)

Dr. V. Lane Rawlins (1991-2000)

Dr. Billy Mac Jones graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1950 and earned master’s degrees in both history and education from George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. At Texas Tech University, he was a history instructor from 1961-63 and received a PhD in history and political science. The former star football player was a professor and department chair in history specializing in the American Southwest. He was serving as president of Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, when he was chosen as the University’s eighth president. Under Jones’ direction, the University continued to mature despite shrinking state support. Initiatives by Jones led to the development of two new colleges – the innovative University College, which offered interdisciplinary degree programs, and the College of Communication and Fine Arts.

Dr. V. Lane Rawlins received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a PhD in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. The Idaho native made higher education his life’s work. Before coming to Memphis, he served as vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Alabama system and as vice provost and department chair in economics at Washington State University. Under his leadership, MSU changed its name to the University of Memphis to reflect its move toward becoming a leading urban research institution. The campus underwent a major facelift with the opening of the Ned R. McWherter Library and construction of a clock tower and student plaza. Rawlins left the U of M to return to Washington State, this time as president.

He served there until 2007, and now is president of the University of North Texas.

Did you know?

• The nationwide fad of streaking hit the campus in 1974.

• In 1976, Smokey Robertson, a part-German Shepherd,

part-Labrador mix, was an official candidate for Homecoming queen. Although Smokey received more votes than any human candidate, many were tossed out because they didn’t include Smokey’s last name.

• The first scholarships were offered to female athletes in 1976.

Did you know?

• Rawlins presided over the dedication of the Ned R. McWherter Library, the largest facility on campus.

• Frosh Camp began during Rawlins’ tenure.

Dr. Thomas G. Carpenter (1980-1991) Dr. Thomas G. Carpenter graduated from then-Memphis State in 1949 and received his master’s degree in economics from Baylor University in 1950 and his PhD from the University of Florida in 1963.

The Atlanta native was in his 11th year as president of the University of North Florida at the time of his selection as Memphis’ president.

Carpenter understood the urban university he led, with 80 percent of students holding full- or part-time jobs. He had worked 40 hours a week at an auto parts warehouse while attending Memphis State. Carpenter placed emphasis on quality teaching, tougher admissions policies, and faculty research and scholarship aimed at regional and national recognition. While president, he received the Alumnus of the Year award from the Fogelman College of Business & Economics.

Did you know?

• Carpenter established six Centers of Excellence.

• He wrote, “Our goal is to make the University one of the top research centers by the year 2000, its 88th year.”

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Dr. Shirley C. Raines (2001-present) Dr. Shirley C. Raines became the first woman to hold the presidency of the University in 2001. Before her appointment, she had been vice chancellor for academic services and dean of the College of Education at the University of Kentucky. Raines also taught at George Mason University where she received the Distinguished Faculty Member award, and has received two awards from the Eastern Education Research Association. Widely regarded as an expert in teacher education and early childhood education, she is the author of 14 books and numerous journal articles. A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Raines received her master’s and doctorate in education from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Raines has become recognized for building productive partnerships both on and off campus. Her work has focused on such areas as student retention, expansion of the University’s Honors and Emerging Leaders programs, guaranteed internships for qualified students, and living-learning residential and curricular communities throughout the campus.

Did you know?

• The U of M reported its highest enrollment in fall 2011 with nearly 23,000 students.

• The Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law relocated to the historic former U.S. Post Office/Customs House downtown in 2010.

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1957. The State Legislature approves name change to Memphis State University. MSU hires its winningest football coach, Billy J. “Spook” Murphy.

1958. The first entrance examination is administered.

1959. Memphis State admits its first African-American students.

1960. Dr. Cecil C. Humphreys becomes the seventh president and presides over a 12-year period of unprecedented growth.

1961. The state deeds the 175-acre Chucalissa Park and Museum to MSU.

Alumni centennial reflections Roy Hallums (BBA ’72) Retired commander in the U.S. Navy, former hostage in Iraq U of M’s influence: “The degree I received from the U of M allowed me to advance in my career. The education I received helped me to understand life and what was going on around me after I graduated.”

U of M pride: “I have lived and traveled all over the world. In my travels, when people learn I am from Memphis they will ask questions about the U of M. I am often surprised that so many people around the world actually know and have information about the U of M.” Giving back to the Memphis community: “My unique position of being an Iraq kidnap survivor has allowed me to speak to several groups in the Memphis area. One special event that sticks in my mind is when I was asked to speak to the basketball team in the middle of the 200910 season. I was happy to do that and I hope the players were able to understand a little better about adversity and overcoming the negative factors we all face every day.”

Wei Chen (MBA ’98) Founder/CEO of Sunshine Enterprise Inc.; first Chinese citizen to fly around the world in a single-engine plane Fondest memory: “I met my wife at the new student orientation party. I went for free food, but got a lifetime gift.”

U of M pride: “The University not only offers a broad selection of majors to students, but it inspires them with a dream and maximizes each one’s potential.”

Giving back to the Memphis community: “My wife and I will do whatever we can to help the U of M grow and prosper. We have donated $250,000 to set up a Sunshine Enterprise Scholarship Fund in the International MBA program. Also, I am serving as a vice president of communication for the U of M Alumni Association.”

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1962. The Law School is established with the acquisition of two night law schools.

1963. The football team, coached by Billy “Spook” Murphy, goes 9-0-1.

1964. Enrollment jumps 26 percent to 10,975.

1965. The Tigers play their first football game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

1966. The first annual fund drive is conducted.

Alumni centennial reflections Terez Wilson (BS ’08) Coordinator for Alumni Programs and Constituent Relations at the University of Memphis Fondest memory: “My fondest memory at the U of M was becoming the first African-American Pouncer mascot for the University from 2005-08. I was able to travel to our football bowl games and NCAA basketball tournament runs. The 2008 Final Four was the highlight of my college career. For a few months I felt like a superstar with all the autograph sessions, photos and commercials.

During that time I felt like I was a valuable asset to our victories in the tournament.”

Future of U of M: “The future is extremely bright for the University of Memphis.

From our centennial celebration to our increase in enrollment, Centers of Excellence, the support of our alumni, development of our athletic programs and community involvement, we are shaping up to tackle another 100 years head on!”

U of M pride: “I have U of M pride because I have invested blood, sweat and tears into the growth of the institution since I stepped foot on campus. I am the first person in my family to attend college, so I give many thanks to the University for allowing me to have the opportunity to grow and blossom into the man I am today. I want to always be a voice for my institution and spread the great news about where I went to college.”

Mikah Meyer (BM ’09) Professional singer Fondest memory: “My favorite time of the school year was always Homecoming. Watching the University community parade around campus, dancing the night away at the Cadre party and feeling the blue and gray energy always made the weekend memorable.”

Selecting the U of M: “I was looking to relocate from my native Nebraska to a much larger city out of state. Memphis’ population provided the boost in music opportunities I was seeking, while its School of Music offered the high level of training I wanted. I was impressed by the vast opportunities the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music offered compared to other schools. The full-tuition scholarship I received from the department made it possible for me to leave my home state for school.”

Future of U of M: “I often tell people that the University of Memphis School of Music is a hidden gem. It is an affordable program in a city of perfect size for a developing artist with enough opportunities to thrive, while not swallowing a young musician. It also has a staff hungry to prove the high quality of the University’s growing reputation. Especially in the Mid-South, the entire University of Memphis has the ability to be the voice of progressive academia that will benefit the entire region.”

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1967. The General Services Administration gives MSU the 129acre Kennedy Veterans Hospital property (now Park Ave. Campus).

1968. Richard M. Nixon is elected United States President.

1969. Arnold Air Society and Angel Flight of the MSU Air Force ROTC are both voted best in the country, the first time one institution wins both honors.

1970. MSU is the first university to stage the rock musical Hair amid a vast amount of both positive and negative publicity.

1971. The student newspaper The Tiger Rag becomes The Helmsman.

Alumni centennial reflections Johanna Edwards (BA ’01) Best-selling author U of M’s influence: “For me, the biggest influence the U of M has had on my professional life has been through the wonderful connections I made with various professors during my time there. They all taught me so many incredibly valuable lessons, lessons that I still use in my professional writing life today. I made so many wonderful friendships during my time there. I’m still close friends with two of my fellow Daily Helmsman editors, and talk to them on a daily basis.

Selecting the U of M: “Simply put, there really was no other choice. I always knew from a very early age that I wanted to go to Memphis. From those days so long ago while watching Tiger basketball and going to The Pyramid to see them play in person, I always dreamed of the time when I could be a student at the U of M.” Giving back to the Memphis community: “One of my favorite ways to give back is by volunteering my time for literacy programs and also by volunteering for speaking engagements at creative writing workshops and publishing seminars. There are a lot of people who have a story to tell and I’m always happy to host a workshop or discussion group on the publishing process.”

William Lucas (BS ’43) Retired director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center Fondest memory: “My fondest memories are of a fellow student, Polly Jean Torti, who has been my wife for almost 63 years and who has had a profound influence on my career and all aspects of my life.”

U of M’s legacy: “In its earliest days, the University of Memphis provided a well-rounded educational experience to many students, including myself, who could not have afforded to attend a larger, university. From a modest beginning, the University has grown with the city and the needs of the people in a very broad area to become a nationally recognized research university. It attracts a diversity of cultures that enhances the experience of every student.

It seems to me that the University has been a model of practical growth to meet changing circumstances and opportunities, yet not departing from its appeal to a broad cross-section of society.”

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1972. The Lady Tigers basketball team returns to competition for the first time since women’s athletic programs were abolished in 1937.

1973. Dr. Billy M. Jones is named eighth president.

1974. Enrollment surpasses 20,000 and the college fad of “streaking” hits campus.

1975. The innovative University College is established.

Homecoming will be here soon with fun-filled activities for everyone!

Class of 1961 Reunion Friday, September 23 Class of 1961 members are invited to a 50th Reunion Brunch at the home of U of M President Shirley Raines, followed by a guided campus tour. Reservations required by calling 901/678-1333.

Luther C. McClellan Alumni Chapter Homecoming Step Show Friday, September 23, Rose Theatre, immediately following the Pep Rally. The cost is $10 for Association members and $15 for not yet members. Proceeds benefit the LCM Scholarship Fund.

Half Century Club Reception Friday, September 23, 5 p.m.

The Alumni Association and Half Century Club will host the Golden Reception for the class of 1961 and all previous years in the Alumni Center. Appetizers and beverages will be provided. For reservations call 901/678-ALUM.

Luther C. McClellan Homecoming Party Friday, September 23, 10 p.m.

Located at 409 South Main. The cost is $10 for Alumni Association members, $15 for not yet members, and $20 for everyone after midnight. Proceeds benefit the LCM Scholarship Fund.

Alumni Association’s Family and Friends Homecoming Parade Friday, September 23, 5:30 p.m.

Hosted by the Alumni Association and Student Activities Council with special guests President Shirley Raines and Athletic Director R. C. Johnson. Parade route will be on the U of M campus with parking available at Southern Ave. and Central Ave. parking lots. All are welcome!

Band Alumni Chapter For more information on Homecoming Alumni Half-time performances, log on to www.tigerbandalumni.com.

Homecoming Football Game: Memphis Tigers vs. SMU Mustangs Saturday, September 24, 11 a.m.

The Alumni Association will present the Parent of the Year Award and the True Blue Tradition Award. For tickets go to www.gotigersgo.com.

Homecoming Pep Rally and Party Friday, September 23, 6:30 p.m.

With special guest Coach Larry Porter (BSEd ‘96). Located at the end of the parade route. Food provided from the Thomas Boggs (BA ’72) Family of Huey’s Restaurants. Drinks provided by Pepsi.

For additional information, call 901/678-ALUM or browse memphis.edu/alumni

1976. Female athletes receive athletic scholarships for the first time.

1977. Student Claire Ford is selected as Miss Black America.

1978. Avron and Robert Fogelman pledge $2.5 million to enrich the College of Business programs.

In keeping with the centennial theme of this issue, we’ve reached into our vault and included a few classnotes from past years to go along with our current ones. For these vintage classnotes, we’ve included the magazine issue in which they originally appeared.

1923 Ellen Davies Rogers completed her fourth book on the Episcopal Church in West Tennessee, Heirs Through Hope. She has taught at all levels of education, was a school principal, professor of elementary education at MSU, state supervisor for 1,500 elementary schools in West Tennessee, and a member of the Shelby County Board of Education.

(From the March1984 Columns.)

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1979. WSMS-FM 91.7 (now WUMR) is created.

1980. Dr. Thomas G. Carpenter is selected as the University’s ninth president. High Water Records is established at the University.

1961

1973

Dr. Kenneth T. Jackson (BA) spent 13 years compiling what is now the best-selling book in the history of Yale University Press, The Encyclopedia of New York City. He says the 1,373-page reference work “weighs as much as a baby (eight pounds), but it took much longer to make.” He was named one of the most popular professors in the nation

by Playboy magazine in 1993 and his all-night bicycle rides, all-day bus trips and three-hour walking tours of New York City are a Columbia University tradition.

Mike McDowell (BA, MPA ’75) received the 2011 Jay T. Bell Professional Management Award from the Missouri City/ County Management Association. McDowell is city manager of Olivette, Mo., in the St. Louis area. He has served as city manager since 2004 and has 36 years of local government service.

Herbert A. “Bert” Dargie (BS) was inducted into the Professional Clubmakers Hall of Fame at the PGA Show in Orlando, Fla. Dargie is a master craftsman in golf club manufacturing and repair, as well as customizing clubs for individuals.

(From the Spring 1997 U of M Magazine.)

Donald E. Godwin (MS), chair and CEO of the law firm Godwin Ronquillo, was named among “The Best Lawyers in Dallas”

by D Magazine for business litigation.

(From the Summer 1994 U of M Magazine.)

1969 Forrest May (BBA, MBA ’70) joined Venture Technologies as an account manager.

1970

Wink Martindale (BS) is a television game show host for Family Channel’s new Trivial Pursuit.

(From the Winter 1994 U of M Magazine.)

Elizabeth Scrivener (BA) is co-district manager for Decorate With the Word, which sells scripture plaques on a home party basis. Her husband, Lt.j.g. Charles H. Scrivener (BA ’72), is a food service officer aboard the USS San Diego.

(From the March 1984 Columns.)

1975 Karen Busler (BA) and 14 other musicians will perform a benefit concert, “Music for the Heart and Soul,” that will help sick children in places such as Croatia and Peru.

(From the Spring 1997 U of M Magazine.)

1976 Mary Anne Coleman Wehrum (BSEd, MEd ’75) carried some extra weight as she ran her 10th – and final – marathon in April. Wehrum, 58, carried a camera and shot three rolls of film throughout the centennial Boston Marathon.

(From the Summer 1996 U of M Magazine.)

1952

Lynn Alford (BSEd) with Clay & Land Insurance Agency was awarded the Chartered Financial Consultant professional designation from The American College.

1963

(From the Summer 1999 U of M Magazine.)

Wilma Jean Raymond (BS) was presented the 45 Year Service Award from the federal government. Raymond has worked at NASA headquarters for 33 years and previously served in Sen. Kefauver’s office and at Torrejon Air Force Base in Madrid, Spain.

1974

(From the Spring 1996 U of M Magazine.)

Dae D. Baird (BS) of Monterey, Calif., has received a medal from the Russian government commemorating his “courage and personal contribution to the Allied support of Russia” during World War II. While in the U.S. Maritime Service, he aided in the transport of supplies from the U.S. to Russia via a route through the Persian Gulf.

1948

1981. The University’s art museum and the Communication and Fine Arts Building open.

Cedric Jaggers (MPA) published his first book, Charleston’s Cooper River Bridge Run, A Complete History in Words and Photos.

The book details the history of the third largest 10k race in the U.S., tracing its growth from 766 runners in 1978 to 33,057 in 2010. Jaggers has run every race except the first one, when he had a broken leg.

1971 Fred Jones (BBA), a music and entertainment promoter, received top honors from the Black Business Association for successful development of the Southern Heritage Classic football game.

Danny Langston (BSEE) joined Askew Hargraves Harcourt & Associates as senior electrical engineer.

(From the Spring 1997 U of M Magazine.)

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1982. MSU celebrates its silver anniversary as a university.

1983. MSU becomes the only public university in Tennessee with full accreditation.

1977 Deanie Parker (BPS, MPBA ’88) was promoted to assistant director of the Memphis in May International Festival.

1984. Longtime women’s athletic director Elma Roane retires.

1985. MSU signs an exchange agreement with Huazhong Normal University in China.

Shipping Company Keeps Innovating and Outperforming the Competition has been translated into Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.

(From the Winter 1993 U of M Magazine.)

Joey Harris (BS, MAT ’84), COO of Cook’s Pest Control Inc., was appointed to the Alabama Agriculture and Industries Board.

1978 Mike McIntyre (BSEd, MEd ’81) retired after four years as principal of Germantown High School. He had been with Shelby County Schools for 33 years.

1979

1983

Denby Brandon III (MBA) is president of Brandon Investment Inc. and vice president of Brandon Financial Planning Inc.

Greg Barnes (BBA, MS ’85) was named managing partner of the Memphis office of KPMG, an audit, tax and advisory firm.

1980

Sidney Evans (JD) is vice president for student affairs and dean of students at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.

John Campbell (BA, JD ’83) was appointed Shelby County’s deputy district attorney. He has been with the District Attorney’s office for 25 years.

1981 Ron Hart (BBA, MBA ’83) received the Independent Books Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Award for humor and satire for his book No Such Thing as a Pretty Good Alligator Wrestler. Hart is a top-rated financial analyst and a syndicated newspaper columnist.

Frank R. White (BBA), a Memphis firefighter, his wife, Nita L. Douglas (BSEE ’82), and their 4 1/2 year-old son, Andrew, announce the arrival of four additions to their family. Born Feb 3, 1995 – nine weeks early – were quadruplets Joshua, Caleb, Rebekah and Rachel. “This is a blessing and a gift,” said Nita. “Each of our children is a miracle.”

(From the Spring 1995 U of M Magazine.)

1982 Madan Birla (MS) is founder and CEO of Balanceandinnovate.com, a portal for practical tips and tools to unleash creativity and enjoy a balanced life. His book FedEx Delivers: How the World’s Leading

Sharon Smith (BA) became the first African-American female pilot in the Memphis Police Department. Lt. Smith now commands the organization’s aviation and harbor patrol units.

(From the Summer 1997 U of M Magazine.)

1984 Richmond B. Adams (BA) completed his PhD in American literature through Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

His topic examined the relationship between evangelical Protestantism and the larger national culture in late nineteenth century American life within Harold Frederic’s novel The Damnation of Theron Ware, published in 1896.

1985 Clay Boatright (BS, MS ’86) was named to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. He is president of the board of directors of The Arc of Texas, a nonprofit organization which creates opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

1986. The School of Accountancy is established, and the Fogelman Executive Conference Center opens.

1986 Don Hudgins (BSCE, MSCE ’91) rode a unicycle from Memphis to Russellville, Ark., recently to visit his 94-year-old grandfather.

The 200-mile trip took seven days.

(From the Winter 2000 U of M Magazine.)

Dr. Peggy Ingram Vesser (EdD) was named director of the nursing program at Christian Brothers University. She will oversee the new accelerated BSN program for registered nurses.

1987 Mitch Jackson, vice president of environmental affairs and sustainability at FedEx Corp., was named one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America.

Chris Thomas (BBA) joined Summit Landscapes as a sales manager. He is former Shelby County Probate Court clerk.

1988 Marilyn Califf (MFA) showed her latest artwork in five venues – the new WKNO building, Wings Gallery at the West Cancer Clinic, “Project Sketchbook” hosted by the Rozelle Artists Guild, a Caritas Village group show by Spirited Threads, and Circuit Playhouse.

1989 Edward L. Bryant (BA) is vice president of economic development collaborations for the St. Louis County Economic Council.

He develops programs and initiatives that increase awareness of the county services that are available and supports planning for attracting and retaining businesses and other economic development efforts by simplifying how private sector projects are approved.

1992

Kevin Kirwen (BA) is living in Spain, where he opened a language school and teaches English as a Second Language in the central Pyrenees Mountains.

(From the Spring 2003 U of M Magazine.)

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1987. MSU celebrates its 75th anniversary; Kellye Cash becomes MSU’s second Miss America.

1988. The 678 (MSU) prefix is assigned to University’s phones.

1993

1989. The Board of Visitors, advisers to the president, is established.

1990. The Department of Nursing becomes the William A. and Ruth F. Loewenberg School of Nursing.

1998 Susan Ewing (BBA, MBA ’99) was named partner at Tactical Magic, a brand identity specialist firm.

Previously she was with inferno and Thompson & Company.

1994 Andrew Johnston (JD) joined the law firm of Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee.

Suzanne Laskowski (MS) of Germantown was a finalist in Carefree Gum’s “Search for America’s Funniest Mom” contest.

(From the summer 1998 U of M Magazine.)

Timothy R. Lee (BBA) recently co-authored the book A Reviewer’s Handbook to Business Valuation, which offers advice on the business appraisal process. Lee is a senior vice president at Mercer Capital.

1995 Todd Presnell (JD) was appointed chair of the Litigation Department at Miller & Martin in Nashville.

1996 James Derych (BBA) joined Chartwell Financial Group’s Memphis office as a financial adviser.

1997 Monika Johnson (JD) was appointed by the city of Memphis as its first chief ethics officer. Johnson investigates ethics complaints and oversees training for city workers on its code of ethics. She had been director of contract services for Memphis City Schools.

David Riley (JD) became a partner in the law firm Glassman, Edwards, Wyatt, Tuttle & Cox. He joined the firm in 2001.

Heather G. Anderson (JD) was named a Mid-South Rising Star in real estate law

by SuperLawyers. She is with the firm of Howard & Howard in Knoxville.

Brian Faughnan (JD) joined Thomason, Hendrix, Harvey, Johnson & Mitchell. He is chair of the Tennessee Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and was re-elected to a third term on the TBA Board of Governors.

1999 Jae Henderson (BA, MA ’05) was named one of the Tri-State Defender’s 50 Women of Excellence.

She is president of Put It In Writing, a professional writing and public relations service, and works as a voice-over artist.

William W. Reid (BSCE) joined Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon Inc. as senior transportation manager in the Nashville office. Reid has more than 14 years of experience in project management, transportation design, and bridge design and evaluation.

2000 Candice Salyers (BLS) received her MFA in dance from Smith College and is pursuing a PhD in dance from Texas Woman’s University. She is a choreographer and performer. Her interest in making artistic practice relevant for the ecology of a community led her to found pARTners, a volunteer organization of artists who share their work with a diversity of people.

1991. V. Lane Rawlins is named the 10th president, and the Bengal tiger mascot TOM II is born.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Harold E. Yager Jr. (BM) received the Military Volunteer Service Medal in recognition of continued exceptional community service. Yager plays trumpet in the U.S. Army Field Band based at Fort George G. Meade in Laurel, Md. He earned a master’s degree from the University of North Texas and is working on his doctorate at the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

2002 Anwar Jamison (MA, MA ’09) released his first film, Funeral Arrangements, in February.

The comedy focuses on a character who lies about attending a funeral to skip work.

Jamison directed the film and wrote the script, which was developed from an assignment in his first screenwriting class.

The cast and crew were mostly film and theatre students. The film premiered at the 2009 Indie Memphis Film Festival and was released nationwide through Select-O-Hits.

Mary Molinary (MFA) won the 2010 Tupelo Press/Crazyhorse Award for a first or second book of poetry for her manuscript Mary & the Giant Mechanism. Her other honors include an Academy of American Poets Prize and the Chad Walsh Poetry Prize. Molinary teaches courses in creative writing and poetics at Memphis College of Art. Her work has appeared in or is forthcoming in literary journals such as Beloit Poetry Journal, Crazyhorse, Poetry International, spork, Tupelo Press Poetry Project, Poetry Daily and New Orleans Review.

2001 Diane Ridgway (MBA) is COO/vice president of patient care at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital.

Alumni Association Member

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THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

1992. The school bans alcohol at basketball games.

1993. The U of M goes online with its first website, one of the first college/university sites in the nation.

2003 Nicolas Corry (JD) was named a partner in the law firm of Deininger, Wingfield & Corry in Little Rock. His practice focuses on tax resolution and tax litigation.

Clare Grant (BFA), a model and actress (Black Snake Moan, Walk the Line), married actor Seth Green (Family Guy, the Austin Powers movies) at filmmaker George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in California in May.

1994. MSU becomes the University of Memphis on July 1, and the state-of-the-art Ned R. McWherter Library opens.

1995. The U of M mourns the passing of former president Cecil C. Humphreys.

Adam B. Crigger (BPS) joined Strategic Financial Partners as a financial representative.

Mary L. Wagner (JD) is an associate attorney with Rice Amundsen & Caperton.

2007

(From the Summer 2010 U of M Magazine.)

2004

2008

Sarah Fleming (MA) is the co-owner of Live From Memphis (LFM), a grassroots multimedia organization representing local music, film, arts and culture. LFM creates videos for such clients as the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, ArtsMemphis, the Center City Commission and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

T. André Feagin (MM) will lead the 2012 U.S. All-American Marching Band instructional staff beginning in January.

He has served on the staff since 2009.

Feagin is associate director of bands at the University of Texas at El Paso and a doctor of musical arts candidate in conducting at the University of North Texas.

2009

Holli Weatherington (BA) is president and CEO of Summerall Electric Co.

Jan Lentz (JD) is an associate with the Rice, Amundsen & Caperton law firm. She previously was a staff attorney with Shelby County Child Support Services.

2005 Courtney Clothier (BA, JD ’10) joined the law firm of Black McLaren Jones Ryland & Griffee.

Nicole Gibson Davison (JD) joined the Bailey & Greer law firm.

Jeff McCalla (MAT) wrote the book TI-Nspire for Dummies. He teaches math at St. Mary’s Episcopal School and is an instructor for Texas Instruments.

2006 Laurielle Altman (JD) received the Mission First Legal Aid Top Volunteer Award during the annual Law Day ceremony at Mississippi College School of Law.

Jonathan E. Nelson (JD) joined the litigation and dispute resolution practice at Bass, Berry & Sims.

Jessica Rae (MA), a private speechlanguage pathologist for children, founded her own business, Communication Station.

Zack Farley (BBA) was promoted to audit senior at Reynolds, Bone & Griesbeck Certified Public Accountants and Advisers.

Jervette Ward (BA, MA ’09, PhD ’11) is assistant professor of English at Pine Manor College in Boston.

1996. U of M defeats sixth-ranked Tennessee 21-17. Kevin Cobb’s 95-yard kickoff return is ESPN’s college football play of the year.

Yijun “Pixy” Liao (MFA) was selected as a winner of the Magenta Foundation’s 2011 Emerging Photographers exchange. The Foundation will hold an exhibition and book launch featuring the work of all winners in October. In April, Liao opened her first solo show, Memphis, Tennessee, at Gallery 456 in New York City. In May she was part of a group exhibition at kunst.licht gallery in Shanghai, and in June her work was shown at Kunstwerk Carlshütte’s NordArt in Büdelsdorf, Germany.

2010 Reynae Bennett (MSN), nurse leadership coach for Baptist Memorial Health Care Corp., received the Mississippi Nurses Association Nightingale Award for “Nurse of the Year.” She leads nursing leadership development for the 16-hospital system.

Previously Bennett was director of women’s services at Baptist Memorial HospitalDeSoto.

Amber Carter (BA) is publications coordinator in the Marketing and Communications division at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Chase Fisher (JD) is an associate with the law firm Wiseman Bray.

Casey Rodden (BBA) joined the audit staff of Reynolds, Bone & Griesbeck Certified Public Accountants and Advisors.

Photos submitted to The University of Memphis Magazine for “Columns” must meet minimum print requirements. Hard copy photography should be no smaller than 2 x 3 and of original quality — no color laser copies or inkjet outputs, please. Electronic files should be no smaller than 600 x 900 pixels.

Contact Gabrielle Maxey at gmaxey@memphis.edu for more information.

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1997. The Asian Studies Program is founded, offering more classes in Chinese and Japanese.

1998. The audiology program and the speech-language pathology program are ranked eighth and 10th, respectively, by U.S. News and World Report.

1999. Lady Tiger Tamika Whitmore finishes her college basketball career as the nation’s leading scorer and heads to the WNBA.

2000. Benefactors Honey and Rudi Scheidt endow the music department. The name is changed to the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music.

2001. Shirley C. Raines is named 11th president.

“Tigers Around Town” make splashy debut For the next several months, visitors to the University of Memphis may feel as though they are on safari: 100 “tigers” were released on campus Sept. 10 and will be on the prowl through the end of the year. They are part of the U of M Alumni Association’s “Tigers Around Town” centennial celebration campaign.

“Each tiger represents one of the 100 years (1912-2012) the University has been open,” says Tammy Hedges, executive director of the Alumni Association. “A historical fact about the U of M for that year appears on a plaque that accompanies each statue.”

The Association offered 100 of the uniquely designed, life-size tiger statues to alumni, businesses and fans for sponsorship. Each tiger statue, based on the measurements of mascot TOM II, is made of fiberglass and stands about 6 feet high, 3 feet wide and weighs 600 pounds. The tiger design was created by U of M senior art education major Brooke Ebersole. After being displayed on campus, the statues will appear at locations throughout the greater Memphis area beginning in early 2012.

Alumni Association coordinator Alexa Begonia says sponsors chose a year based on when they were married, had children or graduated from the U of M, among other things.

While the pose for each tiger statue is the same, some of the Mid-South’s finest artists showed off their talents to make each one distinctive. They include Jamie McMahan, NJ Woods, Pam Cobb and Dr. Robert Canady.

Canady, a noted stained glass artist, chose to pay tribute to the U of M’s Office of the President through his tiger statue.

He used hundreds of stained glass-type designs on the tiger statue to contrast with its fierce pose in demonstrating how a University president has to be determined in making decisions yet diplomatic.

“It’s very symbolic of the leadership and the position of the president,” says Canady, 46

Dr. Robert Canady used a stained glass theme for the tiger statue he designed as part of the U of M Alumni Association’s centennial celebration campaign. One hundred tiger statues were uniquely designed to designate the 100 years the U of M has been open. They will be displayed on campus through the end of the year before being placed in various locations around the city.

who is married to U of M President Shirley Raines. “They have to be strong and forceful at times, but also keep an open mind.”

Each stone on the base of the tiger statue has the name of a member of the President’s Council or a major event that has occurred during Dr. Raines’ administration, such as the creation of Tiger Lane or the new University Center.

Another important element that played into the design scheme was that Canady wanted to “keep it obvious that it is a tiger.”

Canady is known for his stained glass windows, having donated several to area

churches, including Wrights Chapel in Arlington, Freedom’s Chapel in Parkway Village and the Wesley Foundation Chapel, which is located a block from the U of M. Other artists used images of Memphis for their designs in an effort to showcase the heritage of the U of M and the area.

“We want people to see what an asset the University is and show what the U of M means to the community,” says Mark Long, past president of the Alumni Association and an alumnus who helped develop the idea for “Tigers Around Town.”

— by Laura Fenton THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

2002. The U of M captures its first post-season title in any sport as the Tigers win the NIT championship in Madison Square Garden.

2003. The FedEx Institute of Technology opens, housing the second largest videoconferencing center in the world.

2004. Students begin receiving the HOPE scholarship.

2005. A U of M team unearths a new tomb in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings.

2006. The University acquires 2006.

Thesupercomputers.

University acquires its first its first supercomputers.

Club and Chapter events For more information on any Alumni Association Clubs, Chapters or events, contact the Association at alumniassociation@memphis.edu or 901/678-2586.

Arts and Sciences The chapter will host its Outstanding Alumni Awards Dinner Oct.13 at 6 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. The 2011 award recipients are Dr. Diane Allen (BA ’73), Kirk Caraway (BA ’94, JD ’97), Stacey Greenberg (MA ’03) and Darlene Winters (BA ’76, MA ’79). For more information, or to make reservations, contact alumni coordinator Wendy Sumner-Winter at wsumner1@memphis.edu or 901/6781562.

Business & Economics

The FCBE Alumni Chapter will host its annual Alumni Day Luncheon Nov. 2 at the U of M Holiday Inn. For more information, contact alumni coordinator Shannon Miller at semiller@memphis.edu or 901/678-3043.

Journalism

The Outstanding Journalism Alumni Awards Dinner will be held Oct. 27 in the Tennessee Ballroom at the U of M Holiday Inn. The guest speaker will be Natalie Allen of CNN. The Charles E. Thornton Award will be presented to Will King (BA ’74) of CNN and Richard Copley (BS ’69). The Herbert Lee Williams Award will be given to former

professor L. Dupre Long. Also, the inaugural Outstanding Young Alumni Award will be presented to author Johanna Edwards (BA ’01).

For more information, contact alumni coordinator Shannon Miller at semiller@memphis.edu or 901/678-3043.

Law

The club will host its Law Reunion Weekend for classes ending in 1 or 6 at the Westin Downtown Oct.14-15. Festivities will include a VIP party before the 2011 men’s basketball Memphis Madness, tours of the Law School and a cocktail reception. Contact alumni coordinator Wendy Sumner-Winter at wsumner1@memphis.edu or 901/6781562 for more information.

Young Alumni Committee

The committee will hold its 5th annual True Blue 5K Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. on the U of M main campus. All proceeds from the race will go to support the work of the Young Alumni Committee and its commitment to encourage alumni interaction, engage current students and raise money for the Young Alumni Legacy Scholarship. For more information on registration or becoming a sponsor, contact alumni coordinator Wendy Sumner-Winter at wsumner1@memphis.edu or 901/678-1562.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION National Executive Board of Directors: Allie Prescott (BA ’69, JD ’72), President; Deanie Parker (BPS ’77, MPA ’88), Past President; Anita Vaughn (BA ’77, MPA ’83), Vice President for Membership; Wei Chen (IMBA ’98), Vice President for Communication; Kim Barnett (BA ’95, EMBA ’99), Vice President for Finances; Renee DeGutis (BS ’83), Vice President for Programs and Events; Hon. Butch Childers (BBA ’71, JD ’74); Eric Robertson (BA ’03); Jim Strickland (BBA ’86, JD ’89); Cathy Ross (MBA ’82); Marla Johnson Norris (BA ’81); John Bobango (JD ’83); Theopolis Holeman (BSET ’71); Roberto Young (BEE ’02, BSCE ’03); Ben Watkins (BBA ’78); David Kustoff (BBA ’89, JD ’92); Dana Gabrion (BA ’98); Ron Hart (BBA ’81, MBA ’83) Advisers to the Executive Director: Mark Long (BSEE ’85); Hon. Diane Vescovo (JD ’80); John Koski (BA ’88); John Lawrence (BA ’94, MS ’98); Martin Zummach (BA ’85, JD ’93); Paul Jewell (BA ’78); Rob Evans (MBA ’98); Dr. Robert Wright (BS ’77) Club and Chapter Presidents: Arts & Sciences: Amani Barnett (BS ’99, MHA ’09); Communication Sciences and Disorders: Lauren Busby (MA ’10); Band: Jim Crossnoe (BSEd ’71); Business & Economics: Jennifer Brereton (BBA ’99); Education: Melinda Edwards (BSEd ’74, MPA ’75); Engineering: Greg Ladd (BSME ’84); Fraternity Alumni Advisory Council: David Wadlington (BBA ’75); Frosh Camp Alumni Club: Justin Hipner (BBA ’97, MBA ’00); Future Alumni of Memphis: Katelyn Nichols, Holly Stanford; Half Century Club: J.B. “Pappy” Latimer (BS ’52); International MBA: Sarah Maurice (IMBA ’09, MHA ’11); Journalism: Lesley Adkins (BA ’99, MA ’02); Law: Tanja Thompson (JD ’97); Luther C. McClellan: Lofton Wilborn (BBA ’02); Master of Public Administration: Amy Cable (BA ’03, MPA ’09); Music Society: Tommie Pardue (BSD ’68, MM ’71); Nursing: Collin Johnson (MSN ’10); Student Ambassador Board: James Ransom; Theatre and Dance: Josie Helming (BFA ’67); University of Memphis Association of Retirees: Mary Ellen Pitts; University College: Jay Atkinson (BPS ’98); Young Alumni Committee: Carrie Strehlau (BA ’99) Out of Town Groups: Atlanta: Don Sparkman (BSEE ’87); Austin: Northern Sherrod (BA ’00); New England/Boston: Bob Canfield (BBA ’59); Chicago: Rachel Kozloski (BA ’11); Dallas: Gary Crooms (’81); Denver: Jason Smiley (BS ’98, MA ’03); Eastern Pennsylvania: Connor Morganti (BA ’96); Houston: Robert Stephens (BSEE ’90); Lower Alabama: Robert Murphree (BBA ’76); Nashville: Mike Dodd (JD ’01); New Orleans/Baton Rouge: Dr. Steven McCullar (BA ’97); New York City: Janet Griffin (BS ’95); Orlando: Katie Schwie Perrine (BA ’98); San Antonio: Marcus Jones (BEE ’01); St. Louis: Dennis Breakstone (BBA ’92); Tampa: Bob Riggins (BBA ’70, MS ’80); Washington, D.C.: Michelle Whyte (BBA ’89) Alumni Staff: Executive Director of the U of M Alumni Association and Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations: Tammy Hedges; Assistant Director: Joe Biggers; Alumni Coordinators: Alexa Begonia, Shawn Carter (BA ’92, MS ’04), Shannon Miller (BA ’98), Holly Snyder (BA ’09), Wendy Sumner-Winter (MFA ’10), Connie Thiemonge, Terez Wilson (BS ’08) Alumni Administrative Staff: Vanessa Knight, Shanette Jenkins-Parks, Jackie Rodriquez (BA ’04)

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2007. The Center for Sustainable Design breaks ground on TERRA House.

2008. After she donates $2 million, the University’s honors program is renamed after Helen Hardin.

2009. The School of Public Health is established, and the Confucius Institute is founded at the U of M.

2010. The University opens its new 169,000 square-foot University Center.

2011. Former U of M basketball star and coach Larry Finch passes away at age 60.

In memoriam ALUMNI (Listed alphabetically by graduation date)

1920s-30s Mazie Etta Burkett Norton ’36, Jan. ’11 Jacob Meisel ’38, April ’11 Jerre George Duzane ’39, April ’11 Sara Greer Howard ’39, March ’11

1940s-50s Ursaline Dunavant ’42, May ’11 Dorothy Person Dawson ’46, April ’11 Richard Francis Malone ’47, June ’11 Charles Killian Pope ’49, March ’11 A.W. Worley ’49, Feb. ’09 Josephine Boyd ’50, April ’11 Richard E. Hall ’50, June ’11 Charles Edwin Baucum ’51, ’55, June ’11 George W. Sneed Jr. ’51, March ’11 David R. Tinkler ’51, June ’11 Charles Monroe Howell ’53, May ’11 Margaret Elizabeth Claypool Puckett ’54, April ’11 Nancy Shults ’54, May ’11 Ancil Walker ’54, April ’11 Forest Loyd Arnold ’56, ’66, Feb. ’11 Melvin Pelletier “Pete” Payne ’56, March ’11 Lafayette M. Ragsdale ’56, ’65, May ’11 Joe E. Bennett ’57, June ’11 Preston Allen Ford ’57, March ’11 Paul Joseph Drake ’58, ’60, May ’11 William R. Key ’58, ’61, March ’11 Diane Smith Sullivan ’59, March ’11

1960s-70s Riner Jay Fletcher ’60, Jan. ’10 William Walter Cox Jr. ’62, May ’11 Milton Jack Foust ’62, March ’11 Gerald Nolen Haynie ’62, March ’11 Jeane Ridge Young ’62, Nov. ’10 Orville C. Hancock ’63, ’69, May ’11 Sally Corkran Simpkins ’63, May ’11 Grover C. Blankenship ’64, May ’11 Martha Sue Shannon Goldberg ’64, Feb. ’11 Linda Joyner ’64, ’74, April ’11 Martin Kenneth Bullard ’65, April ’11 Roma Lee Busang ’65, ’68, ’72, May ’11 Brenda Lou Rash ’65, May ’11 Norman Jerre Richards ’65, Feb. ’11 Michael J. Amidei ’66, June ’11

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Gerald Bredthauer ’66, May ’11 Betty Jane Cooper ’67, ’71, Feb. ’11 Deurrelle Crouse Kaltreider ’67, ’71, May ’11 Trudy Ann Noyes ’67, April ’11 Altona Harris Yarbrough ’67, April ’11 James Edward Blount III ’68, Feb. ’11 John Clinton Cummings ’68, ’73, Feb. ’11 John J. Robbins ’69, Feb. ’11 Elizabeth Louise Spiller ’69, April ’11 Charles Neal Talley Jr. ’69, June ’11 Richard C. Bradley ’70, March ’11 Ann Jacqueline Dennen ’70, Feb. ’11 Michael T. Doris ’70, May ’11 Mary Norton Mitchell ’70, May ’11 Orville Kenneth Oliver ’70, May ’11 Jerry Omundsun ’70, ’71, May ’11 Charles Lee Perkins ’70, June ’11 Neville F. Smith Jr. ’70, May ’11 Raymond A. Winkler Jr. ’70, April ’11 William G. Cowser Jr. ’71, March ’11 Michael Wayne Flippin ’71, May ’11 Mattie Lavonia Haley ’71, May ’11 Leah Elizabeth Heflin Sobrey ’71, March ’11 Rev. Joseph L. Tagg III ’71, March ’11 Jim Balentine ’72, ’87, March ’11 Richard Banks Jr. ’72, May ’11 Brenda Marcella Benson ’72, Feb. ’11 John Edgar Meeks ’72, ’75, March ’11 Merwin Eugene “Gene” Meyer ’72, April ’11 Franklin Baker ’73, ’74, April ’11 Barbara Walker Hervey ’73, March ’11 Loyd Jeffers ’73, April ’11 C.L. “Smitty” Smith ’73, April ’11 Jimmie Lou McDonald Wright ’73, May ’11 Hildreth Ernestine Reed Mathews ’74, May ’11 Rita Ann Quinn ’74, June ’11 Donald Schwendimann ’74, Feb. ’11 S. Russell Smith Jr. ’74, June ’11 Mattie Lowery Hayes ’75, Feb. ’11 John Calvin McDaniel ’75, Feb. ’11 Regina Deloise Roberts Powell ’76, June ’11 Maj. Addis Lee Taylor Jr. ’76, June ’11 Thomas Will Teague ’76, June ’11 Dr. Ann Campbell ’77, Feb. ’11 Ralph Hatley ’78, May ’11 John Edwin Goodwin ’79, April ’11 Stephen P. Hale ’79, ’82, May ’11 Stephen Frederick McHugh ’79, June ’11 Peggy Corlew Lillard ’79, ’85, March ’11

1980s-90s Barbara Ann Edwards Hoffman ’80, March ’11 Azalee Malone ’81, April ’81 George Lee Morrison III ’81, June ’11 Steven Douglas Olson ’81, March ’11 Shirley Ann King ’82, April ’11 Terri Middleton Brown ’86, May ’11 Jerry Anthony Owen ’87, April ’11 William Domico ’89, May ’11 Jeffrey Randall Hawkins ’89, May ’11 Robert Bruce Wall ’89, Feb. ’11 Thaddeus Kinman Wynn III ’89, ’95, March ’11 Lisa Fletcher Branim, Aug. ’10 Carolyn Hayes Trayal ’91, March ’11 Luther Franklin Matthews ’92, May ’11 Barbara Lynn Smith Moses ’94, April ’11 Diane Elizabeth Hill ’95, ’00, May ’11 Jaysona Humber Rodgers ’95, March ’11 Philip James Bockhold ’96, Feb. ’11 John Shea Buchignani III ’96, May ’11 Brian David Thompson ’96, Feb. ’11 Catherine Selene Benitone ’97, June ’11 Jay Thomas McKelroy ’97, June ’11 Robin Gay Whitwell ’97, March ’11 Judy Gafford Boston ’98, March ’11

2000s Jameka Merriweather ’01, May ’11 Mark Daniel Norris ’03, May ’11 Mariellen Thompson ’04, June ’11

FACULTY/STAFF Susan Babb, August ’11 Michael Collins, ’79, ’81, March ’11 Kenneth D. Cremer, June ’11 Margaret “Peggy” Dambrino, July ’11 Dr. Russell Otis Pugh, June ’11 Dr. R. Eugene Smith ’65, July ’11 James Smoot, July ’11 John Halbert Wakeley, Feb. ’11

FRIENDS Barney DuBois, June ’11 Harold Morris Robinson Jr., May ’11 Eulyse McCown Smith, April ’11 Rev. Teddy R. Steele, April ’11

THE UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS

M

Matters

ERSH B M IP E

ALLIE PRESCOTT BA ’69, JD ’72

University of Memphis Alumni Association Life Member President, Allie Prescott & Partners, LLC University of Memphis Alumni Association Centennial President Senior Advisor, Waddell & Associates, Inc. Wealth Strategist Former CEO of the Memphis Redbirds, 1997-2001 Former University of Memphis Baseball Player Awards include: 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award Recipient 2002 The College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Chapter Distinguished Alumnus 1996 University of Memphis M Club Hall of Fame

BECOME A N A LUMNI A S SOCI ATION MEMBER TODAY. Stay connected and network with other graduates and friends of our beloved University.

A single membership is only $35 per year.

Visit memphis.edu/alumni or call 901.678.ALUM.

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