CHANCELLOR’S CORNER
Dear Skyhawk Nation:
Fall semester is always a special and exciting time as we welcome a new freshman class to the university. This fall began on an especially high note as we welcomed a strong freshman class and the highest UT Martin enrollment since 2012. Our final enrollment count was 7,507 students registered on the main campus, the six regional centers, in dual enrollment courses and online. This enrollment represents an 8% increase over fall 2023 and included a significant three-point jump in the first-year retention rate.
Growing enrollment remains a personal and university priority, and I’m pleased to note some other initiatives that will influence enrollment outcomes.
• International Enrollment – UT Martin was once known for its strong international programs, and we will return to a strong international presence at the university. Through investment and a comprehensive international enrollment plan, UTM’s total enrollment will eventually include 5% international students.
• Partnerships – The university’s list of partnerships is growing, including recent partnerships with Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology that allow students to earn credits toward a UT Martin degree. Additionally, the new Springfield Center established in cooperation with Volunteer State Community College in Middle Tennessee was recently approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission as UT Martin’s sixth regional center.
• TEST Hub – Speaking of partnerships, the university’s Tennessee Entrepreneurial Science and Technology (TEST) Hub, a cooperative workspace and innovation hub with Dyersburg State Community College and the TCAT-McKenzie, will break ground in early summer 2025 and be built on the west side of the main campus.
• Strategic Plan – The work on the new 2025-2030 UT Martin Strategic Plan is fully underway, and I plan to share our bold direction during the 2025 UT Board of Trustees meeting in February at Martin. The plan will focus on four major themes: People, Places, Partnerships and Achievement. Additionally, the plan will encompass five key goals and a maximum of 25 total strategies.
I communicate widely that we are well on our way to 10,000 students by 2030. This number is vital to UT Martin’s ability to meet workforce demand for our state. UTM is committed to the success of our students and employees. We are a first-class institution, and we offer a transformational educational experience to our students.
We are UTM Proud! It’s a great day to be a Skyhawk!
Dr. Yancy E. Freeman, Sr.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Dr. Joseph Ostenson
Department of Psychology
Dr. Joseph Ostenson is a professor of psychology in the College of Education, Health and Behavioral Services, but his work goes beyond the classroom at UT Martin.
He is the interim director of the Center for Global Engagement and Experience, which oversees Travel Study and Study Abroad programs on campus.
“Presently, we are also responsible for International Student Services,” he said. “I just started last February, though I’ve worked a lot with Study Abroad over the past several years.”
Ostenson has been at UT Martin since 2012 after teaching at Brigham Young University, where he received his Ph.D.
“I enjoy interacting with the students,” he said. “I think it’s in my blood. My father was a teacher, and his mother was a teacher. She was actually a high school principal.”
Ostenson said he enjoys working with students traveling abroad for studies.
“ There’s a little bit of joy I get in sending students abroad or even on domestic travel studies,” he said. “I get to be involved in the change that happens in students without having to give them grades.”
Ostenson has traveled a number of times with UT Martin students to Italy
“I lived in Italy for two years when I was young, before I started college,” he said. “ When I came to UT Martin, I thought that it would be fun to share with students some of the experiences that I had there. So, after about five years, I put together a short-term Travel Study program to Italy. We had two partners: one in Rome and one in Tuscany.
“ The one in Tuscany landed us in Siena, and the students just loved it there. I had never been there before. Our partner there invited us to come back for a full semester. So, I put together a semester-long program, took my family over there with 20 undergraduate students and spent the whole semester there. Toward the end of the semester, (UTM Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs) Dr. (Philip Acree) Cavalier came and saw what we had done and said, ‘We should do this for the whole university.’”
Ostenson ser ved as the chair of the Department of Psychology for five years, with that tenure ending July 1.
Along with his academic duties, Ostenson ser ves as the bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Fulton, Kentucky – a rotational position that serves as the congregation’s pastor.
“I rotate off fairly soon,” he said of that experience. “It is a church where you get a lot of leadership opportunities if you want them.”
Published semiannually by
The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, Tennessee 38238
Randy Boyd, President The University of Tennessee System
Dr. Yancy E. Freeman, Sr., Chancellor
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Jeanna Curtis-Swafford (’19) Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
Dr. Jackie Johnson (’08, ’10) Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Nathan Morgan Campus Scene Editor, University Relations
Assistant Director of News and Visuals
Editorial Contributions
Dr. Jackie Johnson, Bud Grimes (’78), Nathan Morgan, Ryne Rickman, David Snow
Design and Layout
Beth Bodwell (’16)
Photo Contributions
Alex Boggis (’11, ’13), Arianne Boma, Dylan Ingram (’23), Nathan Morgan, Erika O’Brien, Preston Pooler, Trevor Ruszkowski
Copy Editors
Norma Coalter, Bud Grimes, Nathan Morgan, David Snow
Original story ideas, photo ideas and manuscripts may be used at the editor’s discretion. Photos and submitted works cannot be returned. Some interviews are conducted via email and other electronic means. Unless otherwise noted, all towns and cities mentioned are located in Tennessee. Campus Scene is not a news magazine.
Comments and feedback may be directed to Nathan Morgan, Campus Scene editor, nmorga15@utm.edu, 224 Holt Humanities Building, Martin, TN 38238, 731-881-7617.
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Chelsea
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Archie Manning at UT Martin. By Nathan Morgan
Jimmie Mancell
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Former
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Hunter Ralston
By Nathan Morgan
Rafielle Boone Freeman reflects on her first year back on
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PARTY CYCLE – Jessica Ayers (left) and Ruthie Pirtle (right) lead a group of faculty, staff and students in their Party Cycle class during the Homecoming Workout event at the Student Recreation Center in October. In February 2025 the Student Recreation Center will celebrate its 1,500th Party Cycle class. Party Cycle is a high-energy, musicfueled spin class created to show UTM students that fitness can be fun, social, motivational and educational.
COON CREEK SCIENCE CENTER LAB NAMED – A gift from Bub Lively’s family following his death earlier this year will help support paleontology research opportunities through the Clinton W. “Bub” Lively Paleontology Lab at the UT Martin Coon Creek Science Center located in McNairy County. Lively found peace digging for fossils as he battled cancer, and he wanted to assure that future generations of children would share his Coon Creek experience.
The lab is located below the center ’s main building, where a brief program was held May 24 to formally announce the naming and honor Lively’s memory. The event was attended by family members, UTM faculty and staff, and elected officials, including Selmer Mayor Sherry Inman and state Sen. Page Walley (R-District 26).
Pictured are Dianne Lively, widow of Bub Lively, and Alan Youngerman, director of the UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer.
GOV. BILL LEE VISITS UTM CAMPUS – Tennessee
Gov. Bill Lee visited UT Martin on July 2 to hear updates about university programs.
Also visiting the main campus were Tennessee state Rep. Tandy Darby (‘96) (R-District 76) and state Senator John Stevens (‘96) (R-District 24).
The visit began at the Latimer-Smith Engineering and Science Building, where the governor and Chancellor Yancy Freeman had a one-on-one meeting.
After that, Lee held a roundtable meeting with various UTM administrators.
The visit concluded with a tour of the Business Administration Building led by Freeman and Dr. Ahmad Tootoonchi, dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs.
“Great to visit West TN’s @UTMartin to see how this university is preparing students with critical skills for careers in agriculture, business & beyond,” the governor posted on his official X account.
CONNER HONORED AT TRIBUTE AUG. 17 –
The Rev. Harold Conner Sr., the first African-American administrator at UT Martin, was honored Aug. 17 in a tribute held at Watkins Auditorium in the Boling University Center. Before coming to UTM, Conner was a minister at Fuller Street Baptist Church and became the principal of the Weakley County Training School. He encouraged one of his students, Jessie Lou Arnold Pryor (‘65), to attend the university as its first African-American student in June 1961. After coming to UTM to become the assistant dean of students in 1969, he became known as “Dean Conner.” He would later become the assistant vice chancellor for student affairs. Conner retired from UT Martin in 1981 and passed away Oct. 15, 2017. Pictured is Dr. Harold Conner Jr., son of the late Conner Sr., talking at the event.
ST. JUDE RESEARCHER ENCOURAGES BLUE-SKY THINKING –
Dr. Katherine Barker (’91), a St. Jude researcher, told honorees at the 60th Honors Day at UT Martin that the world has room for ideas from those who choose to think outside the box. The April 14 event in the Boling University Center’s Watkins Auditorium recognized students who have excelled at the university.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital values new ideas – so much that employees are encouraged to participate in the Blue-Sky Ideas Initiative. Employee ideas are submitted and vetted for possible funding and implementation. Barker said the Blue-Sky Ideas Initiative seeks ideas to benefit patients and advance cures that St. Jude is positioned to address. “Skyhawks are built for blue skies,” she said, explaining how this concept applies to current students and future graduates.
Barker congratulated the honorees for their successes and reminded them that each person present has the ability and determination to pursue the ideas and dreams that will make life better for others.
Barker and her husband, Dr. John Barker (’89), live in Memphis.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (front right) walks through the quad and speaks with Dr. Ahmad Tootoonchi, dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs during his visit.
FIRST UT SYSTEM WELLNESS OFFICER VISITS UTM
– Dr. Jessi Gold, chief wellness officer for the UT System, and Dr. Bernie Savarese, UT System vice president for academic affairs, research and student success, traveled to UT Martin on Aug. 6 as they visited UT campuses to gain a better understanding of the wellness culture on each campus and related services provided to students.
Gold and Savarese visited with Chancellor Yancy Freeman; Dr. Andy Lewter (‘94), vice chancellor for student affairs; Dr. Philip Acree Cavalier, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs; and members of the student affairs staff, including Student Health and Counseling Center staff members. They also continued their discussions at lunch where they were joined by UT Martin students.
“ Working with Dr. Gold will provide opportunities to share resources across the UT System,” Lewter said. “Her expertise will be invaluable as we provide the best possible wellness services to UTM students.”
UTM SEES HIGHEST ENROLLMENT INCREASE SINCE
2012 – UT Martin’s fall enrollment reached 7,507 students, the highest enrollment at the university since 2012. This compares to 6,950 students who registered in fall 2023, which is an 8% increase. The number of first-year students totaled 1,220 students, up from 1,118 first-year students who enrolled in fall 2023.
Other increases included a 15.7% jump in undergraduate transfer students and 19.2% more dual-enrollment students compared to fall 2023. Dual enrollment courses allow high school juniors and seniors to take college courses and earn both high school and college credit.
Strong student retention, which indicates students who remain enrolled year to year at the university, also contributed to the higher enrollment and is the highest in 25 years.
“ We’re grateful for the students and families who have chosen UT Martin,” said Chancellor Yancy Freeman. “Our enrollment growth signifies a campus commitment to excellent teaching and student engagement. It’s a great day to be a Skyhawk!”
UTM fall enrollment includes students from 89 of the 95 Tennessee counties along with students from 40 states and 20 countries.
UTM HONORS OUTSTANDING
MMSC
ALUMNI
– Exceed expectations. That was the message to current students from two UT Martin alumni award recipients who spoke during the Department of Mass Media and Strategic Communication Awards Reception held April 11 in the Boling University Center’s Duncan Ballroom. The event was attended by current students, faculty, staff and family members.
Blake Barnes (’16), a Weakley County native who lives in Jackson, received the MMSC Distinguished Alumni Award, and Katie Jarvis Graves (’14), originally from Memphis who lives in Union City, received the MMSC Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Barnes is marketing manager and a designer for University Clinical Health in Memphis, and Graves is executive director for Main Street Union City Inc.
During the reception, department chair Dr. Robert Nanney (‘81) thanked the recipients for what they’ve accomplished and how their success reflects on the department.
“K atie and Blake, we could not be more proud of you for all you have done,” he said. “Great practitioners, even better people. … Thank you for coming back and giving back to this department in many ways.”
CAVIN ROTC CENTER OFFICIALLY NAMED – The ROTC Building at UT Martin was officially named April 12 in honor of retired Lt. Gen. Dennis D. Cavin (’70) Cavin graduated from UTM with a degree in agriculture and was commissioned as a distinguished militar y graduate in air defense artillery.
During the naming ceremony held adjacent to the building, Cavin expressed his gratitude for the honor “It is more than humbling for an old farm boy that grew up not too far from this campus to be standing here today,” he said. Cavin ser ved as a career U.S. Army air defense artillery officer in short-range and high-altitude air defense artillery for more than 20 years. He was the architect of several major Army outreach programs, including the U.S. Army High School All-American Bowl football game and the U.S. Army NASCAR and National Hot Rod Association programs connecting the Army to the target recruiting communities. Cavin joined Lockheed Martin in October 2004 after completing 34 years of military service.
STATE COMPTROLLER
MUMPOWER VISITS UTM – Jason
Mumpower, Tennessee’s 35th comptroller of the treasury, visited the UT Martin campus with UT President Randy Boyd on July 25 following a stop at the Milan NoTill Field Day.
Mumpower – a native of Bristol – met with university officials and academic deans, toured the teaching farm and joined students and others for lunch in the Dunagan Alumni Center in his first visit to the campus.
Pictured (l-r) are Maria Hudson, a May 2024 finance graduate from Knoxville; Parker Ferrell, a senior accounting major from Dresden; Art Sparks (‘76), principal, ATA Union City, and UT Martin Advisory Board member and chair; Randy Boyd, University of Tennessee president; Jason Mumpower; Dr. Yancy Freeman Sr., UT Martin chancellor; Omaria Crutchfield, a senior finance major from Olive Branch, Mississippi, who lives in Memphis; and Petra McPhearson, senior vice chancellor for finance and administration.
2024 UTM ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
– Three UT Martin alumni received alumni awards Oct. 5 during the homecoming festivities. Andy Collins (’01) received the Outstanding Alumni Award, Laura McFall Bond (’12) received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award and Dr. Walter “Wally” Hoffmann (’65) received the University Service Award. Pictured (l-r) are Hoffmann, Bond, Collins, and Chancellor Yancy Freeman.
BEST-SELLING AUTHOR AND FORMER NFL STAR
VISIT UTM – Harvard professor and best-selling author Dr. Arthur C. Brooks and Michael Oher, the former Tennessee Titan and member of the Baltimore Ravens team that won Super Bowl XLVII, spoke to students and the public during an Aug. 28 visit to the UT Martin campus.
Brooks is a professor at the Har vard Kennedy School and the Harvard Business School, where he teaches courses on leadership and happiness. He is also a columnist at The Atlantic, where he writes the popular “How to Build a Life” column.
He is also a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including “Build the Life You Want” – co-authored with Oprah Winfrey in 2023 – and “From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.”
Outside of his NFL career, Oher is best known as the subject of the movie “The Blind Side,” which is about his experience in overcoming economic, academic and life challenges to play football for the University of Mississippi and then at the professional level.
With his personal experience of poverty and homelessness, Oher
now dedicates his life to supporting disadvantaged youth through his charity, the Oher Foundation, which empowers youth with opportunities in education, mentorship and community support. The event was sponsored by the Institute of American Civics and UT Martin.
WESTSTAR HONORS VIRGINIA GRIMES WITH RETIREMENT
RECEPTION – Virginia Grimes was recognized for her 34 years of service to UT Martin and the WestStar Leadership Program with a reception held July 27 in the Boling University Center’s Duncan Ballroom on the UTM main campus.
In addition to the reception, the Virginia Grimes WestStar Leadership Endowment to support the WestStar program was announced by Chancellor Yancy Freeman.
Also, Jake Bynum (‘06), university chief of staff and WestStar executive director, announced the Virginia Grimes WestTeach Leadership Award to recognize leadership and dedication among members of WestStar’s WestTeach leadershipdevelopment program for K-12 teachers.
Grimes came to UT Martin in 1990 from Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville.
“I am thrilled to accept the assistant director role with WestStar Leadership,” Smiley said. “I am committed to the program’s mission and look forward to contributing to its growth.”
Pictured (l-r) at the reception for Grimes were Freeman; Grimes; Smiley; Dr. Bob Smith, UT Martin chancellor emeritus and a WestStar co-founder; and Bynum.
UT FOUNDATION NAMES CURTIS-SWAFFORD AS VICE CHANCELLOR FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
– The UT Foundation and UT Martin named Jeanna Curtis-Swafford (‘19) as the UT Martin vice chancellor for university advancement, an essential position in advancing the university’s mission.
Curtis-Swafford, who lives in Dresden, ser ved as the interim vice chancellor for university advancement from December 2023 to May 2024 and brings over 30 years of fundraising experience to this role.
Most recently ser ving as UTM’s associate vice chancellor for university advancement, Curtis-Swafford has been a consistent leader and successful fundraiser for the campus since 1992. During her tenure with UTM, she has established a planned-giving program, ser ved as the campaign director for the recent $181 million RISE campaign and is a graduate of UT Martin’s WestStar Leadership Program.
“I’m excited to take on the challenges of this role. We have an excellent advancement team and campus and foundation leadership,” Curtis-Swafford said. “I look for ward to working with these groups to help UT Martin soar even higher.”
The WestStar Leadership Program announced Aug. 30 that Jennifer Black Smiley (‘24) is the program’s new assistant director.
The University of Tennessee at Martin
picture the athletics
PARADE KICKS OFF FESTIVAL – UT Martin soccer players (l-r) Nyeemah Prescod-Beckles, Makayla Robinson and Ayja McCleary, pose for photos while holding up a peace sign (PrescodBeckles) and Skyhawk heads (Robinson and McCleary) during the Tennessee Soybean Festival parade in downtown Martin. The parade, which was held Sept. 3, helped kick off the 31st year of the festival. UTM soccer finished their season in October in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Soccer Championships at Strassweg Field in Evansville, Indiana.
ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT BOASTS YET ANOTHER
REMARKABLE
PERFORMANCE IN 2023-24 – Skyhawk
Athletics continued to ascend in the classroom during the 2023-24 academic year as UT Martin once again achieved record-setting numbers academically.
Skyhawk student-athletes registered a 3.24 cumulative gradepoint average in both the fall and spring terms, marking the ninth consecutive semester where the departmental cumulative GPA was above a 3.20 (extending a school record in that category). There were also a record number of student-athletes who walked across the stage for spring commencement.
In August, it was announced that UTM was the only OVC institution to win four separate Team Academic Achievement Awards, which were won by the Skyhawk men’s basketball, football, golf and volleyball programs. That recognition came on the heels of the league announcing that a school-record 31 UTM student-athletes received OVC Academic Medals of Honor for a perfect 4.0 GPA during the 2023-24 year.
SKYHAWK SAAC PARTNERS WITH UNITED WAY FOR “ALLSTAR READERS” PROGRAM – The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) joined forces with the United Way of West Tennessee to promote an “All-Star Readers” campaign, which got underway in September.
Earlier this summer, the United Way of West Tennessee was
FORMER SKYHAWK CROSS COUNTRY STANDOUT EDWIN KURGAT COMPETES IN PARIS OLYMPIC GAMES – Edwin Kurgat, who starred on the UT Martin men’s cross country squad from 2017-18, ran with the best in the world in the 2024 Olympic Games held in Paris, France.
Representing his home countr y of Kenya, the 28-year-old took part in the 5,000-meter finals held on Aug. 10. Kurgat finished seventh in the world with a final time of 13:17.18, less than four seconds behind gold medal winner Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway.
Kurgat won the Ohio Valley Conference cross country championship as a sophomore in 2017, posting an 8K time of 23:59.79 at the event held in Charleston, Illinois. He garnered all-American accolades after becoming the first Skyhawk male to compete in the NCAA Championship race, finishing 21st out of 254 runners with a personal-best time of 29:44.26 in the 10K.
Kurgat then transferred to Iowa State University to complete his collegiate eligibility, winning the 2019 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship with a time of 30:32.7 in the 10K.
Kurgat became the first former UTM student-athlete to compete in the Olympic Games since Rob Harbison (‘93) (rifle in 1996 held in Atlanta, Georgia).
awarded a Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of West Tennessee. The generous grant was used to fund the “All-Star Readers” initiative, which aims to foster a love for reading among children from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade across 15 counties in West Tennessee.
The “All-Star Readers” program brings together the Rockabillys Readers (in partnership with the Jackson Rockabillys baseball organization) and the Skyhawk Scholars (in conjunction with UT Martin Athletics) campaigns. This partnership encourages young students to develop strong reading habits and will harness the influence of sports to motivate children to read by providing opportunities for students to interact with athletes, attend special events and receive mentorship from role models who emphasize the importance of education and literacy.
UT MARTIN ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024 OFFICIALLY ENSHRINED
– The Class of 2024 for the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame was officially inducted on Sept. 14 as part of a luncheon at the Russell Duncan Ballroom inside the Boling University Center.
Jack Bendure (‘72) (men’s basketball, 1969-72), Kara Bergenty (‘13) (equestrian, 2009-13), Tom Britt (broadcaster, 1981-2021), Joe Gibbs (‘11) (football, 2006-09), Hunter Richardson (‘18) (golf, 2014-18) and Leonard Williams (‘93) (football, 1990-91) made up the Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
A Columbus, Ohio, native, Bendure was part of UTM’s first-ever conference championship squad in men’s basketball as the then-Pacers claimed the 1969-70 Volunteer State Athletic Conference crown. He still ranks as the program’s all-time leader in blocked shots (183), single-season blocks (78 in 1969-70) and single-game blocks (11 against Union on Jan. 17, 1970). He was an All-Gulf South Conference performer during his senior season, nearly averaging a double-double (12.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game) over his final two years in a UTM uniform. Bergenty was the first member of the Skyhawk equestrian program to be inducted into the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame. Hailing from Farmington, Connecticut, she was the first UTM rider to earn all-American accolades in back-to-back seasons, securing a spot on the honorable mention fences team as a junior before notching a second-team award in flat during her senior campaign. She racked up 43 career victories and a dozen Most Outstanding Player honors in the Jumping Seat discipline in her Skyhawk career, shattering the program’s single-season fences record for highest average score (78.5) in 2011-12.
Alabama, Gibbs logged 31 consecutive starts on the offensive line to close out his Skyhawk career. He did not allow a single sack in 23 starts over his final two seasons, including a senior campaign where he boasted all-American and All-OVC first team status at right tackle. UTM went 20-11 in OVC play during his playing tenure, including the 2006 season where the Skyhawks won their first-ever OVC title. His stellar career led to NFL opportunities with the St. Louis Rams in 2010 and Green Bay Packers in 2012.
Britt was a mainstay for four decades on the Skyhawk Sports Network, calling action on the airwaves throughout West Tennessee on numerous UTM flagship radio stations. Serving as play-by-play announcer for over 1,000 Skyhawk games, the Beech Bluff native took over as the longest tenured NCAA Division I women’s basketball play-by-play radio broadcaster in 2019 while ranking among the leaders in football play-by-play announcers in the country at the time. Included in his 52-year career in local media were 30 years as a news anchor and producer at WBBJ-TV, an ABC/CBS affiliate based in Jackson.
A two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference honoree from Brilliant,
Richardson was the first UTM golfer to garner All-OVC accolades in four consecutive seasons, starting with the 2014-15 Freshman of the Year award and culminating in back-to-back Golfer of the Year honors. He ranks fifth in NCAA Division I history with 12 career tournament victories, including two straight medalist finishes at the OVC Championship in 2016 and 2017. He helped the Skyhawks to their first-ever OVC title in 2016 and broke the league record for career OVC Golfer of the Week awards (15). The Clarksville native became the first UTM representative to play in a PGA Tour event when he took part in the Barbasol Championship in July 2019.
Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, Williams was a dynamic quarterback in the program’s final two seasons at the NCAA Division II level. He rewrote the UTM record book, leaving the program ranking first in career touchdown passes (40), second in career passing yards (4,518), second in career total offense (4,850 yards), second in career 300-yard passing games (4) and third in career pass completions (305). As a senior, he passed for a thenschool record 24 touchdowns while throwing for 2,554 yards (then the second-highest mark in school history).
Pictured (l-r) are Richardson, Williams, Britt, Bendure, Gibbs, and Bergenty.
NATALIE MARQUES SECURES OVC COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
– Natalie Marques (‘23), a graduate student on the UT Martin equestrian squad, was spotlighted in the summer as one of 20 Ohio Valley Conference Community Service Award winners for the 2023-24 academic year.
Marques joins Anna Ordonio (‘22) (equestrian, 2022-23) and Parker Stewart (19, ‘20) (men’s basketball, 2022-23) as the only Skyhawks to ever win this award. The OVC Community Service Award recognizes outstanding student-athletes for the contributions they make away from athletic competition, both on campus and in the community.
Hailing from K atonah, New York, Marques earned 175.5 hours of community service during her senior year alone. That accomplishment led to her receiving the Phil Dane Community Service Award at the UTMmys, recognizing the most community service hours of any Skyhawk student-athlete for the past season.
Marques worked weekly with Lifeline Blood Ser vices, based out of nearby Jackson. She was the primary blood drive coordinator for UTM, a role in which she recruited students to donate, set up competitions and prizes for organizations/clubs to earn through giving and helping run the on-campus drives. She personally donated every eight weeks for a Lifeline initiative that serves the entire West Tennessee region.
firstplace honors for organizations in Tennessee this past year.
As a member of the ROTC program, Marques led 5K runs and team-building exercises for teams and academic departments on campus. She was also a key member of UTM’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, helping organize the budget for the annual “Hawks for the Holidays” program run by the Northwest Division of Family Services. As part of that venture, Skyhawk student-athletes donated nearly $1,000 of their own money and worked for tips as guest baristas around town to shop, wrap and deliver Christmas presents to area children.
Marques was part of a pair of Eastern College Athletic Conference reserve championships in the last two seasons. The Jumping Seat rider helped UTM secure a top-10 ranking in all 19 National Collegiate Equestrian Association polls in 2023-24 under head coach Kim Leiter.
In the classroom, Marques compiled a 3.65 cumulative gradepoint average as she earned a spot on the UTM Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in each of the last four semesters after transferring from Sacred Heart University.
Marques also led the charge for her team to collect pull tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities as the Skyhawks earned
BIG SOUTH-OVC FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
EXTENDS
PARTNERSHIP THROUGH 2030
– After a successful first season of competition for the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Football Association that included UT Martin’s third straight conference championship, the Board of Presidents and Chancellors of the nine regionally-aligned member institutions solidified their commitment to each other with a new enhanced agreement that provides an opportunity to extend the original partnership through 2030 and beyond.
This agreement, which strengthens the structure between the Football Championship Subdivision-committed institutions, is intended to provide all members access to the automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Playoffs, long-term stability and a competitive league schedule.
The original agreement, signed in February 2022, provided for association play from 2023
DAX ISBELL SELECTED FOR NCAA STUDENTATHLETE LEADERSHIP FORUM
– Dax Isbell, a junior on the UT Martin golf team, was recently chosen on behalf of the Ohio Valley Conference to attend the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum this fall.
Isbell and Tennessee State women’s tennis student-athlete Warona Mdlulwa were picked from a national pool as two OVC representatives. They will both take part in the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum on Nov. 21-24 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Created in 1997, the NCA Leadership Forum has served as a life-changing experience for more than 5,000 student-athletes who have grown personally and professionally as a result of their attendance. Student-athletes selected to attend the forum return campus with invaluable skills, a of support
minded peers to provide continued connection and dialogue after the program concludes. This best-in-class programming experience serves as a transformational
through 2026. The new agreement, approved unanimously by all participating presidents and chancellors, now adds a “lockin” provision following the initial four-year term, which was to end after the 2026 season, for an additional four years, to provide institutions added membership certainty and stability. The framework also allows for the potential introduction of additional member institutions to the association.
The Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Football Association currently includes nine schools: Charleston Southern University (Charleston, SC), Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, Ill.), Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, NC), Lindenwood University (St. Charles, Mo.), Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), Tennessee State University (Nashville), Tennessee Technological University (Cookeville), UT Martin and Western Illinois University (Macomb, Ill.).
opportunity for student-athletes and administrators to build a leadership toolkit and develop vital self-awareness that allows them to realize their potential.
Isbell produced an All-OVC campaign in 2023-24, following up on an OVC All-Newcomer nod as a freshman. The Cumming, Georgia, native ranked sixth in the OVC with a 72.2 stroke average and placed in the top 10 in six of UTM’s 12 tournaments. He was named OVC Golfer of the Week three times and was named to the OVC All-Tournament Team.
Off the course, Isbell is a two-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and GCAA Cobalt Golf All-America Scholar recipient while boasting a 3.86 grade-point average as a sport business major. He is also heavily involved in the Skyhawks’ Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and has helped tutor students at the Martin Enrichment Academy, an afterschool nonprofit organization.
CHELSEAFARMERGUIDES
UTM SOFTBALL TO NEW HEIGHTS
Story by Ryne Rickman
Photos by Arianne Boma & Nathan Morgan
Since the day Chelsea Jones Farmer (‘12) stepped foot on the UT Martin campus as a freshman student-athlete in August 2008, she has held many titles: Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year. OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player. OVC champion. UT Martin Athletics Hall of Famer.
Last February, another title was added to Farmer’s list – acting head coach. After spending four years in the Skyhawk dugout as an assistant, the Tullahoma native took over the reins just before the season-opening Trojan Classic tournament hosted by Troy University.
In her collegiate head coaching debut, Farmer guided UT Martin to an 8-3 victory against Samford. It was a sign of things to come as the Skyhawks marched their way to 30 wins last spring, which were the second-most by any OVC program and marked just the second time that UT Martin had reached the 30-win plateau in the last eight years.
Not too shabby, considering Farmer confesses she did not fall in love with the sport of softball until her junior year as a Skyhawk.
“If you would have asked me when I was in middle school or high school if softball would have had this big of an impact on my life, I would have probably laughed,” Farmer said. “I was actually the kid who got excited when a tournament would get rained out because that meant I could go hang out with my friends for the weekend. At one point in high school, I didn’t even think I was going to play college ball – I was more in love with the relationships it brought me and the opportunities it provided me. But that’s exactly why I love giving back to the sport through coaching.”
When UT Martin Vice Chancellor of Athletics Kurt McGuffin held a nationwide search for the permanent head softball coaching position this summer, several qualified applicants threw their name into consideration. After a thorough review, McGuffin extended the offer to Farmer, and she was formally announced as the program’s fifth full-time head coach in school history on June 18.
“I’ve never been afraid to promote from within and Coach Farmer showed that she could handle the head coaching position in all aspects last season,” McGuffin said. “Of course, she played at UT Martin and had been here for several years as an assistant, so it has been a seamless transition not only on the field, but she has many connections to help with the fundraising involved for her program. It’s hard to find too many people who have the passion for Skyhawk softball as Chelsea – she’s a winner who is going to do a great job.”
A deeper dive into the details reveals just how impressive Farmer’s coaching truly was last spring. The Skyhawks won seven of their nine OVC series, including taking two out of three games against eventual league
tournament champion Southeast Missouri. UT Martin sported the best ERA in the OVC (2.48) – just a few ticks under Farmer’s career 2.46 earned-run average as the program’s staff ace from 2009-12 and nearly a full run lower than the Skyhawk output as a staff in 2023. In nonconference play, UT Martin defeated reigning Atlantic 10 Conference champion Saint Louis, Big East Conference member Georgetown, eventual Southern Conference champion Chattanooga, defending Conference USA champion Middle Tennessee, 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference champion Jackson State, future Missouri Valley Conference champion Southern Illinois, eventual NCAA Tournament participant Mississippi and in-state rival Memphis.
Although Farmer made winning look easy at times, the 2024 season was a grind behind the scenes as she learned many valuable lessons along the way.
“I knew immediately that Division I coaching is not something to be done alone and that staff management would be key,” Farmer said. “I would not have survived the 2024 spring season without the help that I had, and it made me realize how crucial it is to have a loyal, dedicated team around you. No coach can run a successful ship solo and I am beyond grateful for the team who works with me daily to build this program back up to the top.”
Seeing the Skyhawks atop the OVC standings is certainly a familiar task for Farmer. In her nine combined seasons in the UT Martin dugout as a student-athlete, assistant and head coach, the Skyhawks have produced a 284-175 record with a 138-74 mark (.651 winning percentage) against league competition. She won four combined OVC championships as a student-athlete, helping UT Martin to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2012. As a sophomore in 2010, she was part of the team that set the school record for most victories (47), winning percentage (.810) and OVC winning percentage (.880) while the squad established a new benchmark of 23 OVC wins during her senior campaign. She remains atop the program leaderboard in wins (56), games started (91), innings pitched (555.1) and strikeouts (476) and was a Class of 2022 inductee into the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame.
Following her playing career, Farmer got into the coaching profession with one season as a volunteer assistant at Middle Tennessee State University while also coaching six years at the high school level in nearby Union
City and Dresden. That experience helped mold her into the coach that she is today.
“I realized I had a specific passion not just for helping young athletes develop their softball skills but helping them find passions and interests outside the sport as well,” Farmer said. “One of my favorite parts of coaching is getting to know my student-athletes on a personal level and helping them gain confidence in who they are as a young woman. I strive to be the role model I needed to see when I was a young female athlete.”
Farmer has plenty of short-term and long-term visions for the Skyhawk program that gave so much to her.
“ The top priority is redeveloping recruiting connections,” Farmer said. “Selling UT Martin is one of my favorite aspects of this job. I love bringing recruits to campus and showing off the town, the university and the softball program. Another goal is to bring the team back to the community and the community back to the team. I make sure our recruits are around the players, coaches, administration and community as much as possible – that interaction is crucial to our success. I’m not just selling a softball program, it’s the UT Martin softball way of life – which is all about teaching our people to work hard, be good people and enjoy the process.”
It’s been a busy offseason, to say the least, for F approaches her first full-time season at the helm of her alma mater In addition to earning the head coaching gig, assembling an allnew coaching staff and retaining/recruiting student-athletes, she and her husband, Daniel (entering his second stint as a Skyhawk softball assistant coach), welcomed their second child, Foster. He will join his big sister Oaklee as the two biggest UT Martin fans in the Bettye Giles Field stands this spring.
When the 2025 Skyhawk softball team takes the field for the first time, it will be the culmination of years of hard work put forth by Farmer. She is looking forward to implementing her plans with confidence after successfully navigating the 2024 campaign.
“Being the head coach at your alma mater is a ver position to be in and is not a job that I take lightly,” Farmer said. “The coaches on staff all have championship backgrounds in some way, and the goal is to bring that knowledge and passion back to the program to help UT Martin softball back to the top of the OVC consistently. We have a lot of work to put in, but with hard work and dedication comes change.”
“
When a team comes together for a common purpose, there is no limit to what can happen.”
ARCHIVES FROM THE
ARCHIE MANNING
More than 20 years before Peyton Manning would don the unmistakable Tennessee “Power T” on his helmet at UT Knoxville, his father, Archie Manning, would wear the mark for a couple days in the summer of 1971.
Fresh off an illustrious college career at the University of Mississippi and just months away from embarking on his NFL journey with the New Orleans Saints, Manning came to Martin to lead a special sports camp at the university. The camp for junior high and high school boys was reported to be “the first of its kind to be offered in West Tennessee,” according to an article that ran in the UT Martin student newspaper, The Pacer.
Then-head football coach and camp director Bob Carroll (‘54) said the university-sponsored program offered activities in swimming, golf, tennis, weight-lifting, softball, basketball, volleyball and handball, with an emphasis on individualized instruction in the “fundamentals and techniques used in football,” the article read.
In addition to Manning, Julian Nunamaker (‘69), former defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills, helped lead the camp. The pair were also joined by thenPacers coaching staff members Carroll, Ross Elder, Grover Page, Jack Beeler and Vernon Prather (‘63, ‘72), who offered “70 years of combined experience in teaching.”
After the camp was over Manning departed UT Martin, destined for a 14-year career in the NFL. He would also become the father of Cooper, Peyton and Eli, as well as the grandfather of Arch Manning, all of whom are continuing to make their mark in the world of football.
Though his stay at UT Martin was short, his visit left a lasting impact and remains a treasured memory for the university.
A small manilla envelope with the words “Sports Camp” and “June 20-26, 1971” printed across the top holds nine 5x7-inch glossy black and white photo prints, the only images known to exist of the visit. The photos, which show area junior high and high school boys with Manning and Nunamaker, are now held in the UT Martin special collections and archives.
“From the Archives” is a feature highlighting unique and interesting items from the Alliene and Jimmie S. Corbitt Special Collections. For more information or to make a donation, contact UT Martin Special Collections and Archives at 731-881-7094 or speccoll@utm.edu.
Sports-related injuries happen to athletes, and Campbell Clinic in Memphis is known for its state-of-the-art orthopedic care for athletes and non-athletes alike. However, those same athletes, from amateur to elite, have health issues unrelated to the field of competition.
Enter internal medicine physician Dr. Jimmie Mancell (’90, UTHSC ’94) of Collierville, who treats patients at all levels as a member of the Campbell Clinic physicians team. From high school and college athletes to helping manage the NBA “bubble” protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mancell aims to keep his patients in the game. His connection to athletics and some of the top names in sports came as a sidebar to his successful medical career.
Story by Bud Grimes
Photos by Nathan Morgan & provided by Dr. Jimmie Mancell
FOCUSED ON MEDICINE
Mancell was raised in a militar y family, which brought the Mancells to live on Kentucky Lake after his father retired from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He graduated from Henry County High School and enrolled at UT Knoxville to pursue his dream to study medicine and become a physician.
His UT Knoxville academic adviser recognized quickly that Mancell had a clear career goal to study medicine and knew that UT Martin was known in the 1980s for successfully preparing students to attend medical school. He advised Mancell to consider returning to West Tennessee, where he could reach his goals and be closer to home. He stayed less than a year at UT Knoxville and returned home to pursue his academic and career interests.
Mancell studied both biology and chemistry and found academic preparation at UTM at the level he needed to prepare for medical school acceptance and beyond. Favorite teachers included biology
faculty members Carol Slack and Bill Nelson and chemistry faculty member Jubran Wakim.
“All of them … were very good about providing individual guidance when they recognized that’s what you wanted to do. … They were very engaging,” he said.
Returning to West Tennessee to attend college connected Mancell with important mentors he knew growing up such as Paris eye surgeon Dr. John Van Dyke (’70, UTHSC ‘73), which opened the door for him as a surgical assistant to practicing surgeons at the Henry County Medical Center. The experience was such that he considered becoming an ophthalmologist and returning to Paris to practice medicine.
When the time came to apply for medical school, Mancell wanted the best clinical experience possible and considered several options. For medical schools in Tennessee, he heard repeatedly that the best hands-on clinical experience was offered by the UT Health Science Center in Memphis.
“I wasn’t so much thinking about research at the time. … I wanted to go to the best place to clinically train, and I felt at the time that reputation was at the UT Health Science Center,” he said.
Mancell was accepted to the UT Health Science Center, but his first exposure to internal medicine made him question his specialty choice; the work was not as enjoyable as he had envisioned. Then, he met two mentors in the internal medicine residency program during a preliminary year of ophthalmology who showed him a different style of caring for patients that appealed to him and rekindled his pursuit of internal medicine, and he moved away from ophthalmology. The experience also revealed a love for teaching, which has followed him throughout his medical career and serves him well working with UT Health Science Center residents.
THE PATH TO SPORTS
Mancell completed internal medicine residency and added to his credentials by pursuing additional emergency medicine training. Working alongside orthopedic residents in Campbell Clinic established relationships there and in the Methodist Healthcare System.
“As I started into my career, opportunities arose in working with the physicians of Campbell Clinic in caring for local teams – the high schools, Rhodes College, the University of Memphis and the (Memphis) Redbirds when they came – I had a little bit of that established relationship of being available for (non-orthopedic) medical issues,” he said.
When the NBA Vancouver Grizzlies relocated to Memphis in 2001, Mancell and Dr. Fred Azar, longtime Campbell Clinic
chief of staff, were named team physicians, fulfilling the league requirement for lead physicians to cover primary and orthopedic care. He enjoyed the sports clinical care, pursued additional sports training, and today, he is in his 24th year with the Grizzlies while now working for Campbell Clinic.
Mancell provides primar y care services for the team, which includes clearing players medically to participate, starting in training camp and continuing through the regular season and the playoffs. He also cares for team members’ families, the coaching staff and others in the Grizzlies organization.
“So, you really become the primar y care provider for the organization,” Mancell said. “And anybody who’s an employee is certainly welcome to come see me and become an established
patient of mine as well.” Some retired athletes who no longer live in Memphis still return during visits to see him as their primary care physician.
Once the season begins, medical treatments are largely injur yrelated. Mancell is involved in both the injury and non-injury care of the home and visiting teams, referees and others associated with the Grizzlies and visiting teams on game day, which allows team physicians to work with the NBA while also maintaining a clinical practice since they don’t travel to other league cities. NBA physicians now also cover the NBA combines and most recently began covering the NBA summer leagues.
Besides seeing patients, Mancell helped create the emergency action plan for the FedEx Forum and related preparations for crisis scenarios. The most well-known, in-game emergency in recent years happened in January 2023 on national television when Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed during an NFL game with the Cincinnati Bengals following a tackle, so emergency plans are necessary for player safety.
Among his accomplishments was helping the league plan and manage the NBA “bubble” at Disney World in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic season in 2020. The league salvaged the suspended season by completing eight regular-season games and the playoffs in the “bubble” at Walt Disney World near Orlando.
Mancell – along with a few NBA physicians; the executive leadership of the NBA Players Health; NBA medical director Dr. John DiFiori; and leading infectious disease specialists in the U.S. – created the health protocols, and Mancell assumed major responsibility for managing the “bubble,” which he didn’t fully expect. But, he stepped up to lead the medical team that included administering a testing program for all participating teams to prevent COVID.
“So, people were tested ever y day, and then, those of us on the sports side then had to cover the games that were being played, and then, you stayed in the bubble.” Even today when he orders a COVID test for a patient, he addresses any related COVID-testing angst by telling the patient, “I was in the ‘bubble.’ I helped manage the ‘bubble,’ and I had to have this done to my nostril every day for the 10 to 12 weeks I was down there.”
Mancell remembers the lack of knowledge related to COVID prevention and treatment during the “bubble,” but the results he and his team achieved for the NBA were impressive. “Nothing got into the ‘bubble,’” he said. “We were COVID-free and ran that entire thing all the way to the championship.” The timing proved beneficial to the NFL, which began its season in the fall of 2020, and “because we had our experience in the ‘bubble,’ we were able to bring our experience and our information and everything to the NFL side to help them be successful with their COVID program.”
FILLING MULTIPLE ROLES
Mancell’s career spans the sports world and has him at the table addressing major health issues facing athletes. Prior to COVID and his related pandemic work with the NFL, he has worked with both leagues to improve player health and safety.
He also works with the NBA G-League’s Memphis Hustle and the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League, which is covered by Campbell Clinic. He sees the UFL providing players–including those recovering from injury–another opportunity to play professional football and possibly even earn a spot on an NFL roster.
“ That’s been a big joy of being part of that (the UFL),” he said. “I’m hoping it continues to work. I think it’s a great product.”
Also benefiting from his medical skills and knowledge are
Campbell Clinic employees who can choose to see their own physician or take advantage of Mancell’s care at the clinic, which became available when he joined the clinic full-time in 2023.
“As I got here and established that (program), I think the employees have given feedback to the leadership of the clinic that they really appreciate the ability and availability to be able to see me in the clinic providing employee health (services).”
Beyond caring for patients, Mancell has a strong track record as a physician executive. He served as associate dean for clinical affairs for the UT Health Science Center and Methodist Healthcare
System from 2013 to 2022 and was president of the NBA Physicians Association for two years, the first internist elected to the position that tilts heavily toward orthopedic surgeons. Although he has rotated off the association’s executive committee, he continues to work with the NBA executive leadership and Commissioner Adam Silver.
“Adam’s very engaged with the association leadership, and we worked together along with the other NBA leaders around player health,” Mancell said. “… And you work together collaboratively in trying to make everything as good as you can make it.”
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
It’s an understatement to say that Mancell has worked with and befriended some notable people along the way. Many doctorpatient relationships became friendships that have continued. One friendship was with the late West Virginia University and NBA great Jerry West who was Memphis Grizzlies general manager from 2002 to 2007. Mancell is even mentioned in the autobiography “West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life.”
The relationship was such that West took a personal interest in Mancell’s youngest son, Connor, and would watch videos and offer him advice to improve his game. Connor, now a freshman on the Central Arkansas University basketball team, played for Briarcrest Christian School, which won a state championship before West died in June.
“I certainly will tell you, as a friend, he was ver y engaging,” Mancell said. “We got to be very close. He took an interest in my son. He was more than willing to provide any input.”
Mancell also became friends with other familiar NBA coaches and players, including Hubie Brown, David Joerger, Zach Randolph (known to NBA fans as Zbo), Vince Carter and Lionel Hollins among others. He’s met other NBA greats that include Allen Iverson and the late Kobe Bryant.
“ You build a lot of relationships with people, and it’s been fun,” he said.
Perhaps surprisingly, he finds his high-profile patients no more demanding than regular patients he sees at the clinic. If anything, they’re more cautious about relationships and trust, and because individual players and coaches are so well known, they receive special access to see Mancell and avoid privacy issues in the clinic’s general waiting area.
“So, you have to recognize in caring for them (high-profile athletes) that you have to do things exceptionally different sometimes just for the situation,” he said. “… They may come through a side door where I come through, I meet them out there, but it’s more of an accommodation.”
(Top) Mancell (right) is pictured with Dr. Fred Azar (left) of Campbell Clinic and Hubie Brown (center), retired basketball coach and player and active television analyst; (bottom) Mancell (right) is pictured with Azar (left) and Tony Allen (center), a former player for the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies.
A LIFE STYLE, NOT A JOB
Workdays are anything but typical for Mancell. Although his work appears glamorous, his commitment to his patients comes with sacrifices, and he reminds those who want to follow his career path that only treating elite athletes won’t pay the bills – these are generally exceptionally healthy individuals who do not need medical care. This reality means he and other physicians who treat elite athletes care equally about the NBA superstar and the weekend athlete when either one needs medical care.
“ We train sports fellows, residents who’ve been interested in doing something like this,” he said. “What I’ve said to them is, ‘First of all, treat everybody the same. If you treat everybody the same, you’re going to do well.’”
Workdays are often long, and his family has often been by his side when he’s on duty for a game. His wife, Michelle, is a nurse practitioner who understands his commitment.
The Grizzlies provide family rooms so those working can be with family members on game days. In earlier years, Michelle and their sons, Liam (now a UT Knoxville senior in cinema studies) and Connor, often joined him at FedEx Forum, where family time included seeing some of the world’s greatest athletes on and off the court.
Now that the couple’s sons are grown, family pressures are fewer, but his schedule remains busy, and he’s open to the next challenge in his career. He’s never been part of an Olympics medical staff, which is a possible bucket-list item. On the other hand, he’s enjoyed success on the physician executive career track, so that’s an option.
“As I’ve told my wife, I certainly am going to stay practicing here,” he said. “I’m going to go watch my son play some college basketball, I hope,” he said. “And if opportunity becomes available in any of the sports organizations that I’m involved in, to be able to help either lead in that organization or promote player safety and health, I’m always looking for that opportunity.”
Whether you’re a famous athlete or the average person who needs medical attention, know that the doctor is always in. Dr. Jimmie Mancell has built a successful career treating all patients who need him, which always keeps him in the game.
(TheUniversityofTennessee-CampbellFoundationorthopedicresidencyprogram educatessurgeonsandphysicianstoprovideworld-classmedical care. Learn more atuthsc.eduandcampbellclinic.com.)
(Top) Mancell (left) is pictured with Marc Gasol (center), a former player for the Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers, and Azar (right); (middle) Mancell (second from left) is pictured with NBA commissioner Adam Silver (center); (bottom) Mancell is pictured with his family (from left) wife, Michelle, and their sons, Connor and Liam.
A PIONEER in WOMEN’S ATHLETICS
Bettye Giles
Story by David Snow
Photos from University Archives & University Relations
The University of Tennessee at Martin
When Bettye Giles arrived on the campus of the University of Tennessee-Martin Branch in 1952 as an instructor in physical education, there were no varsity sports for women. If the female students were interested in playing a sport, there was nothing for them outside of intramural sports.
However, the idea to provide equal opportunities – combined with her own experiences in physical education and athletic competition – led her to begin women’s athletics at what is now the University of Tennessee at Martin and leave her own mark on history.
While growing up on her family’s farm in Oak Grove, Kentucky, she and a few of her girlfriends would play football with the boys in a nearby field.
After her family moved to nearby Clarksville when she was in grade school, she played on the intramural basketball, tennis and volleyball teams at school, as there were no girls’ varsity teams available.
While studying for her bachelor ’s degree in physical education and English, a double-major, at Austin Peay State College (now Austin Peay State University), Giles found that there were no women’s varsity sports for her to take part in and was again relegated to taking part in intramural sports.
Up to that point, having no women’s sports in schools was just a matter of how things were, but the deeper her postsecondary education went, the more she thought about gender inequity in sports and how there could be more balance.
school and high school students to the UT Martin campus.
“Gosh, I was involved at UT Martin in just about all the sports,” she said from her home in Nashville. “Not as a coach, but driving a group of women across the state or into other states to play.”
Upon completing her bachelor ’s degree, Giles attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and earned her master’s degree in health and physical education in 1952.
After a brief time teaching physical education in Montgomer y County, she was hired the same year she received her graduate degree as a physical education instructor at the University of Tennessee-Martin Branch.
Giles said she immediately fell in love with the Martin campus and was impressed by its intramural program, where each student was assigned to a team.
Soon after arriving on campus, Giles began a women’s tennis program that would go on to become the first women’s sport at UT Martin to gain varsity status. She coached that team for eight years.
That year, she also became the cheerleading sponsor, holding that position from 1952 to 1973. At age 95, she still stays active with that sport to this day, helping to organize its annual camps, which she created in 1975 and plays an active role in every summer since then.
Still, Giles became more and more aware of the imbalance between men’s and women’s athletics not just at UT Martin but also nationwide, and she worked with others in women’s athletics statewide to effect change.
“I always felt that it was a genuine place to be for women who were interested in it,” she said. “I’ve spent most of my life being involved in athletics.”
Giles was a co-founder and the first president of the Tennessee College Women’s Sports Federation in 1969. The federation was established to promote intercollegiate competition and state championships in women’s sports. It started with 18 colleges and universities and grew to 34 collegiate institutions in 1973.
Those camps have grown over the years and bring thousands of middle
The TCWSF was dissolved as the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)–which was founded in 1971– and was dissolved in 1983 after losing its antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA.
However, the federation and the AIAW played a great part in the development of Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972, which banned discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance on the basis of sex.
“ We were sorry when (the AIAW) dissolved – very definitely,” Giles said. “The AIAW was our nest, as far as the women were concerned. We all felt like we lost a lot, but then, we realized that it’s going to be this way. I think we have done the best we can to help develop women’s athletics and become a part of (the NCAA).”
Giles was the university’s first and only director of women’s athletics from 1969 to 1994. She retired from UT Martin in 1995 after 43 years of service.
“I was ver y determined when I came to UT Martin to see that women’s athletics could get more dedication than they were given,” she said. “I feel like they were able to grow, and I think we did it not in a demanding type of way, but in a slow, dedicated way. We did an awful lot of background work. We were able to work with the men in athletics in a way that they felt like we were all a part of something. They were most dedicated to help us.
“the MATRIARCH of college WOMEN’S SPORTS in Tennessee”
“James Henson was the athletics director at UT Martin when I went there, and he was such a great man. He felt that we needed to have the women involved and give them opportunities, and he did that for me at the very beginning. It almost felt like I had a new father when I went there with him as my boss. He was such a wonderful man to see how we could improve things if we all got our heads together instead of fighting each other.”
For her work in the development of women’s athletics in Tennessee, Giles can be found in at least three Halls of Fame. She was inducted into the UTM Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2020 and was a member of the inaugural class of the Weakley County Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.
Her name has become a part UT Martin athletics, as the Bettye Giles Softball Field is named in her honor, as is the Bettye Giles Female Athlete of the Year Award.
UT Martin honored its pioneering female athletics director, women’s basketball head coach and superstar player on Oct. 6, 2012, when statues of Giles, Nadine Gearin and Pat Head Summitt (‘74) were unveiled at the entrance to the university’s basketball venue, the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center.
Giles has been celebrated in other areas as well. Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel – an assistant professor of global leadership studies at Belmont University and the associate director of the Global Honors program there – wrote a book titled “Title IX, Pat Summitt and Tennessee’s Trailblazers: 50 Years, 50 Stories” that was published in 2022, the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
Along with world-renowned University of Tennessee head coach Pat Head Summitt – who played basketball at UT Martin and is the honored namesake of the basketball court there – the book features chapters of interviews with the state’s noted female athletes and pioneers, including Olympic track star Wilma Rudolph; Teresa Lawrence
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Phillips, who served as an athletics director and men’s and women’s basketball head coach at Tennessee State University; Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner Beth DeBauche; and University of Tennessee basketball player and former head coach Holly Warlick.
One of the chapters in the book is about Giles – it calls her “the matriarch of college women’s sports in Tennessee” – and Giles traveled statewide in 2022 at age 93 to help promote the book.
Before she began her career in collegiate physical education, Bettye Giles saw no varsity athletics opportunities for women. By the time she retired, sports opportunities abounded for women in college nationwide.
“For the most part, I’m proud of what we did,” she said, “not because we did everything right, not that we did everything we should have, but we’ve made a program out of athletics at UT Martin. I am very proud of that.”
Hunter Ralston combines mental discipline and family support to redefine her limits in endurance sports
Story by Nathan Morgan
Photos provided by Hunter Ralston
unter Ralston (‘16) was focused, her breath steady, eyes fixed on the road ahead. The evening sun was warm against her skin, a humid 81 degrees, not typical for this time of year in Lake Placid, New York.
Ever y stride was deliberate, the rhythm of her feet hitting the pavement syncing with the beating of her heart. For a moment, the world around her faded into silence, broken only by the sound of her breathing and the steady thud of her shoes on the asphalt.
As she climbed a slight incline, her gaze wandered to the horizon, where the Adirondack Mountains reflected on Mirror Lake. Their beauty was a quiet witness to her effort, a reminder of how far she had come.
But there was no time to dwell; a casual stroll through an Ironman triathlon just isn’t in her DNA. Her focus snapped back to the road as she descended into the town of North Elba.
The crowds grew thicker, their cheers swelling like a wave that carried her forward. Her legs ached, muscles tight, but the sight of familiar faces among the spectators gave her new strength. Her family stood near the finish, waving, their voices distinct in the roar of the crowd. A smile tugged at her lips.
Success and Growth at UT Martin
R alston’s path to becoming an Ironman athlete is far from typical. While she dabbled in the usual sports during middle and high school, it was her passion for horses that truly ignited her competitive spirit and revealed her natural ability to thrive under pressure.
She spent her childhood riding and showing horses, eventually signing with UT Martin in 2011 to continue her equestrian career. At the time, UTM’s equestrian program was still in its infancy, just five years old, but Ralston takes pride in helping to build the foundation for what the team has become today.
“ We qualified for nationals all four years I was there, which was really cool,” she said. “And one year, we made it to the second round, which was a big deal because we got to compete against some really big schools.”
R alston enjoyed a standout career at UTM as a hunter/jumper, earning the titles of team captain, Honorable Mention All-American Equitation on the Flat and Bettye Giles Female Athlete of the Year. However, it wasn’t until halfway through college that she first dipped her toes into endurance sports. A running class designed to prepare students for a half-marathon sparked her interest, but it didn’t hurt that her family was already involved in triathlons and endurance races. Their enthusiasm inspired her to give it a shot.
“Eventually, you go to enough of these events, see enough people, and think, ‘Yeah, I can try that,’” she explained.
Ten years ago, she took part in her first sprint triathlon in Connecticut alongside her brother, just for fun. That experience lit a spark that quickly grew.
“I wasn’t really into endurance sports before,” she recalled. “I rode horses, played basketball and volleyball, and did AAU, but I was always better at riding. Still, this just took off. It’s cliché, but I never thought I’d be this person. And yet, here I am.”
Now, having completed 14 Ironman 70.3 (half) events, including earning an invitation to the World Championships in St. George, Utah, Ralston is fully immersed in the world of endurance sports.
Dedication and Success in Endurance Sports
R alston’s dedication to endurance sports is a natural extension of her mental discipline and love for challenging herself. After graduating from UT Martin with a degree in psychology, she pursued a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut, combining her academic background with her passion for pushing the limits of the mind and body. Her approach to racing, much like her counseling work, is deeply rooted in mindfulness and visualization.
In 2022, she completed her first full Ironman in Lake Placid, New York, a grueling test of endurance that includes a 2.4-mile open-
water swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full 26.2-mile marathon –back to back, with only brief transition moments. Because of this, Ironman is widely considered to be one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.
For Ralston, the challenge wasn’t about winning but about reaching new personal milestones. She finished in 11 hours and 53 minutes, placing fifth overall in her division, a result that surprised even her. “It went better than I could have ever thought,” she said. And because the day went so well, she said she’s not in a hurry to do another one.
Her success in the Ironman wasn’t by chance. R alston’s secret weapon is visualization. During training and races, she sees herself crossing the finish line, pushing through each stage and feeling that wave of accomplishment. She likes being in her head, focusing on the task at hand.
“Honestly, there’s so many things to be thinking about. … There’s times you get lost in your thoughts, but eating and drinking is so important, and if you even skip an hour of that, that could bite you in the butt in mile 20 on the run, even though it’s mile 50 on the bike. So there’s a lot of that. ‘What time is it? How much through this bottle should I be? When’s the next aid station?’… So there’s a lot of that kind of mental math.”
Her equestrian background prepared her for this kind of mental discipline. As an individual sport, riding horses taught her how to handle pressure on her own, lessons she carries into the world of endurance racing.
“ You get used to having all that pressure on you, with no teammates to hide behind,” she said.
Lately she has taken up cyclo-cross, a gritty form of bike racing that she describes with a smile as a chance to “smash some pedals.” Even with her Ironman accomplishments, it’s clear that for Ralston, the adventure never stops.
It’s not just about the destination; she really enjoys the journey. Every race is a process, and the progress she makes keeps her coming back. For Ralston, endurance sports have always been about personal growth rather than external rewards.
“This means nothing,” she laughs, “I do this as a hobby, for fun. I don’t make any money from it. In fact, I spend way too much on it–six bikes, endless races – I don’t even keep track of how much anymore.”
Yet, despite the cost and the countless hours of effort, she finds herself hooked on the challenge.
“Sometimes I ask myself, ‘How much better can I be?’” she said. “I know I’m not going to win a 70.3 Ironman, but can I podium in my age group? Can I get a personal best? It’s those little wins, like having my best power output at my last race, that keep me excited.”
For Ralston, the drive to improve is what keeps her going.
“Swimming used to be my weakest event, but now I think it’s my running,” she said. “It’s always about challenging myself. I’d be pretty bored without this. That’s why I hire a coach and sign up for races. If I didn’t, I’d probably just be sitting at home or going on the occasional hike. But sometimes, I have to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, it’s OK – this is just for fun.”
Empowering Women through Cycling
In addition to her personal athletic pursuits, Ralston’s passion for cycling has fueled her dedication to building a supportive community for women in the sport. What began as a small project in 2020 has evolved into a full-fledged nonprofit, Women on Wheels, a group that empowers women to get involved in various forms of cycling from road and gravel riding to mountain biking and cyclo-cross.
“I started working at a bike shop in the summers during college, and it kind of evolved from there,” she recalls. “We had this small women’s program that eventually grew, and after a while, I decided to rebrand it, make it independent of any shop, and really expand it into something bigger.”
Women on Wheels now boasts a thriving community with over 1,800 members on its Facebook page and more than 100 active participants in regular rides and events.
“It’s been amazing to see how much it’s grown,” she said. “ When we’re not riding, we’ll do some maintenance clinics with different shops in the area … We’ll do Zoom talks on all sorts of different topics from nutrition to mental health to different styles of riding. … We have a quarterly book club where we read some kind of book. We’ll do a lot of social events. … We’ll go get coffee or grab a drink after. Just because of what our group is, they very much enjoy getting out and about, and it’s like, if we get them out of the house, let’s keep ‘em out of the house for a little bit.”
Her vision for the group goes beyond just getting women on bikes; it’s about creating a welcoming space for them in a sport that can often feel male-dominated.
“ There’s a lot of respect in our community, but the cycling world is still figuring out how to make women feel more welcome. I’m glad to be part of that conversation and to help shape events that prioritize inclusivity.”
Under her leadership, Women on Wheels is breaking down barriers, connecting women to other women and fostering shared love of cycling.
The Importance of Family Support
For Ralston, family has always been the cornerstone of her athletic journey. Growing up with parents who themselves are no strangers to endurance events – they’ve both qualified for the Boston Marathon and completed a Ironman 70.3 –she was raised in an environment where staying active was a way of life.
“ They’ve always been so supportive,” she says. “My parents joke that they’re just flopping around every weekend with their 30-year-old, but they love it.”
That unwavering support is a major part of what fuels her success. Her parents are at nearly ever y race, cheering her on, giving her time splits and knowing exactly how to support her during critical moments.
“ They understand what I need, whether I’m going for a personal best or just enjoying the experience. They never make me feel guilty for how much time I put into this,” she adds.
While she admits she’s not always easy to be around in the days leading up to a race – stressed and hyper-focused on every detail – her family, and now her fiancé, Oye, have learned to roll with it.
“I’m not always the nicest person a few days before a race, but they know me well enough to give me space,” she said. “It’s incredible to have people who just get it.”
Even outside of her races, her family’s involvement doesn’t stop. R alston’s mom regularly joins group rides she leads through Women on Wheels, often hanging back to support those who might be struggling.
“It’s amazing to see how proud they are and how much they genuinely enjoy being part of this journey with me.”
As she makes the final turn to enter the Olympic speed skating oval for the finish, R alston takes a moment to reflect on what she’s about to accomplish. She envisions herself crossing the finish line knowing that she just conquered one of the most challenging races in the world. She hears legendary announcer Mike Reilly–“The Voice of Ironman”–saying, “Hunter, you are an Ironman!”
With the finish line in sight, the fatigue in her body seemed to melt away, replaced by a surge of determination. The final stretch was a blur of noise and emotion – her feet moved faster, her heart raced. And then, at last, she crossed the line, arms raised in triumph, her spirit soaring above the exhaustion.
The race was over, but the memory of every mile, every challenge and every victory would stay with her forever.
Rafielle Boone Freeman reflects on first year back on campus
Story by David Snow
Photos by University Relations
Before becoming the first lady of the University of Tennessee at Martin, Rafielle Boone Freeman (‘93) was a student herself, graduating as part of the first class in UT Martin’s accredited bachelor’s degree program in nursing.
A few years later, Rafielle married her high school friend, Yancy Freeman, who would eventually become the 12th chancellor of UT Martin.
Returning to her alma mater was a true blessing for R afielle.
“God is so amazing! He has a sense of humor, and he dreams bigger than we can ever imagine,” Rafielle said. “I love Yancy. He is my best friend, and I will follow him everywhere.
“I love UT Martin and Weakley County. This community is genuinely caring and accepting. The Martin family cares for each other’s well-being, and that’s what I love about it.”
R afielle has found that campus life offers a world of activities.
“People often ask me, ‘Oh, Rafielle, what’s there to do in Martin?’” she laughed. “I’ve been attending volleyball games, football games, art exhibits, musicals, debates and even participated in a book colloquium.”
R afielle said she loves the new Skyhawk song and video, “Up and Soaring,” posted Sept. 14 on the UT Martin Facebook page.
“My favorite lyrics: ‘Skyhawks, we are up and soaring, thriving, owning every moment. Spirit bleeding orange and navy. Bend, don’t break, and we’re still standing.’”
“ These lyrics represent me. I’m proud to be UT Martin’s first lady. I’ve experienced more empowerment, acceptance and community here than anywhere else.”
Love for her husband, faith and family are essential for R afielle.
“I will always be by Yancy’s side.”
Being closer to family has been a welcome change for the Freemans after 27 years.
“It’s created that family closeness we both missed, and my mom, dad and brother love popping in now and then,” Rafielle said.
“My dad especially enjoys meeting people and investing in them. They’ve made friends here in Martin.
“My sister Ashlie is also my friend. Her daughter, Marlie, and husband, Marlon, are a big part of my life. Ashlie’s family lives in
Nashville, but we stay connected despite the distance.”
In her free time, R afielle loves to read, walk and travel. She values her Martin girlfriends and her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sisters.
“My best friend, Kim Seymour (‘92), listens, but keeps me grounded and focused on solutions,“ she said.
Among her favorite activities are homecoming events.
“I love Rope Pull,” she said. “ There’s a science to it. This was my first Pyramid experience and second time at Lip Sync, and I got a chance to see Quad City, tailgate, attend the football game and to judge the NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) Step Show this year. Homecoming makes me reminisce about when I attended UTM over 30 years ago.
“I enjoy watching students interact at football games and the intensity of volleyball and basketball.”
Beyond campus, R afielle has connected with the community through events and organizations like Town & Gown, and she’s welcomed various student organizations into their home, including the Student Government Association, Student Alumni Association and Women of Excellence.
Professionally, Rafielle has over 30 years of experience in healthcare delivery. She currently serves as director of provider services for TennCare.
“I want Tennesseans to have access to affordable, high-quality health care to achieve the best outcomes,” she said.
Her work is hybrid, with on-site days in Nashville that help her connect with colleagues face-to-face.
R afielle is active in several boards, including the West Tennessee Healthcare Hope and Healing Foundation, where she’s working with Kevin Decker, CEO of West Tennessee Healthcare Volunteer Hospital, and Donna Stine, philanthropy director, to create community resources such as a patient and hospital outdoor rest area or a free pharmacy for those in need.
Recently, she accepted board appointments at Discovery Park of America Museum and Heritage Park and the United Way of Weakley County.
Looking ahead, R afielle hopes to mentor students in the Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences (MANRRS) program, supporting UT Martin’s strong agricultural foundation.
She also has a personal goal: “I still haven’t learned to ride a horse. That’s something I’m determined to do.”
Family is deeply important to Rafielle. Their daughter, Camille, is now a sophomore at UT Martin in the nursing program, following in her mother’s footsteps. Their son, Yancy Jr., recently earned a master’s degree in public health administration from UT Chattanooga, and he hopes to land a position in or around Nashville, a move that Rafielle supports.
“I want him closer to me, of course!” she said.
Reflecting on her first year as first lady, Rafielle feels deeply welcomed.
“ The Chancellor’s Cabinet, students, faculty and staff are so well-equipped, inclusive and kind,” she said. “I’ve been invited to events I never dreamed of. I attended a women’s faculty lunch recently and learned about their volunteer efforts, which made me proud to live here.
“It’s been such a good change. I’m rejuvenated by the present and the future of UT Martin. I am supporting Yancy’s plans to increase student and community growth.”
R afielle admires her husband’s dedication.
“I love watching him care about the future of UT Martin, the students and ever y staff member,” she said. “It’s incredible how deeply he’s invested in people, especially with all the decisions he faces daily. I am honored to serve UT Martin with my husband.”
R afielle’s mantra is “You reap what you sow.” She listens to people, embraces change, explores differences and connects with students and the community all while proudly wearing the title of “First Lady” for her alma mater.
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A Note From Alumni Relations
Alumni, it’s easy to support your alma mater...just remember SKYHAWK!
Success – Promote the success of UT Martin students by sharing UTM success stories with your communities. Follow UT Martin and UT Martin Alumni and Friends on social media.
Knowledge – Share your knowledge with a future student by speaking with a class or mentoring a student. Visit: https://connectut.tennessee.edu/
Yield – Help students yield the rewards of a top-notch education by offering internships through your company through UT Martin’s Handshake platform. Visit: https://app.joinhandshake.com/login
Honor – Honor the history and traditions of UT Martin by attending Homecoming! Visit: Alumni.utm.edu/homecoming
Action – Take action and participate in or host an Alumni Ambassador program in your community. Visit: alumni.utm.edu/events
Wisdom – Share your wisdom by participating in an alumni council or college advisory board. Visit: alumni.utm.edu/councils
Keep – Keep UT Martin in mind and share your achievements with us! We want to share your good news! Email alumni@utm.edu to share your career and life achievements.
For the most up-to-date information, news and event schedules, check out the alumni website at alumni.utm.edu.
Dr. Jackie Johnson (‘08, ‘10)
Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
As a UT Martin alumnus, your continued engagement and involvement are critical to our success. Your personal commitment of time, talent and treasure will ensure our future growth. Visit our website to discover meaningful ways you can impact your university.
Volunteer Opportunities Reunions
Alumni Council
Development Council
Mentoring Program
Young Alumni Council
Speak Out for UT Alumni in the Classroom
In addition to visiting the website, feel free to write, call or email the UT Martin Office of Alumni Relations for more information.
Office of Alumni Relations
Dunagan Alumni Center
1900 Alumni Way Martin, TN 38238 (731) 881-7610
alumni@utm.edu
Tonya Parson (‘93, ‘99) of Cordova graduated from UT Martin in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from UTM in 1999. She received a Master of Nursing degree from the UT Health Science Center in 2004.
Today, she is a nurse practitioner and is the owner and operator of NP Cares, a local provider of family care and internal medicine, and of Passport Health.
Parson has been the owner of Passport Health since 2011 and of NP Cares since 2021.
Her son, LaDarius Parson (‘23, ‘24), graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management and after, business administration. Her daughter, Tania, is a senior in high school and came to campus in September as part of the Fall Preview Days.
In 2006, Parson was voted into the Top 100 Nurses in Shelby County and received the Caregiver of the Year Award from the Tennessee Hospital Association. In 2007, she led the medical response team at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, enabling that hospital to be listed as a mentor hospital by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. Parson was named the president of the UT Martin Black Alumni Association, and in 2018, she was chosen to serve on the UT Continuedonpage59
spotlight on alums
William L. Taylor’s journey in photography began with a spark in childhood, ignited by his first camera, a Kodak Baby Brownie, gifted around age 8. This early fascination blossomed into a lifelong pursuit. By high school, Taylor had invested in a 35mm Argus A2 camera, and his college years at UTJC/UT Martin Branch further cemented his dedication. As the staff photographer for the Spirit yearbook in 1950, Taylor honed practical skills that paved the way for his professional success.
R andy Irving (‘97) graduated from UT Martin with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management. Today, he is the director of human resources at W.M. Barr & Company Inc., a position he attained last September.
“I’ve been in human-resource leadership for over 20 years,” he said. “I was with FedEx for about 16½ years. When I left FedEx, I was the director of human resource delivery for FedEx logistics. I managed their enterprise diversity efforts for many years.”
After working at FedEx, Irving worked for Nutrien as a global director of strategic inclusion before taking the position at W.M. Barr & Company.
Ir ving has also served on the Society of Human Resource Managers board of directors as the vice president of diversity and inclusion, organizing and facilitating an annual inclusion conference for five years.
“I’ve been around doing this thing for longer than I like to admit,” he laughed.
Ir ving said his educational experience at UTM helped him advance as he has.
“I think UT Martin gave me the educational foundation to be able to succeed in any environment,” he said. “I think the biggest thing it taught me was how to work with people from all walks of life. And, it taught me how to learn. So, going into any situation, I feel confident about how to do things from the skills and education that I got at UT Martin.”
Throughout his career, Taylor encountered and solved complex photographic challenges, often adhering to the “Keep It Simple, Stupid” (KISS) principle. Notably, his work with NASA required a rare blend of technical expertise and creativity. His resourcefulness extended to his collaboration on a memorable project in New Mexico, where he and a fellow photographer designed a camera rig to photograph a newly discovered cave.
Taylor’s distinctive work earned him four magazine covers: two each in True Treasures and Treasure World as well as two in the National Soaring Association magazine. His images have also appeared in New Mexico Magazine, Parade (in a spread featuring chimps playing tic-tac-toe) and on the cover of The Tarzan Club, a book by David Meek (‘48), with whom Taylor collaborated.
Professionally, Taylor’s roles were diverse, from serving the San Diego Board of Education to working as a medical photographer and a NASA photographer at both Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Langley. Taylor’s career, enriched by advanced training in lighting at Hollywood’s prestigious Art Center School of Design, concluded with his retirement from NASA Langley, alongside his wife, Millie, who served the Air Force for 30 years.
Judges Vicki Snyder (’80) and Jeff Parham (’83) are pictured during the WestStar Leadership Program’s graduation event June 18 at the Boling University Center. Snyder is general sessions court judge in Henry County, and Parham is circuit court judge for the 27th Circuit that includes Obion and Weakley counties. Snyder is a 2024 WestStar graduate, and Parham is a member of the 2018 class.
Dr. Micheal Fultz (’03), associate provost and associate vice president for academic affairs at West Virginia State University, was honored as the 2021 Professor of the Year by the Faculty Merit Foundation of West Virginia. Selected from a competitive pool of finalists, Fultz’s exceptional dedication to education and research earned him this prestigious recognition, awarded at a banquet at Charleston’s Culture Center.
Fultz graduated from UT Martin with a B.S. in chemistry and earned his Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2009. Since joining WVSU’s faculty in 2009, Fultz has taught organic chemistry laboratory and lecture classes at the basic and advanced levels, including courses for nonmajors and freshmen. He currently serves as the Department of Chemistry chair, a position he has held since 2018. Fultz was promoted to full professor in August 2021. In June 2022, Fultz was named associate provost and associate vice president of academic affairs.
Fultz has been awarded numerous externally funded research
Jennifer Schlicht (’02), executive assistant to Vice Chancellor Jeanna CurtisSwafford in UT Martin’s advancement office, was honored with the 2024 UTFI President’s Award. This prestigious award, presented at the UT Foundation’s annual forum in Franklin, celebrates her exceptional dedication, creativity and impact within the UT Foundation.
With over 20 years of service at UTM, Schlicht joined UTFI in 2021 and has been integral to its mission of advancing UT System initiatives and supporting growth. She previously worked for the Horace and Sara Dunagan Chair of Excellence in Banking – housed in the UTM College of
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grants and is a frequent and in-demand presenter, lecturer, guest speaker and panelist, both regionally and nationally.
In addition to the 2021 Professor of the Year honor, Fultz has received the WVSU Community Impact Award (2017), WVSU Excellence in Service Award (2016), and WVSU Professor of the Year Award (2013). In 2016, he was named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.
Under his leadership, WVSU’s American Chemical Society (ACS) student chapter has received numerous awards, including 12 Green Chemistry Awards and six Outstanding Chapter Awards.
In his 15 years at West Virginia State University, Fultz has dedicated himself to advancing education and research, securing over $2.5 million in grants and developing programs that inspire the next generation of chemists.
Fultz credits his time at UTM and his professors Dr. SK Airee, Dr. Phillip Davis and Dr. Jozsef Devenyi for his success.
Business and Global Affairs – for 17 years. Before joining the UT Foundation, she served as the assistant to the dean of the College of Business and Global Affairs for a year and a half.
Known for her quiet strength and leadership, Schlicht has continuously shown a “get-it-done” approach in all aspects of her work, from event coordination to budget planning. Curtis-Swafford described her as someone whose work speaks volumes about her commitment.
A former basketball player from Dresden High School, Schlicht also actively gives back to her community, serving on the Weakley County Sports Hall of Fame Board, leading the Dresden Quarterback Club and directing the annual Dresden Iris Festival. She was elected alderwoman for the city of Dresden in the November election. Her colleagues praise her dedication and the respect she commands, making her a true asset to the Foundation and UTM alike.
The UT Foundation Inc. President’s Award honors advancement staff who enhance performance, support team efforts and exemplify integrity and mentorship.
Alumni Association Women’s Council. That year, she received the 2018 UTM Outstanding Alumni Award. In her spare time, Tonya enjoys family time and traveling. In 2023, she visited London and Dubai and spent time in the Caribbean. “ Travel is my biggest passion,” she said. “I worked as a travel agent, so travel is my biggest hobby, but I really enjoy spending family time.”
spotlight on alums
Carter Vandrasik’s (’24) fascination with weather began as a child, captivated by the colorful radar maps on his TV. Today, that early interest has led him to a career as a weekend meteorologist for KRBC in Abilene, Texas.
A native of Kingston Springs, Vandrasik graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geosciences, specializing in meteorology. He chose UT Martin after discovering it offered Tennessee’s only program of its kind, moving
Huntingdon native Dawson Gremmels (‘23, ‘24) is setting out for new horizons in Montana, equipped with three degrees from UT Martin. After completing his MBA in May 2024, following a double major in marketing and economics and a major in finance, he’s now taking on a student success coordinator role at the University of Montana, where he is helping students achieve their academic and career goals.
Gremmels’ journey at UTM started in 2020. Drawn to campus life and leadership opportunities, he quickly joined the Student Government Association (SGA). Gremmels described SGA as “my main passion,” and he served students in different leadership roles during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. He was academic affairs committee chair during 202021, SGA vice president during the pandemic aftermath the next year and was elected SGA president as the post-COVID new normal settled in for 2022-23. Amid the challenges, he learned much about campus operations and leadership during those years. One positive that emerged was better use of technology during the pandemic, which he said continues to benefit the university.
to West Tennessee in August 2020 to pursue his dream. Vandrasik, like many students, began his college experience in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, recalling his early days attending online classes from his Cooper Hall residence hall room. Once in-person activities resumed, he fully immersed himself in student life, serving as president of the Student Alumni Council and managing homecoming events.
Vandrasik applied his meteorology skills on campus by serving as the chief forecaster for WUTM 90.3 “The Hawk,” where he provided daily weather briefings and severe weather alerts through the station’s social media. His experience expanded with an internship at WKRN in Nashville, where he worked closely with Danielle Breezy, the station’s chief meteorologist, and honed his social media skills for effective weather communication.
Understanding the importance of building trust through social media, Vandrasik said, “If I keep that going and build those connections ... then when bad weather comes, they will know I will be there.”
at Super Bowls LVII and LVIII, as well as NASCAR races. Reflecting on the impact of these events, he said, “You don’t really appreciate it until you’re actually there.”
Gremmels sees the move to Montana as a way to grow personally and professionally. “I wanted to find some place that reminded me of UTM that I could also help build,” he said, emphasizing his drive to support others’ success.
Beyond campus, Gremmels gained hands-on experience through the university’s sport business program, working behind the scenes
His advice? “Don’t stop listening to others. Don’t stop learning.”
Shayla Lewey (’24) of Pulaski celebrated her graduation from UT Martin with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in May 2024. However, her path to success didn’t come without challenges.
During her second semester, all classes transitioned online due to COVID-19, leading to a drop in her grade-point average and a setback when she failed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, a crucial step for aspiring licensed engineers. Despite these obstacles, Lewey remained determined to pursue her dream of becoming a civil engineer, thanks largely to the unwavering support of her faculty.
“Dr. Ray Witmer is one of those people that I could cry talking about him,” Lewey said of her professor. “He was the first person I ran to when I failed my Fundamentals of Engineering test and the first person I told when I passed.” Alongside Witmer, she credits
Dr. Tim Nipp, Eatedal Alqusaireen (‘12) and Dr. Mohammad Obadat for shaping her into the person and engineer she is today. Lewey also acknowledges the vital role her parents, Bill and Cynthia Lewey, played in her success. “I really appreciate them, and I know they did a lot for me,” she said.
Now a civil engineer at Kimley-Horn, an international engineering firm in Franklin, Lewey is focused on traffic operations and roadway design. Since starting in July, she has applied the skills she gained at UTM, earning praise from her supervisors for her strong foundation.
Beyond her academic achievements, Lewey also found love at UT Martin. She is engaged to Colton Dowell (‘21), a UTM football standout and current Tennessee Titans player, with plans to marry in June 2025.
in memory
H.J. Maxedon Jr. was an inaugural member of the UT Martin McNairy County Center/Selmer Higher Education Committee and served for more than 20 years. He was one of the first individuals to establish a scholarship endowment for students attending the center and encouraged other community members to do the same.
He attended UT Martin for two years and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business in 1954 from UT Knoxville. Maxedon dedicated over 25 years of his career to Farm Bureau. He later worked as a financial consultant before retiring at the age of 81.
He had a significant impact on local governance and community projects, ser ving on the board of directors at First Federal Savings & Loan, chairing the Republican Party of McNairy County and being an active member of the Rotary Club, where he was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow for his notable contributions to the community. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Selmer and a U.S. Army veteran (portions courtesy of Shackelford Funeral Directors).
Ray Smith (pictured right of his late wife, Wilma) long recognized the importance of education, and the impact UT Martin made on West Tennessee and beyond. He served as the UT Martin co-chair of The Campaign for Tennessee and was also the West Tennessee co-chair of the Tennessee Tomorrow Campaign, UT’s first-ever national fundraising effort. He is a past chair of the UT Martin Development Committee, a former member of the UT Development Council, and received the UT Martin Chancellor’s Award for University Service during Homecoming 2005.
In 2004, Smith and his wife, Wilma, made a generous contribution to the UT Martin Agricultural Teaching Complex. In recognition of their leadership of the project, UT Martin named the UT Martin R ay and Wilma Smith Livestock Merchandising Facility in their honor. In 2007, they made a remarkable seven-figure commitment to establish the Ray and Wilma Smith Faculty Development Endowment to fund professorships for each of UT Martin’s five academic colleges at UT Martin.
“ We believe in investing in people, and the faculty at UT Martin are among the finest anywhere,” Smith said. “The university must be competitive in recruiting and keeping top-notch professors. Our support is intended to provide recognition for excellence and incentives to attract and retain the ver y best in their fields.”
Names, graduation years, hometowns and dates of death are noted. Other names listed are UT Martin faculty, staff and university supporters. Names were submitted or identified by the Office of Alumni Relations or the Office of University Relations. Graduation dates are noted in parentheses for UT Martin graduates.
• Margie Brooks (’76) of Martin passed away May 21, 2024.
• Elizabeth Jean Bullington of Martin passed away Aug. 2, 2024 (retired from the UT Martin Office of Business Services).
• Linda Carpenter of Martin passed away July 8, 2024 (retired administrative secretary in the UT Martin Office of Undergraduate Admissions).
• Dr. Robert Eli Clendenin Jr. (’58) of Union City passed away July 16, 2024.
• Ray Coleman (’86, ’93) of Martin passed away Oct. 22, 2024 (retired assistant director in the UT Martin Department of Public Safety).
• Dr. Robert “Coach” Fleming of Tempe, Arizona, passed away June 9, 2024 (UT Martin director of bands, 1967-1974).
• Dr. James Gagen of Cumming, Georgia, passed away June 8, 2024 (retired professor emeritus of chemistry).
• Judy Hampton (‘79) of Woodland Mills passed away June 17, 2024.
• Pat Johnson of Knoxville passed away June 12, 2024 (wife of UT President Emeritus Joe Johnson).
• Dr. Edd Joyner (’79, ’80) of Martin passed away May 31, 2024 (retired UT Martin accounting and information systems faculty member in the College of Business and Global Affairs).
• Eli Keel of Lexington passed away Aug. 4, 2024 (current UT Martin student).
• Lane Last of Martin passed away Oct. 19, 2024 (retired UT Martin professor of art).
• Dr. Mary Mohs of Martin passed away Oct. 7, 2024 (retired UTM human environmental sciences faculty member).
• Mack Eugene Moody (‘76) of Bonham, Texas, passed away July 12, 2024.
• Jerry Thomas “Tommy” Patterson (’71) of Luray passed away July 30, 2024.
• Dr. Gordon Smith (’84) of Kuttawa, Kentucky, passed away May 21, 2024.
• Sabrina Dawn Godwin Snider (‘84) of Gleason passed away April 24, 2024.
• Anne Kent Spencer (‘61) of Somerville passed away May 9, 2024.
1979
Steve Potts (’79) retired as director of athletics at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Califorinia, at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year. A Nashville native, he earned a political science degree from UT Martin and his law degree from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 1982. Before serving as Pepperdine’s athletics director, Potts spent 17 years at the university as an administrator and a professor in the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. Potts returned to Malibu in July 2008 as the senior associate director of athletics after serving as the Lipscomb University director of athletics from 2000 to 2008. He then served as Pepperdine’s athletics director from January 2011 until his retirement.
1982
Mike Vaughn (‘82) is co-founder of Adora Animal Health Corp. (Adora), which announced in August that the company’s first U.S. patent, U.S. Patent 12,059,430, has published. The company invented the new process for making the key ingredient for the primary treatment of osteoarthritis in horses and dogs and the company’s branded product, AMEND, and is converting to human use as noted in the patent. Vaughn earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and lives in Franklin.
• Frederick (Fred) Harold Thompson Jr. of Jackson passed away Aug. 14, 2024.
• Caroline Fuqua Turner of Ben Wheeler, Texas, passed away Sept. 21, 2024 (retired UT Martin reference librarian).
1996
Keely N. Wilson (‘96) was elected as a Fellow of the Tennessee Bar Foundation, an association of 850 attorneys across the state. Invitations to membership, which is a position of honor, were extended to 29 attorneys in Tennessee by the Board of Trustees. She is a Partner in the firm of Rainey, Kizer, Reviere & Bell, PLC, which has offices in Martin, Jackson, Memphis, Nashville and Chattanooga. Wilson has practiced law in Jackson and the northwest Tennessee area for 24 years and resides with her family in Martin. She is a graduate of the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Her practice focuses primarily on insurance coverage and personal injury defense litigation.
2015
Clark (’15) and Shara Adcock (’19) are providing locally produced ground beef from their family farm for the Dekalb County (Tennessee) School District. Both are DeKalb County High School graduates and earned agriculture degrees from UT Martin. Their story was reported in August by NewsChannel 5 in Nashville.
2016
Dr. Stephen McBride (‘16) joined UT Southern in September as the director of career development. He was previously at Purdue University, where he served as the assistant director of graduate student
• Timmy Walker of Latham passed away April 22, 2024 (current UT Martin student).
• Ellie Claire Young (’24) of Henning passed away Oct. 19, 2024.
in memory class notes
success for the College of Engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture from UT Martin, his master’s degree in agricultural leadership, education and communications from UT Knoxville and his doctorate in agricultural sciences education and communication from Purdue University.
2020
Former Miss UT Martin Amanda MayoSaalwaechter (‘20) is teaching at Bayou Academy in Cleveland, Mississippi. Her students were awarded the opportunity to talk with astronauts aboard the International Space Station, which happened Aug. 22. Bayou Academy was one of nine schools selected to participate. She earned a degree in geosciences from UT Martin. Her grandfather Lee Mayo Jr. (‘68) is a member of the UT Martin Athletics Hall of Fame who played on the 1967 Tangerine Bowl champion football team.
Forever Communications Inc. promoted Jordan Taylor (‘20) to station manager for the Union City market. The announcement was made in October. He has served as director of sales in Union City, a marketing consultant and as a sports broadcaster for the company. Forever Communications’ Northwest Tennessee-Union City market includes WWGY-FROGGY 99.3, WENK and the local news website RadioNWTN.com. He earned a communications degree.
one last thought
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Christian Bryson, Jackson, Tennessee
For UT Martin sophomore Christian Bryson, meteorology is more than a science; it’s a service.
The Jackson resident and Madison Academic High School graduate is majoring in meteorology with an emphasis on broadcast meteorology, and he took part in the university’s new broadcast meteorology class last year.
As a broadcast meteorologist, Br yson sees the job as a means to educate and to serve the public.
“My goal is, No. 1, to communicate and educate in a revolutionary, relatable, yet still reliable manner,” he said. “For example, it’s common sense to say a hurricane is coming; therefore, every individual should evacuate – but not everybody can evacuate. Some people can’t afford to evacuate; some people are not able to evacuate.”
Br yson said he would want to use his position to inspire others to study geosciences in general or meteorology in particular.
“I want to see more people of color, bilinguals and minorities doing broadcast
meteorology or just working in the field, period,” he said. “I want to be able to be an agent of inspiration towards those that are underrepresented.
“I also want to help legislate. Heather Mathis is a meteorologist at WTVF in Nashville, and she used to work in the Jackson market (at WBBJ), where I’m from. After witnessing several tornadic events in Middle Tennessee, she worked with the state legislature and got the Safer Places Bill passed. It allows churches and other organizations to open as a shelter without liability concerns as there was a lack of storm shelters across Tennessee. I endeavor to make an impact like that.”
Br yson said he got into meteorology because of his grandmother.
“Growing up, I just remember The Weather Channel,” he said. “The Weather Channel is what got me interested in weather. I watched The Weather Channel like I did cartoons. I would watch ‘Local on the 8’s,’ and something about that fascinated me.”
On campus, Br yson is a part of the Student Alumni Council and is an atlarge member of the NAACP collegiate chapter, is a vice president of the American Meteorology Society student chapter and is the chief forecaster and a sports reporter at WUTM-FM.
Br yson’s parents are both UTM graduates. His mother, Ernelle (‘97), earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications, while his father, Maurice (‘96), earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. While they encouraged him to go to UT Martin, Christian said they didn’t pressure him to go.
“I came here because I love the campus; I love the vibe, he said. “I don’t regret a single decision I made about coming here. The faculty are great; the students are great.
“I’ve been able to find my tribe. I tell people: ‘Once you find your tribe, you’ll be able to survive and thrive.’”
