UT Martin Campus Scene Winter/Spring 2024

Hershey Executive MAKES A DIFFERENCE & CHANGES LIVES

CHANCELLOR’S CORNER

Dear Skyhawk Nation:

As I approach completing the first full calendar year as your chancellor, I have witnessed more ways that UT Martin offers a first-class educational experience. You will be impressed reading about many alumni and student accomplishments in this edition of Campus Scene. Incredible people are doing incredible things at UTM to solve incredible societal problems!

I was inspired during the first UT Martin investiture ceremony held March 15, in the K athleen and Tom Elam Center. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, professional colleagues, community members, family and friends gathered to hear my vision for the university’s future. We are starting the process to develop our new campus strategic plan for 2025-2030. The future for UTM is bright, and I am excited to lead the campus into the next decade. It will take the entire Skyhawk community to engage in delivering the experience that represents our caring and student-centered campus.

UT President Randy Boyd has suggested this will be the greatest decade in the University of Tennessee’s history. With students at the forefront, UT Martin is prepared to contribute to this historic time in specific and bold ways:

• Reach an enrollment of 10,000 students by making investments and recruiting new students through bold marketing emphasizing the value of a UTM experience and implementing proven strategies to ensure student success,

• Increase the number of international students to 5% of the student population,

• Continue to focus on affordability and access for families who might other wise believe that a UT education is somehow out of reach,

• Increase graduate enrollment by investing in the most desired disciplines “to fill jobs that have not even been created yet,” and

• Focus on capital projects and working to ensure state-of-the-art facilities with cuttingedge technology.

UTM cares about our students, our employees, this community and our state. The University of Tennessee will not have the greatest decade in UT history without a strong contribution from the University of Tennessee at Martin. The theme for the investiture was “Ready, Set, Soar!” Skyhawks soar in the classroom, within student organizations and in their chosen field of work. Let’s soar together! I hope you enjoy this publication, and our celebration of the contributions from people connected to the UTM community.

All the best,

Dr. Yancy E. Freeman, Sr.

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Dr. Genessa Smith Department of

Chemistry & Physics

Genessa Smith is an associate professor of chemistr y and has been at UT Martin since 2012. She earned her Ph.D. at Colorado State University and her bachelor ’s degree at Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

Smith’s training is in organic chemistr y; she also teaches courses in general chemistry, introductory biochemistry and medicinal chemistry.

“Organic chemistr y deals with the structure of molecules and how molecules react with each other,” she said. “I really like the applied aspect of that as well, exploring why some molecules are biologically active and how they interact with enzymes and receptors.”

Smith conducts research with undergraduates on the laborator y synthesis of biologically useful molecules that are found in bay leaves and black tea.

She presented at a regional meeting of the Kentucky Lake Section of the American Chemical Society on Feb. 1 at Murray State University and at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society on Aug. 13-17 in San Francisco.

“I compiled 10 years of work and tried to tell the stor y of what I’m doing with undergraduate students,” she said. “It was gratifying because the presentation was well-received. I had graduate students come up to me afterward and say, ‘I can’t believe you’re trying to do natural products synthesis with undergrads; I’ve never heard of anybody tr ying to do that before.’ It was validating.”

Smith said it is more common to do methodology-type research at an undergraduate institution, where students are running the same basic reaction over and over but tweaking one variable each time.

“ That’s a typical kind of research to do,” she said. “With the kind of research that I do, where you’re trying to do a multi-step synthesis, every reaction is totally different than the last one. If something doesn’t work and you’ve hit a roadblock, then you have to go back to the beginning and redesign the whole thing. Then, you’re doing even more new reactions.”

Smith is a native of Berthoud, Colorado, located between Denver and Fort Collins.

“ When I left college with my bachelor’s degree, I actually had no intention of going to graduate school,” she said. “But then, I spent some time working in the industr y, and I loved it.

“I ended up working with several women who were mentors and role models for me. Seeing women who had families and could also do chemistry really well was inspirational to me. I realized that the two are not mutually exclusive paths.”

Smith and her husband, R yan, will celebrate their 20th anniversary this summer. They have two children, Ada, 10, and Toby, 8.

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 Interim 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

AgCreate, Nathan Morgan, Dylan Ingram (’23), Tim McCoy (’90), Erika O’Brien, David Snow

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.

45,000 copies printed by Lane Press, South Burlington, Vermont

Dr.

By Bud Grimes

Hershey

By Bud Grimes and Tim McCoy

Kim

By David Snow

By Bud Grimes

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INVESTITURE OF THE 12TH CHANCELLOR OF UT MARTIN – Chancellor Yancy Freeman speaks during his investiture ceremony March 15 in the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center. Freeman is the 12th chancellor for UT Martin and the first African American chancellor at an undergraduate University of Tennessee campus. The investiture served as a platform to celebrate the university’s commitment to academic excellence and its mission. The event underscored the importance of recognizing and supporting the new chancellor ’s role in guiding the university community toward its collective goals.

Freeman was confirmed as UT Martin’s chancellor in July 2023, with his appointment effective Aug. 9, 2023. With the theme of “Ready, Set, Soar!,” the investiture contained the pomp and ceremony usually seen in graduation ceremonies and other formal events.

“ When I first started talking about an investiture, I worried that folks would believe that this program was, somehow, to celebrate me,” he said. “I hope anyone who spends 30 seconds with me can feel my energy and passion for others and their success.

“ This program is a celebration of the things that are happening at UTM and the wonderful things to come in the near future.”

AERO ENGINEERING – The UT Martin aero engineering team took fifth place among 26 international teams at the 2023-24 Society of Automotive Engineers Aero Design Competition, the highest finish of any team from the United States in its class level. The team competed in the regular class in the East Group at the competition held March 8-10 in Lakeland, Florida. The team was led by Dr. J. Douglas Sterrett, semi-retired professor of engineering, and Dr. Ashley Owens, assistant professor of engineering. All six team members are seniors, but none of them is an aeronautical engineer. All of them are mechanical engineers. Members of the UT Martin aero engineering team were (l-r) Josiah

Tingley of Cordova, Clint Southworth of Bagdad, Kentucky, Jack Nanney of Martin, president Haley Baker of Arlington, Alec Beaman of Franklin and Gavin Olson of Collier ville.

THREE ALUMNI RECEIVE AWARDS AT HOMECOMING

– Three alumni were recognized with awards during Homecoming festivities on Oct. 21, 2023. Those earning alumni awards were:

• Brandon Anderson (‘19), (pictured above right) Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Anderson graduated with a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance. He is a financial planner with Prudential Advisors and is a resident of Frisco, Texas.

• Dr. Julie Basler (‘95), (pictured above left) Outstanding Alumni Award. Basler graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English, earning her master’s degree in English from Murray State University and doctorate in English from Middle Tennessee State University. A resident of Aurora, Colorado, she is the president of Platt College in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and the author of three Pearson writing workbooks and several national articles.

• James Wingett (‘83), (pictured above middle) University Service Award. Wingett graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He also attended the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Delaware. A resident of Memphis, Wingett has 40 years of experience in financial services, encompassing commercial banking, insurance, investment banking and investment management. He co-founded Wolf River Capital Management in 2008 after leading FTN Financial’s structured and corporate finance groups.

The awards were presented during the annual Chancellor ’s Brunch and Alumni Awards Program prior to the opening of Quad City. The award winners were also recognized after the first quarter of the Homecoming football game against Charleston Southern.

UTM, VOL STATE-SPRINGFIELD BEGIN ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP

– UT Martin and Volunteer State Community College in Springfield have formed an academic partnership that was made official on Nov. 29, 2023, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the Robertson County campus.

The partnership allows students to pursue postsecondar y education in the agriculture, education, health care and technology sectors onsite at the Vol State campus. Agriculture business will be the focus of the first phase of the partnership, which began in January.

Vol State will deliver technical certificates and associate degrees to students pursuing those career paths, while UT Martin will provide access to bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Erica Bell, the executive director of the UTM Office of Regional Centers and Online Programs, said the partnership will expand educational opportunities to people in northern Middle Tennessee.

“ This collaborative partnership between Vol State-Springfield and UTM marks a pivotal moment in our commitment to providing seamless and supportive educational pathways for students in Robertson County and surrounding communities,” she said. “By bridging the gap, this collaboration will ensure that students can access a high-quality, affordable four-year UT degree close to home.”

Bell added that a crucial aspect of this partnership will be fostering awareness and enthusiasm among students and families

about the expanded educational opportunities it presents, with a specific focus on addressing the local college-going rate.

“In Tennessee, 64 out of the 95 counties – including Robertson County at 37.2% – have a college-going rate below the statewide average of 54.3% for the class of 2022,” she said.

The partnership will enable people to pursue associate degrees up to graduate degrees without leaving Robertson County or surrounding communities, providing 360-support through a dual admission agreement that will allow students to be enrolled at both schools simultaneously and receive support from both as they follow their career study path.

Vol State sought to form a partnership that could provide agriculture education opportunities in Robertson County. The two schools will also work with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture to provide hands-on training at UT’s Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center in Springfield.

“As a beacon of academic excellence and engagement, this partnership extends UTM’s footprint to meet the ever-evolving needs of diverse students across Tennessee,” Bell said.

“It also leverages the convenience of the Springfield site, delivering inclusive, high-quality education to dual enrollment, traditional and nontraditional learners, empowering them to become UT alums, leaders and active contributors to their communities.”

UT Martin Chancellor Yancy Freeman (center right) and Dr. Russ Deaton, the interim president of Vol State Community College in Springfield, cut the ribbon Nov. 29, 2023, in a celebration of an academic partnership between the two institutions. Also pictured along the ribbon are Dr. Meredith Young (to the left of Deaton), the director of the Vol State Springfield Center, and Erica Bell (to the right of Freeman), the executive director of the UTM Office of Regional Centers and Online Programs.

RESIDENCE FACILITIES NAMED FOR UTM PIONEERS

– Jessie Lou Arnold (‘65) was the first African-American student at the University of Tennessee at Martin, enrolling on June 12, 1961. The moment was reported by newspapers across Tennessee.

Arnold, now Jessie Lou Arnold Pr yor, was encouraged to be the first by Harold Conner Sr., her principal at the Weakley County Training School who later became the first African-American administrator at UT Martin.

Conner, who was known as “Dean Conner,” joined the staff at UT Martin in 1969 as the assistant dean of students, later becoming the assistant vice chancellor for student affairs.

Dr. Harold Conner Jr., the son of the late assistant dean of students Harold Conner Sr., speaks at the naming ceremony on Oct. 20, 2023, about his father, for whom the UT Martin residential facility known as Conner Community is now named. His father was also a mentor, principal and coach for another honoree, Jessie Lou Arnold Pryor, the first African-American student at UT Martin, for whom the residential facility Arnold Pryor Place was named that day.

On Oct. 20, 2023, both pioneers were remembered by having residence facilities named in their honor. Arnold Pryor Place reflects the courage and determination that the student had in those first years of campus integration. Conner Community memorializes the vision and mentorship of the former administrator.

The buildings were formerly known, respectively, as University Village 1 and University Village 2, but now they have names, names of honor that will last for years to come.

Dr. Mark McCloud, the vice chancellor of access and engagement, led a ceremony held between the two facilities and spoke about the history of Pryor and Conner.

“ Their remarkable journey as the first Black student and first Black administrator have left an indelible mark on our institution, and we are proudly, profoundly thankful for their dedication, courage and leadership,” he said.

Pr yor was unable to attend the ceremony, but she asked Student Government Association representative sophomore Favour Osisioma of Medina to read a speech that she sent to her.

“I know it took many people to make today a reality, and I am grateful to all of them,” the speech read. “…When I learned that a residence hall was to bear my name, I was dazed and speechless. I felt much like I did in the weeks before I first entered UT Martin, when sleep eluded me and I was overwhelmed.

“I was especially humbled to learn that I would be honored

along with a man I had such deep respect and admiration for, Professor Harold T. Conner Sr. He was my teacher, basketball coach, high school principal and guidance counselor. I also knew him as a man of God. I have many fond memories of times with him, his wife and his children in those early years.”

Conner ’s son, Dr. Harold Conner Jr., spoke on behalf of the Conner family and also thanked those involved with bringing about the naming of the residence hall in his father’s honor.

“I would like to talk a little bit about the life and legacy of Harold Conner Sr.,” he said. “Many of you knew him as educator, as coach, as mentor, as lecturer. He was several things to several people.”

Conner said his father had to take a bus from Fulton, Kentucky, to McKenzie every day to finish high school. He then fought in World War II, got married and had three children.

“Before he came here as a dean, he taught me math and science and talked a lot about engineering,” he said. “So, I decided, ‘I’m going to be one of those engineers that he’s talking about.’ So, he was instrumental in my career and many of yours.

“…’I tried to get Black students to fulfill their highest potential,’ and I think any of you who were around him for any length of time know that’s what he would say.”

UT MARTIN’S GROVE APARTMENTS DEMOLISHED – UT Martin’s Grove Apartments were home for decades to married students who attended the university. Later, they also served as meeting space for university sororities and housed international students. The apartments, located on the city block surrounded by University, Moody and Oxford streets and Lovelace Avenue, became part of UT Martin’s past in December 2023 when the units were demolished.

According to the Paul Meek Library’s “History of the University of Tennessee at Martin” website, the Grove Apartments were built in 1964-65 on part of the property given to the Hall-Moody Institute, the predecessor to UT Martin, by prominent local businessman W.H. Lovelace. Ten buildings containing 88 apartments were built in Lovelace Grove to house a growing number of married students. The complex also supplemented housing for single male students until new men’s dormitories were completed in 1966-67. The apartments were last occupied in May 2019.

Plans to use the space are not final, but the cleared site will initially offer more green space and a gathering point for different activities.

UTM, JSCC ENTER DUAL ENROLLMENT

AGREEMENT

– UT Martin and Jackson State Community College entered into a dual-enrollment agreement April 3, providing a seamless pathway to transition from JSCC to UT Martin.

Dual admission for first-year students is available to students who meet admission guidelines for both schools, have a 3.0 or better high school grade-point average (GPA) or a 2.7 high school GPA and a minimum ACT score of 21 or SAT score of 980.

Students can transfer from JSCC to UT Martin with a completed associate degree at JSCC or have completed 60 hours at JSCC with a minimum 2.0 GPA.

“ We are thrilled to partner with Jackson State Community College,” said Chancellor Yancy Freeman. “Students have an incredible opportunity for training, gaining credentials and getting degrees in West Tennessee.”

JSCC President Carol Rothstein said the agreement was years in the making.

“Over the years, we have seen more than 1,000 students transfer from Jackson State to UT Martin successfully,” she said.

“ We are here today to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to support student success and community prosperity by renewing and reconfirming this partnership.”

Pictured is Freeman (left) shaking hands with Rothstein at the ceremony announcing the dual enrollment agreement April 3.

THOMSEN AWARDED HONORARY

DOCTORATE – UT Martin’s agricultural business program is among the top majors pursued by UT Martin students. It’s only fitting that the program’s creator, Dr. Rodney “Doc” Thomsen (‘71) of Dresden, was honored for his vision, and the university did so in a notable way. Chancellor Yancy Freeman conferred an honorary doctorate of agricultural business degree on the retired faculty member Nov. 6, 2023, in the Tosh Family Auditorium located in Brehm Hall. The backdrop in the historic academic building was the actual classroom where Thomsen first taught classes when he was a faculty member.

Thomsen was raised on a Madison County farm, earned his bachelor’s degree at UT Martin and returned to the university in 1975 to teach after earning his master’s and doctoral degrees at UT Knoxville. His college teaching career began at the age of 25.

In addition to teaching, he was named acting director of the university’s Ned Ray McWherter Agricultural Pavilion in 1983 and director a year later – a position he held until his 2002 retirement. He oversaw traditional events, including UT Martin’s annual collegiate rodeo and Santa’s Village charity event.

Among his honors were receiving the UT National Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award in 1996 and induction into the UT Martin Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2002. He was awarded the title of professor emeritus of agricultural economics after retiring.

Dr. Todd Winters, the dean of College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, recognized attendees at the event, which included many of Thomsen’s past students and former UT Martin chancellors Bob Smith and Nick Dunagan. Winters credited Thomsen as founder of the university’s successful agricultural business program.

Freeman, who later conferred the honorary degree – his firstever degree conferral – followed Winters and spoke further about the agricultural business program’s importance. He noted that the program has grown to more than 300 majors and seven faculty members, which is one of the university’s largest agriculture and overall academic offerings.

After Freeman completed his remarks and before the hooding ceremony began, Ernie Roberts (‘78) of Friendship, a former member of the rodeo team, stood and asked to speak before the degree conferral. He recalled that Thomsen convinced him that he should change majors to improve his prospects of earning a

degree. Roberts joked that he earned a degree in another major six years later, thanks to Thomsen’s guidance and intervention. The ceremony was completed, and the “Doc” Thomsen stories continued at a reception in another part of the building.

Among the attendees was Dr. Joey Mehlhorn, agricultural economics professor and graduate studies dean, who was hired to replace Thomsen in 2003.

“ You can never replace anybody like ‘Doc’ Thomsen,” Mehlhorn said. “The students would all tell me stories. … They really loved that man, so I could tell that when I came here.”

Mehlhorn described Thomsen as “a visionar y person that came up with the idea” of having an agricultural business program.

“Rodney was a great faculty member,” he added. “If you talk to alumni, to have the kind of things that they say about him all these years later, that man truly made an impact on their life, and I think that’s something that really all faculty members should strive to do that someday.

“And it’s really humbling to see these people say those things about him, so really cool.”

After his degree was conferred, Thomsen told those gathered in his honor, “The best times of my life were at UTM.” He reminisced briefly and added his appreciation for everyone’s attendance, “I thank every one of you. God bless everyone.”

Those attending would likely agree that “Doc” Thomsen’s impact on the university goes far beyond the classroom and serves as a reminder that one person can make a lasting difference.

Dr. Rodney “Doc” Thomsen received an honorary doctorate of agricultural business degree Nov. 6, 2023, from UT Martin in the Tosh Family Auditorium located in Brehm Hall. The backdrop in the historic academic building was the actual classroom where Thomsen first taught classes when he was a faculty member.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CONTINUES POSTSEASON RUN UNDER MCMILLAN – A record-setting run for the Skyhawk women’s basketball program continued in 2023-24 as UT Martin qualified for the postseason for the 10th time in the last 14 seasons, receiving the Ohio Valley Conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The Skyhawks overcame a slew of injuries – seven of which were season-ending – to finish 11-7 in league play, which tied for second in the standings. Since regular-season champion Southern Indiana was ineligible because of NCAA reclassification rules, UT Martin earned the right to represent the league after a victory over Little Rock in the OVC Championship tournament semifinals. It marked the Skyhawks’ fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2014.

UTM traveled to Iowa City, Iowa, to take on Patriot League champion Holy Cross as part of the “First Four” portion of the NCAA Tournament bracket. The Skyhawks fell 72-45 but gained invaluable experience, as nine of the 10 players who competed in that game were underclassmen.

Under four-time OVC Coach of the Year Kevin McMillan, UT Martin has made the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2024. The Skyhawks additionally have appeared in the Women’s NIT in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2021 while also qualifying in 2020 before the event was canceled.

FOOTBALL WINS THIRD STRAIGHT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

– An adjustment in conferences didn’t matter to the 2023 Skyhawk football squad as UT Martin won a share of its third consecutive league title, topping the newly-formed Big South-OVC Football Association in the fall.

The Skyhawks went 8-3 overall with a 5-1 record in league play with their only conference setback coming to co-champion GardnerWebb by a 38-34 margin on the road in the final seconds. Despite an impressive resume, UT Martin was snubbed out of a spot in the 24-team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoff field.

The 2023 Skyhawks were ranked in 10 separate weeks, reaching as high as No. 13 in the American Football Coaches Association poll (Oct. 23 and Nov. 13) and No. 14 in the Stats Perform rankings (Oct. 23). UT Martin was ranked in the final editions of each poll, checking in at No. 23 in the AFCA rankings and No. 25 in the Stats Perform poll.

A total of 13 Skyhawks nabbed All-Big South-OVC accolades while five UT Martin players garnered all-American accolades. That prestigious list includes Aidan Laros, who was voted as Big SouthOVC Football Association Special Teams Player of the Year and National FCS Punter of the Year.

As a team, the Skyhawks ranked in the top 25 nationally in 13 separate team categories, including top 10 in fourth-down conversion percentage (.739, fourth), rushing defense (96.3 yards per game, sixth), total offense (439.8 yards per outing, eighth), rushing offense (223.0 yards per contest, eighth) and net punting (40.83 yards, ninth).

The conference co-championship was the fifth football title in school history and fourth under Jason Simpson (2006, 2021, 2022, 2023), the longest-tenured head coach in the conference at 18 years.

UT MARTIN ATHLETICS EXCELS ONCE AGAIN IN CLASSROOM

– The Skyhawk athletic program formed yet another incredible semester in the classroom during the fall 2023 term, combining for a 3.24 cumulative grade-point average.

Last fall was the eighth straight semester that UT Martin studentathletes had accumulated at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA. Overall, 233 Skyhawks maintained at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA while a total of 61 UT Martin student-athletes achieved perfect 4.0 GPAs for the semester. Of those 61 Skyhawks, 26 student-athletes kept an unblemished 4.0 GPA for their collegiate careers.

Since the UT Martin athletic program began its run of academic success in the spring 2020 semester, a total of 1,817 Skyhawk student-athletes have recorded a GPA of at least 3.0 GPA.

SKYHAWK MEN’S HOOPS WINS FIRST OVC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP IN 15 YEARS –

The 2023-24 UT Martin men’s basketball squad will hang a banner in the rafters of the Kathleen and Tom Elam Center after the Skyhawks captured the Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship for just the second time in school history.

UT Martin tied the program record for most regular-season wins (21) and OVC victories (14) en route to their championship run, tying Tennessee for the most league wins amongst the 12 NCAA

AIDAN LAROS VOTED NATIONAL PUNTER OF THE YEAR

– Aidan Laros capped off a remarkable debut season in a Skyhawk uniform by being named the 2023 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Punter of the Year by the Augusta Sports Council.

Chosen from a field of 10 semifinalists, Laros was tabbed from a national voting committee who evaluated each punter’s overall statistics and contribution to the team.

A Cape Town, South Africa, native who transferred to UT Martin from Charlotte, Laros was a weapon for head coach Jason Simpson’s conference co-championship squad. He topped the nation in punting average and was voted a consensus first team all-American as well as Big South-OVC Special Teams Player of the Year.

The redshirt sophomore led the FC S in punting and set a new program record by averaging 47.2 yards per attempt with a net average of 41.48 yards. Laros booted 18 punts of 50 yards or more – including a pair of season-long 70-yarders. Overall, 16 of his punts landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with only seven touchbacks.

Division I programs located in the state of Tennessee. The Skyhawks defeated each conference member at least once for only the third time in school history and entered the OVC Championship tournament on a sevengame winning streak – the longest since the 2015-16 campaign.

UT Martin led the country in defensive rebounding per game (31.06) and ranked in the top 25 nationally in total rebounds per game (41.22, sixth), fastbreak points (14.69 per contest, 14th) and scoring offense (81.5 points per outing, 21st). The Skyhawks additionally set the all-time school record in rebounding (1,319) and free-throw percentage (.771) while producing a trio of All-OVC performers (first-teamers Jordan Sears and Jacob Crews and second-teamer Issa Muhammad). UT Martin also combined for 13 OVC weekly honorees, including a school-record seven Players of the Week and six Newcomers of the Week.

The conference championship was the fifth men’s basketball title in program history, joining the OVC regular-season crown in 2008-09, Gulf South Conference regular-season championships in 1987-88 and 1982-83 plus the Volunteer State Athletic Conference tournament title in 1969-70.

SKYHAWKS ACCOMPLISH RARE FEAT WITH FOOTBALL/MEN’S BASKETBALL CONFERENCE

TITLES – There are 363 NCAA Division I schools, but UT Martin found itself in extremely rare company during the 2023-24 campaign. The Skyhawks were one of just four universities to win both a football and men’s basketball regular-season conference championship.

UT Martin won the inaugural Big South-OVC Football Association title with a 5-1 record while going 8-3 overall in 2023. Four months later, the Skyhawks topped the Ohio Valley Conference standings with a 14-4 record as part of a 21-11 overall mark.

Only Toledo (8-0 in the Mid-American Conference in football, 14-4 in men’s basketball), Richmond (7-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association in football, 15-3 in the Atlantic 10 Conference in men’s basketball) and South Dakota State (8-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, 12-4 in the Summit League in men’s basketball) joined UT Martin in accomplishing that remarkable feat.

athletics

JEREMY SHULMAN INTRODUCED AS UT MARTIN HEAD MEN’S BASKETBALL COACH

– UT Martin Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Kurt McGuffin tabbed Jeremy Shulman as the 13th head men’s basketball coach in school histor y A public reception to welcome Shulman and his family was held on campus April 1.

Shulman replaced R yan Ridder, who accepted the head coaching position at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, after three seasons at the helm of the Skyhawk men’s hoops program.

A Nashville native, Shulman spent the last 14 seasons as head coach at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Florida. He became the program’s all-time wins leader (346 victories) and elevated the Titans to a national powerhouse, piling up 11 conference championships in the last 12 seasons with a pair of Final Four and three Elite Eight appearances in the NJCAA Division I Tournament. He won 80.9 percent (152-36 record) of his conference contests at the helm of Eastern Florida State.

A nine-time conference Coach of the Year, Shulman averaged 24.7 wins per season (including the COVID-19-shortened campaign). Overall, he won 76.4 percent of his games after taking over a Titan squad that was coming off a seven-win season and had not been to the postseason in 11 years.

Shulman posted a dozen 20-win seasons and a pair of 30-win campaigns at Eastern Florida State. He placed at least four players on an all-conference team in every season, mentoring 78 all-league selections and six conference Players of the Year. He was inducted

STUNT COMPLETES INAUGURAL SEASON –

After a highly successful trial run of exhibitions in 2023 while awaiting NCAA certification, the UT Martin STUNT team wrapped up its inaugural season this spring.

STUNT was announced as the Skyhawks’ newest athletic program in June 2021, but NCAA legislation wasn’t approved as an emerging sport at the Division I level until August 2023. UT Martin became the first program in Tennessee to compete in the sport, posting a 6-2 record in an eight-game exhibition schedule in 2023.

Coached by Amber Minton and assistant Mindy Halverson (’07), the Skyhawks took part in 10 regular-season competitions in 2024, traveling to St. Louis and Nashville with four home competitions sandwiched in the middle. The program’s first official victory came on the opening day of the season – a 20-6 triumph over the University of Central Arkansas on

into the Florida College System Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2023.

In addition to his success on the hardwood, Shulman preached academic success as his Titan program boasted a whopping graduation rate of 98 percent.

Prior to his stint at Eastern Florida State, Shulman spent three seasons as an assistant coach at East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Mississippi. He also founded and coached the Midstate Ballerz Elite AAU program, winning 415 games over 10 seasons while producing 126 players who earned collegiate scholarships.

Shulman, 44, graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a double minor in athletic coaching and psychology. He is married to the former Evi Vilde of Riga, Latvia (a former All-Conference USA volleyball player at the University of Central Florida), and the couple has three children – Jordan, Mila and Giannis.

March 3. UT Martin’s first home triumph occurred six days later in the home opener, defeating Southern Arkansas University by a 14-0 margin inside Skyhawk Fieldhouse.

UT Martin’s strong showing led to an invitation to the STUNT National Championship tournament, which was held in Lexington, Kentucky, April 13-14.

Created by USA Cheer, STUNT is a discipline of competitive cheerleading that removes the crowdleading element and focuses on the technical and athletic components of cheer.

STUNT features two teams in a head-to-head four-quarter competition in a 45- to 60- minute event that is scored based on execution.

Quarters of a STUNT competition include partner stunts, pyramids/ tosses, jumps/tumbling and a team compulsory routine. A total of 57 colleges or universities nationwide sponsored the sport of STUNT in 2024.

DYLAN MOTT EARNS

PRESTIGIOUS OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE

SCHOLARATHLETE AWARD –

Skyhawk volleyball and beach volleyball star Dylan Mott (’23) was one of six recipients of the Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Award, which is considered the highest individual accolade that can be earned by an OVC student-athlete.

Each year, three male and three female student-athletes are selected from a group of finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.5 grade-point average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC.

Mott became the first Skyhawk winner of this award since Takeem Young (’21) (football, 2021-22) and the 20th different UT Martin student-athlete to receive the award. Mott is just the third Skyhawk volleyball representative to win this honor and was

SKYHAWKS ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY SERVICE

– Along with their hard work athletically and academically, the Skyhawks made a major impact on the social front during the 2023-24 academic year.

In conjunction with the UT Martin Student-Athlete Advisor y Committee, the Skyhawks have hosted the Upper West Tennessee Special Olympics – Area 7 group for multiple events during this academic year.

The Special Olympics athletes were invited to throw out the first pitch at a UT Martin softball game and an exclusive practice with the Skyhawk soccer team in September. The Special Olympics group then partnered with both UT Martin men’s and women’s basketball programs for a “Play Unified Day” in October before the West Tennessee Special Olympics Spring Games took place in mid-April.

The Skyhawk SA AC leaders also launched their annual “Hawks for the Holidays” initiative in December, taking part in the “Weakley Wishes” program run by the Northwest Division of Family Services. UT Martin student-athletes donated nearly $1,000 of their own money and served as guest baristas around town, working for tips

the first UT Martin female to bring home the award since Katie Schubert (’17) (women’s basketball) in 2014-15.

Hailing from Hendersonville, Mott just wrapped up her junior season in 2023-24. She helped the Skyhawks to their first OVC regular-season volleyball championship in two decades in 2022 and is one of just 13 players in school history to reach 1,000 career digs – entering her senior campaign ranking fourth on the program’s all-time list in that category. In the sand, she has helped guide UT Martin to two straight NCAA Tournament appearances as the Skyhawks swept the OVC regular-season and tournament championships in both 2022 and 2023, and shared the 2024 regular-season title. She became the first UT Martin honoree to win OVC Freshman of the Year honors and dialed up All-OVC first-team accolades in each of her first two seasons.

Mott’s academic resume is flawless, as she obtained three OVC Medals of Honor for a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in her first three seasons. A management major, she is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success as well as the Skyhawk Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Mott has taken part in several community service ventures during her tenure as a UT Martin student-athlete. Through her major, she volunteered at Super Bowl LVII, the PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, a baseball exhibition between Tennessee and Memphis in nearby Jackson and the Jackson-Madison County African-American Chamber of Commerce Celebrity Golf Classic. She additionally assisted with local Relay for Life events, university food drives and the Weakley County Sports Hall of Fame.

to purchase gifts for foster children. The Skyhawk studentathletes gathered to shop, wrap and deliver presents to many area families/ children on Dec. 6, 2023.

In Januar y, UT Martin SAAC participants visited Holice Powell Elementary School in Dyersburg for “Take A Skyhawk To School Day.” The UT Martin student-athletes had a meet-andgreet in the main gymnasium for the student body, holding a question-and-answer session while teaching basic drills in each of their sports. They also visited classrooms and read to the students, preaching good sportsmanship in the process.

DR. JOSEPH E. “JOE” JOHNSON 1933 - 2023

THANK YOU, DR. JOE.

Dr. Joseph E. “Joe” Johnson loved the University of Tennessee, and the UT System president emeritus had a special bond with UT Martin and West Tennessee. He died Sept. 29, 2023, in Knoxville and left a leadership legacy that will impact the university for generations.

Johnson worked more than 50 years for UT, and in that time often traveled west to attend UT Martin commencements, meetings, fundraising events, sports and historic gatherings such as the June 1995 dedication of the expanded Paul Meek Librar y (next page, top left). He was always ready and willing to support UT Martin alumni, students, faculty and staff.

Johnson is likely best remembered among the UT Martin faithful for his significant role bringing a four-year engineering program to Martin, which was approved in July 1996 by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. The Joseph E. Johnson Engineering and Physical Sciences Building was officially named for him in June 1999 (next page, bottom left) and stands as a tribute to his unwavering advocacy for the program.

When Johnson retired in 1999 from the UT presidency, he chose to spend his final day on the job at UT Martin. “The Martin campus and the Martin area have a special place in my heart,” he was quoted as saying in a university stor y. He described West Tennessee people as “some of the best in the world.”

Thank you, Dr. Johnson, for your part in helping make UT Martin the special place it is.

Saying a person “makes a difference” is almost cliché, but

Story by Bud Grimes & Tim McCoy

Photos provided by Tim McCoy & The Hershey Company

Historic connections to East Tennessee

McCoy said his family traces its roots to Tennessee even before statehood in 1796. His fourth greatgrandfather served in a Continental Army company commanded by Capt. John Sevier in what is now northeast Tennessee during the American Revolution.

McCoy’s ancestors were pioneer settlers of Bradley County in the 1830s after the Cherokees were forced to move west along the infamous Trail of Tears. Red Clay State Park, site of Cherokee Nation’s last council before the removal, lies just to the southwest of the family farm.

He joined his parents, two sisters and a brother milking the family’s small herd of Jersey cows each morning and evening, while also working on the farm during weekends and school holidays, fondly remembering autumn days spent listening to UT Vols football games on the dairy barn’s barely functioning old AM/ FM radio: “So that instilled in me a strong work ethic, definitely a

Exploring

strong sense of family and a love of nature,” he said. “And those are things that have continued throughout my life and very much influence me to this day.”

The farm’s rural location limited entertainment choices for McCoy in the days before web-based or cable TV. Weak ABC, CBS and NBC reception from Chattanooga via an aerial antenna made a PBS affiliate in nearby Chatsworth, Georgia, the more reliable source of educational programming. This, along with a steady supply of magazines like National Geographic and a well-worn Encyclopedia Britannica exposed him to the wider world.

Travel was limited to school activities through his teens, so UT Martin became a top college choice partly as a way to see another part of the state.

Good high school grades earned him scholarship money, and an older sister living in nearby Henry County sealed his interest to venture more than 300 miles west from the family dairy farm to pursue a college education.

the world begins at UT Martin

McCoy grew up in a family where political discussions were common among a mix of strongly opinionated Democrats and Republicans. Add to this growing up in the 1970s and 1980s and following the presidencies of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, and McCoy was more than prepared to study political science, ultimately adding an emphasis on international relations.

His other academic interest was French, which he traced to his older sister.

science club and the Intercollegiate Academic Team, and considers late political science faculty members Drs. Richard Chesteen and Ted Mosch as mentors. He had been at the university three years when travel opportunities much farther afield surfaced, in the form of a Rotary Foundation scholarship that led to a year studying at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, before returning to Martin to complete his degree.

“French was a little bit random to be honest with you,” he said. “My older sister had taken it as an optional credit at Bradley Central High School, and a couple of years later, I had the same opportunity.”

His choice to study French was a decision that has greatly influenced his career, and he credits retired French faculty member Dr. Bob Peckham and the late Maria Malone for their encouragement to learn the language.

Outside class, McCoy ser ved in the Student Government Association, contributed to student newspapers and was a resident assistant in Austin Peay Hall. He also was involved in the political

HERSHEY’S KISSES Chocolates were first manufactured in

“And right at the end of that (completing his degree), Maria Malone alerted me to an opportunity to apply for a position in France teaching English to school children,” he said. “It was through the Alliance Française in Nashville.”

After graduation, he spent a year in Normandy, France, which, combined with his New Zealand experience, set him on his career path. “Indeed, while I was working as a teacher in Deauville, France, I applied for an internship at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., moving there in early 1992,” he said. and were wrapped by hand until

McCoy, in his teens, during his then-daily routine of milking the family’s dairy herd.

(right) The Hershey Company global corporate headquarters in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

For a year following his graduating from UTM, McCoy taught English to elementary school children in Deauville, France.

Seeing lives change

McCoy put his language skills to work in accepting the State Department internship. This happened soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 when democratization was spreading across Europe and had reached Africa. He first worked on analyzing political developments across the African continent, and the experience fired his interest in African politics and history and confirmed his lifelong career focus.

After he completed the internship, he accepted a position with a Washington-based organization named the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, which broadened his experience and perspective during an important time in world history.

“I obser ved quite a number of first-time multi-party democratic elections in Africa during the 1990s,” he said. “I was an international observer to the 1994 elections in South Africa that ended apartheid and brought about multi-racial majority rule under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.

“I remember vividly the huge, long lines of people waiting to cast the first votes in their lives and the ensuing enthusiasm and euphoria that swept over South Africa as it at long last overcame decades of violence and struggle.”

McCoy accompanied many high-level political leaders from Africa, Europe and the U.S., including Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Colin Powell and others, on election observation missions and in discussions focused on sharing experiences about how multi-party, democratic countries function.

country at his residence and was ushered perhaps too quickly by presidential staff into a large lounge-like room.

At first, the room seemed empty until McCoy spotted at one side of the room the surprised president still on his hands and knees trying to find a favorite movie in a collection of videos kept on low shelves of a TV cabinet.

“ That was quite an experience. I was traveling frequently to countries across Africa while living in Washington, D.C., which for a young person in the 1990s was a very interesting and exciting place as well,” he said. “So, yeah, that was quite a period in my life.”

With this experience under his belt, McCoy pursued a different career focus while keeping Africa in his sights.

“I was heavily involved in political development work across Africa throughout the 1990s, but turning toward business development in the overall context of the U.S.-Africa relationship,” he said. “I ended up working at a nonprofit association of American companies that promotes increased trade and investment ties between the U.S. and countries on the African continent. This work provided me the first opportunity to both live and work in Africa, in Lusaka, Zambia, in the early 2000s, and that ultimately led to me being recruited for a position focusing on cocoa specifically.”

He laughs while recalling how once he arrived with two colleagues to meet the president of an eastern African

This happened in 2012, and McCoy began working with chocolate manufacturers and cocoa trading companies on a range of measures to build a sustainable cocoa supply chain. This ultimately provided an opportunity to be based for 2.5 years in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, a city of 5 million that he already knew from working there with NDI in the 1990s. Fast-forward to 2021 and McCoy’s current role with The Hershey Company.

A better world through education

McCoy lives in Lucerne, Switzerland, at the foot of the Swiss Alps, and not far from the Hershey office in Zug. In an example of how life can come full circle, he first visited Lucerne in 1986 as part of a tour led by the late UT Martin history professor Dr. Charles Ogilvie. He had no way of knowing then that central Switzerland would one day be both home and his principal work location.

“I knew already that Hershey had a down-to-earth approach to some of these ver y difficult, complex sustainability challenges that confront the cocoa sector,” he said. “So, that made Hershey, in my mind, stand out as a place where I wanted to work.

“Of course, it’s an iconic American company (founded in 1894), which does count for a lot in my mind. I consider myself a patriotic American. Again, as I said, my family’s been

With Jimmy Carter in 1993, following an international election observation mission to Togo in the nation of West Africa. According to McCoy, back in those days, Carter jogged every morning and he had just returned from his morning jog along a nearby beach when this photo was taken.

(above) McCoy earlier this year in his current hometown.

in North America for a long, long time. So, the combination, I think, of the iconic American nature of the company, plus this no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach to some of the big challenges of the industry, that made it very appealing to me.”

McCoy’s other interest in Hershey stemmed from the legacy of its founder Milton S. Hershey and his wife, Catherine, who established the Milton Hershey School in 1909. McCoy described how Milton Hershey gave away his entire fortune in 1918 to create a trust that would in perpetuity support the school, which today is a K-12 state-of-the-art institution in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 2,000 students from varied underprivileged backgrounds.

choice but to take an all-hands-on-deck approach to making ends meet. This means that sometimes children work on the family farm, a phenomenon sharply criticized in developed countries when it occurs in cocoa production. Modernization of farming practices handed down from one generation to the next also does not happen easily.

“Our vision is a resilient cocoa supply chain where farmers, children and their families can prosper,” McCoy said. “Through partnerships with farmer cooperatives and organizations that have expertise in agronomy and other aspects of rural development, we’ve trained more than 105,000 farmers in agricultural practices that have been shown to increase crop yields and incomes.

“Once they’re admitted to the school, their education, health care, clothing, housing – that’s all paid for, giving these children a chance to succeed that they otherwise would not have,” he said.

“I think the corporate philanthropy stor y, which is not so well known, is really at the heart of who Hershey is as a company.

Hershey’s products are beloved by people around the world, and that has helped perpetuate the Milton and Catherine Hershey legacy, which is about giving back to the community and helping underprivileged kids achieve a better life.”

Hershey and other companies are addressing challenges in cocoa production. McCoy said that nearly two-thirds of the world’s annual cocoa production comes from West Africa, where it is grown almost exclusively on small family owned and operated farms. He’s seen some of the same challenges in cocoa that he experienced on his family’s dairy farm. For example, many cocoa farming families in rural areas where poverty is endemic have little

Hershey is one of the last chocolate manufacturers to use fresh farm milk to produce the iconic Hershey’s milk chocolate. Hershey has approximately 25-30 milk trucks delivered into the West Hershey plant daily.

“ We are also funding the construction of public primary schools and providing financial incentives to farming families so they can afford to keep their kids in school.”

He said the company built three schools in Côte d’Ivoire in 2023 and at least nine more are planned for completion by the end of 2025. Hershey is also empowering rural women to be part of the solution.

“ There’s a concept called Village Savings and Loans Associations that we’re supporting in cocoa farming communities,” he said.

“Think tiny local banks that help build financial resilience. They are managed by largely unbanked community members, often women, who pool savings that can be reinvested in businesses or serve as an extra source of capital when it’s needed.”

Hershey has already supported the establishment of 200 such groups and will set up 350 more in Côte d’Ivoire in the next few years.

(bottom, l-r) With a group of proud cocoa farmers in their fields near Lakota, Côte d’Ivoire, in 2018; wearing traditional attire given him by the local Dan ethnic group, McCoy participates in the inauguration of a Hershey-funded school in Drissapé, Côte d’Ivoire, in December 2023.

Milton S. Hershey (1857-1945), founder of The Hershey Company.

(right) A cocoa tree growing in West Africa. Almond-sized beans inside the pods hanging from cocoa trees provide chocolate its most essential ingredient: cocoa.

The change that began in Tennessee

During his career, McCoy has lived in six countries and traveled to more than 70 countries, focusing much of his professional and personal life internationally. The life he has built is rooted in an East Tennessee family dairy farm and nurtured by his decision to attend UT Martin.

“I’m sure this is true for many young people who leave home to go off to college, of course – it’s a whole experience in building self-confidence, finding your way, and finding out who you are,” he said. “For me, there was something about the environment at UT Martin that encouraged me to be willing to look at the world in a different way and seek opportunities to find that other vantage point.”

McCoy drops no hints about slowing down.

“I want to remain active as long as possible. Travel, for work and pleasure, is very rewarding for me, and I enjoy helping introduce

others, through social media for example, to the world that I am experiencing, in all its beautiful diversity,” he said. “Perhaps subconsciously, I am influenced by the Jewish concept ‘tikkun olam,’ which emphasizes the individual’s responsibility to perform deeds to repair and improve the world.”

It’s called “making a difference,” and that’s no cliché with Tim McCoy, who continues to travel around the world to change lives for the better.

(clockwise from left) McCoy is a lover of the nature and hiking opportunities near his home in the Swiss Alps; while working in Côte d’Ivoire from 2019-2021, McCoy was decorated as an honorary traditional chief; tasting fresh cocoa beans in 2019 with Côte d’Ivoire first lady Dominique Ouattara.

How well do you know

1) In a typical day, how many HERSHEY’S KISSES are produced?

a. 2 million

b. 7 million

c. 8.5 million

d. 70 million

2) Which season is Hershey’s largest?

a. Easter

b. Valentine’s

c. Halloween

3) How many cows are milked twice per day to satisfy Hershey’s daily demand of fresh milk?

a. 5,000

b. 15,000

c. 22,000

d. 9,000

4) How many manufacturing plants does Hershey have globally?

a. Six

b. Twenty-one

c. Twelve

d. Eighteen

5) How many times could the globe be circled with the amount of Twizzlers produced each day?

a. 6

b. 4

c. 12

d. 9

6) In 2022, Hershey sold enough Skinny Pop to fill the Colosseum in Rome?

a. True

b. False

7) How many Dot’s Pretzels are eaten each year?

a. 100 Million

b. 750 Million

c. 980 Million

d. 1.5 Billion

8) The majority of the world’s cocoa comes from just two countries. Which two are they?

a. Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador

b. Brazil and Ghana

c. Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

d. Indonesia and Brazil

9) H.B. Reese originally worked for The Hershey Company.

a. True

b. False

10) Reese’s makes enough Peanut Butter Cups in one year to feed one cup to every person in the USA, Japan, Europe, Australia, China, Africa, and India.

a. True

b. False

Answers

1) D 2) C; Halloween is the Super Bowl of holiday seasons for Hershey and the company’s largest season, followed by Easter. 3) C 4) B; Hershey currently owns 21 manufacturing facilities globally, 7 of which support the Salty Snacks business. 5) A; Hersey produced 255 tons, or about half a million pounds of Twizzlers each day, which could circle the globe 6 times. 6) True 7) D 8) C; Nearly 70 percent of the world’s cocoa comes from two countries in West Africa, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. 9) True; The classic REESE’S Peanut Butter Cup was invented by a former Hershey employee named Harry Burnett Reese. In the early 1920s, H.B. Reese was working for The Hershey Company when he started making Peanut Butter Cups in his basement. 10) True

From to CORPORATE CAMPUS

Story by David Snow

Photos by Nathan Morgan

When Kim Seymour (‘92) left UT Martin with her diploma in her hand, she had plans of being an advocate in the legal system and running for public office. She turned that education, experience and other talents into becoming an effective human resources officer, a position she has had for a quarter of a century with a handful of corporations, most recently being the chief human resources officer at Etsy.com, overseeing all aspects of the company’s human capital plan with an emphasis on talent, leadership and organizational effectiveness.

Getting to Etsy.com from UT Martin was not the direct path one might think of when considering a career in corporate America. Having interests in different fields can make choosing a career path difficult, but Seymour used her talents in those fields and melded them into a successful career.

Seymour is a 1992 graduate of UT Martin, majoring in political science, having come to Martin from White Station High School in Memphis.

“My initial thought was: I need to go to law school so I can practice law and be a public defender or a district attorney so I can run for office one day,” she said. “I have a strong civic sense of responsibility. I believe that if you’re not willing to do the work to change something, don’t complain about it.”

Seymour went to law school at Vanderbilt University with the intention of practicing law and was able to do some legal work through her coursework, but she decided she wanted to go the corporate route.

So, she earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University. Although she hadn’t planned to work for a corporation during the time she attended UT Martin, Seymour said her studies helped to prepare her for such a career.

“Along the way, I learned that none of it is about me, and that kind of servant leadership has served me well,” she said. “It’s never about my ego; it’s never about my personal agenda. It’s always about how to elevate and optimize and progress either the organization or particular people.

“I think that has been an element of my success. That’s things that I’ve learned along the way, a whole list of things – but it is based on being the same person I was when I left UT Martin: I’m a critical thinker, I’m extremely pragmatic, very direct. That probably stands out in a world where sometimes, agendas rule the day or people are not as clear in their communication or strategy.”

Seymour said she was attracted to working with people in leadership positions, which is why she decided to pursue a career in that field rather than work for the legal system.

“It’s the way that leadership can either help or hurt the success of a whole group of people,” she said. “I think it’s true everywhere, but particularly in corporate America. You can influence that, and that was appealing to me.

“ To be honest, it also felt a little more controllable than what I had seen on the legal side. One of the reasons I’m successful in the corporate world is that I have legal training. It makes me think differently than most people do.”

Seymour said her life experience helped to make her successful.

“Being able to have different perspectives – however you got that different perspective – usually is going to contribute to a better outcome,” she said. “I very definitely bring a different perspective on a whole bunch of dimensions: I’m Southern, I’m a woman, I’m African-American, I went to UT Martin, I have a law degree.

“All of these things are different in the corporate world, and when those differences are brought to bear on a problem or a situation or a strategy, it usually is a positive contribution.”

Growing up in Memphis but going to college in Martin also gave Seymour urban and rural perspectives on issues as well.

“Not only is that a UT Martin thing, but it’s where law school came into play,” she said. “Being able to see both sides of a situation from different perspectives is harder when you haven’t lived with different perspectives.

“I have a down-home, rural perspective, but I also have a bigcity, urban perspective, and they inform different parts of how I come to solutions about things.”

Seymour worked at Etsy.com for two years, bringing 25 years of human resources experience with her. That experience came from different companies, but the sum of that experience has made her a standout in corporate human resources.

“From my perspective, the most influential factor on the success or failure of a venture is the talent that you deploy against that

goal,” she said. “Where do you find that talent? How do you assess it? How do you develop it? How do you promote it and deploy it?

“All of that is what’s going to make the difference between success and failure. To me, human resources is one of the more important ingredients in an organization. I think we’ve seen that over the last several years when the external world is so tumultuous, and it has an effect inside companies with different cultures and how you approach the workforce and how you communicate with them and support them.”

Seymour ’s prior work experience includes similar positions with Weight Watchers, General Electric, Home Depot and American Express.

She also ser ves on the board of directors of RHR International and the board of trustees of Fisk University in Nashville.

Seymour came back to campus in December 2023 to deliver the fall commencement address (pictured below). The graduates in the audience may not have known it at the time, but she spoke from her own work experiences in giving them life advice.

“I want you to live your best life, but maybe not right now,” she told them. “Maybe it takes a while for you to know what your passion is. Maybe it takes a while for you to know what your best life looks like – and that’s OK. That’s normal. That’s smart.”

Seymour emphasized to the graduates that the purpose of going to college was not necessarily to get a great grade-point average, but the experience gleaned from the years in college.

“No one told me that the purpose of these four years…was not a GPA,” she said. “In fact – my apologies to all of the academics

“From my perspective, the most influential factor on the SUCCESS or FAILURE of a venture is the talent that you deploy against that goal.”

in the audience – beyond the first job you get or the first degree program you apply to, no one for the rest of your life is going to ask you what your GPA was. GPA is a measure; it’s an outcome.

“It is what happens along the way (that matters). It is what you learned along the way. It is what you demonstrated along the way that makes you valuable to someone like me – not the GPA.”

Although they both grew up in Memphis, Seymour did not meet Rafielle Boone Freeman (‘93) (pictured right with Seymour) –her best friend and the wife of Chancellor Yancy Freeman (pictured below with Seymour) – until they came to UT Martin.

“I met her through interest in Alpha K appa Alpha, and we pledged the same year on the same line,” Seymour said. “I’ve done a lot in life. I’ve gone a lot of places and done a lot of things. The constant is that relationship, along with other relationships through my sorority.

“She was so different from me; she was always smiling –always. Never without a smile. That drew a lot of people to her, but that is the exact opposite of me. I am not a smiley person; I am not a huggy person, but she very much was. So, that started things off, and when you go through an experience like pledging a Black sorority, that is the very definition of a bonding experience, and that is for life – to the point where I am the godmother to her son.”

Seymour takes credit for introducing R afielle to her future husband.

“I was at the pre-professional program, and mine was in law,” she said. “That took place at what was then Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis). You move in, and you’re on campus, and my dorm-mate across the hall was a very, very smart gentleman by the name of Yancy Freeman.

“R afielle came up to visit me at my program, and I introduced her to this very, very smart gentleman that I met across the hall from me. And the rest is history.”

Kim Seymour came to UT Martin with one career in mind, but she took the sum of her experiences and education and found another career that uses more of her interests and talents. Those experiences were not all found at UT Martin or in college as a whole, but throughout her life. It has formed the person she has become and the perspective that she offers to others.

“There is something to be said for the Southern mentality that ranges from ‘Just be nice’ and ‘Treat people the way you want to be treated’ to ‘Lend a hand when you can and lend an ear when you can’t’ that I’ve kind of carried with me,”

she said. “I don’t over-complicate life. I don’t think that most things have to be as difficult as we make them.

“Life back then was simple, but some of those things remain: Treat people well, treat people the way you want to be treated, start with nice until you have to not be nice and lend a hand when you can and do what you can.”

BUSINESS SUCCESS & GIVING BACK Define TOSH FARMS

Story by Bud Grimes

Photos by AgCreate, Nathan Morgan & Dylan Ingram

The Tosh Family Classroom was dedicated in May 2022 in historic Brehm Hall to honor Jimmy Tosh (’72) and his family for longtime generosity to UT Martin and support for the university. At the dedication, Jimmy Tosh told the audience, “Going to college really teaches you to think and how to deal with people.”

Jimmy learned those lessons well and returned home after earning his degree to turn Tosh Farms, Tosh Pork and the Bacon by Gosh brand into the largest pork producer in Tennessee and the 30th-largest in the U.S. A family farm that traces its beginnings to 1913 has grown into a company that produces enough pork to feed more than half of Tennessee’s residents annually and provides jobs to more than 550 employees.

Jimmy Tosh (center) is pictured with his family, (from left) son, Jonathan, wife, Alonna, and son, Jamey, on their farm in Henry, Tennessee.

FromSMALL FARM TO FAMILY BUSINESS

Jimmy was raised in Henry, Tennessee, where his parents owned a feed mill, restaurant and a bar. The family also raised a few cattle and once ran a dairy operation that was eventually closed because of his father’s health issues.

He participated in high school FFA, and his interest in farming brought him to UT Martin in 1967 to study agriculture with a focus on animal science and agricultural business.

Although he considered teaching school, he never completed student-teaching and spent his college years driving to and from campus and classes to work on the family farm and earn his degree. His mother died tragically in a car accident in 1970 near the Tosh Farms complex, and his father died two years later from prostate cancer.

Jimmy’s after-college goals were to grow 1,000 acres of row crops and sell 2,000 hogs annually, and he accomplished this with minimal help.

Those initial goals are replaced today by Tosh Farms that includes 17,000 acres of farmed land, of which 11,000 acres is company-owned. The other land is leased from more than 125 landowners in Henry, Carroll and Weakley counties. Tosh Pork cares for approximately 38,000 sows that produce more than 1 million market hogs annually.

The company website notes that Bacon by Gosh manages the company’s substantial transportation needs by deploying 99 semis, 85 trailers and 118 automobiles to move feed, deliver pigs to market and transport people.

Eighteen mechanics and three fuel techs maintain the fleet while Bacon by Gosh also oversees the critical work of biosecurity through cleaning, disinfecting and drying company trailers in between animal deliveries.

“Anytime you’re dealing with animal agriculture, you’ve got certain disease issues to deal with,” he said, so attention to sanitation is critical.

The company’s major growth and biggest challenges came after 1994, when the company grew from five employees to 550 in 2024.

“ Well, the swine industry was changing, and I knew I either had to change or I had to get out, and I always liked to raise pigs,” Jimmy said. “And I decided to get in and just hadn’t had enough sense to quit.”

As things have worked out over time, his decision to grow the business has paid dividends for the Tosh family, company employees and consumers who benefit from Tosh Farms’ highquality pork.

MAINTAINING A FAMILY experience

Jimmy and his wife, Alonna, have two sons, Jamey (’02) and Jonathan, both Tosh Farms business partners. Jamey, the oldest, is a UT Martin agriculture graduate who completed the WestStar Leadership Program in 2020 while Jonathan earned his agriculture degree at Murray State University. Both Jamey and Jonathan are licensed pilots, which supports an important transportation option for the company that maintains a company jet.

Tosh Farms’ main complex – sometimes called Tosh-Vegas because of its nighttime city-like skyline, includes business offices, a transportation center, large grain silos and bins bordered by U.S. Highway 79 on the east and surrounded by agricultural land.

As might be expected, the complex is a hub of activity during the day. Parts of the operation run 24/7 year-round, which includes the all-important work of feeding the animals. Although Jimmy said he’s not involved daily in the hog operation as he once was, he remains fully engaged in business decisions.

“It just really depends (as to the level of his dad’s involvement),” Jamey said. “But he’s still the owner and the leader of the company, so anything major, we’ll still go through him.”

While Jimmy largely works with the animal side of the business, Jamey’s focus is on grain operations and agricultural markets “because the markets play a big role in profitability.”

Jonathan works with company trucking and transportation, so the varied roles contribute to a positive and cooperative work environment.

“ We meet with all our managers once a week, and that keeps everybody informed. … But we’re basically a team, and we have to work as a team and let everybody else know what’s going on,” Jamey said.

Both Jimmy and Jamey credit Tosh Farms’ people for the company’s success.

“ To run any good business, you’ve got to have great people, and I’ve got some great people that work for me,” Jimmy said. “Anybody who goes in business, I assure you, you need to get a good team around you.”

In addition to hiring good people, Jamey said trusting team members to do their jobs is crucial.

“Keeping a family business and communication has always been a struggle and always will be with any business, but I think we have a very good communication of our operations.

“ We try to keep a family experience, but really the employees that surround us, they’re the ones that make us successful,” Jamey said.

A field of canola surrounds one of the Tosh Farms hog barns.

STAYING competitive

Each employee matters to a business that sold over 1 million hogs in 2023. The company contracts with JBS Pork in Louisville to purchase its hogs, which in turn sells its pork products to retailers, including Costco and Kroger. “If you buy a pork loin in Costco, it’s about a 40% chance it’ll come from us in the Southeast region or upper Mid-South region,” Jimmy said.

Just under 30 trucks travel daily delivering hogs to Louisville, and the business pays a management fee to a network of 80 contract growers across West Tennessee and Western Kentucky to build barns and raise the pigs furnished by Tosh Farms. He likened the business model to that of the poultry industry.

“Profitability has been a problem in the last year, but it’s ag and you’re not going to make money every year,” he said. “Last year was a very tough year – in fact, the toughest year I have known in the industry. … Agriculture is one of the hardest businesses to manage there because you got so many variables in agriculture, and lots of them are out of your control: prices, weather, insects … You got to manage through them the best you can.”

Managing costs is critical for any successful business, but the cost structure in the pork industry means that every dollar matters.

To that end, Tosh Farms builds its own barns and produces the concrete needed for company construction projects. In addition to growing and producing grain in the company’s farming operation, food-industry byproducts are purchased in large quantities to supplement grain that’s fed to the hogs.

In a huge storage facility that measures about two football fields long and one football field wide, large bags of cereal, crates of baked goods, pet food and even snack foods are stacked and stored

Giving BACK

While the Tosh family is known for its business success, the family is also known for its generosity. During the 2022 Tosh Family Classroom dedication, College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences Dean Todd Winters told those attending the event that the family’s generosity ranged from feeding people to offering second starts to persons who have struggled in life. Examples of company partnerships include Second Harvest Food Bank and Hope Ministries, a Henry County drug rehabilitation facility.

“ They’re known for giving people chances that have maybe made some mistakes in their life and will give them a job if they’re willing to work,” Winters said. “There’s not a lot of people like that around.”

He then told how Tosh and his family have supported the university’s agricultural programs, including student research and travel to the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Agricultural Sciences.

until the items are blended into feed. It’s an efficient use of human and animal food products that would otherwise be discarded.

“ We got started in ’07 with pet food and we’re still using quite a bit of pet food,” Jimmy said. “In fact, (we) actually used more pet food last year than we did corn. … You would be absolutely amazed the amount of waste in the food industry.”

To that end, the Tosh family has donated $50,000 in matching funds for the College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences to Captain’s Challenge, the university’s annual one-day fundraiser held each April. Individual gifts to the college are matched by the Tosh gift as long as the funds last, and UT Martin students are the ultimate beneficiaries.

Tosh Farms also supports graduates by providing employment opportunities following graduation. Dr. Seth Krantz (’06) is the head veterinarian and holds UT Martin and UT College of Veterinary Medicine degrees. The university’s popular veterinary health technology program has provided employees necessary for maintaining animal health. Jamey estimates that as many as 20% of the company’s senior staff hold UT Martin degrees.

(top left) Workers from the Martin Sow Farm pose for a group photo; (top right) Jimmy Tosh talks with Hector Rivera Martinez as he passes through the receiving pits; (right center) Tosh Farms feed mill facility at night. (bottom right) Jimmy Tosh talks with Jeffrey Jones, a worker from Hope Ministries, inside the farm’s feed mill facility.

SECURING THE future

Jimmy Tosh is the architect of Tosh Farms’ success, and he intends for the company to thrive after he’s no longer involved. Planning for succession is important to the family and the employees who depend on the business to make a living.

“ The biggest thing about business, you’ve got to know where you’re at and where you want to go,” he said.

With the future in mind, Jimmy is updating estate plans that already exist to assure what he describes as “a more formalized succession planning.”

Jamey agrees with the importance of planning for the company’s future. “I guess probably what keeps me up more than anything is making sure that the family tradition, the family farm, keeps going if I’m not here one day,” he said.

Family members have much to consider given the size of the enterprise, but nothing is left to chance to secure the company’s future.

IT began IN A CLASSROOM

The late animal science professor Dr. N.W. “Doc” Robinson, whose name is memorialized at the university’s Ned McWherter Agriculture Complex arena, was one of Jimmy Tosh’s favorite UT Martin faculty members. Robinson nicknamed him “Tosh by Gosh” in class, which later inspired Jimmy to create today’s company name “Bacon by Gosh.”

There’s little doubt that pursuing a college degree teaches a person how to think. If you listen closely in class, a favorite teacher just might give you an idea that helped to brand the largest pork production business in Tennessee.

(clockerwise from bottom left) Inside of a Tosh Farms hog barn; feed storage bins outside of a Tosh Farms hog barn; Jimmy Tosh is pictured in front of the Tosh Farms sign; an aerial photo shows the scale of the Tosh Farms operation.

A Note From Alumni Relations

Ten years ago, UT Martin first hosted its annual I Heart UTM Week. Starting as a campus spirit week, it included events such as a senior drive-through, petting zoo in the Quad and the first weeklong giving campaign, now known as Captain’s Challenge. During the first Captain’s Challenge campaign, a lofty $50,000 goal was set for the entire week. Alumni and friends showed up and more than doubled the week’s goal by raising $125,000 during its inaugural year. This year, both programs celebrated their 10th anniversary and have had its best programs yet.

Captain’s Challenge has now separated from the annual I Heart UTM week and has narrowed to one day of giving instead of a week-long campaign. For the 10th anniversary, the campaign blew past the 1,200 donor goal to reach a record 1,441 donors who contributed to the campaign, raising more than $425,000.

With generous matching donors, alumni and friends could double the impact of gifts to any university gift fund. Highlights include the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and UTM athletic programs that finished the campaign with over $100,000 each to its various academic programs and sports.

While raising funds to support UTM initiatives is important work, we took a little time to play too. Chancellor Freeman challenged UTM students to also give to the campaign. All those who gave were entered to win a chance to “pie” the chancellor. Austin Dunagan (grandson of Chancellor Emeritus Nick Dunagan) won the prize and had the opportunity to pie Chancellor Freeman along with Camille Freeman, Chancellor Freeman’s daughter.

Alumni, Captain’s Challenge shows us what we can do when we come together collectively to support UTM. Make plans to support your alma mater today if you have not already done so this year. The work that UTM continues to do is expansive, as evident by the alumni who gave to Captain’s Challenge from 40 states across the United States. UT Martin prides instead on its small campus, but its influence is truly nationwide.

Dr. Jackie Johnson (‘08, ‘10)

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving

For the most up-to-date information, news and event schedules, check out the alumni website at alumni.utm.edu.

spotlight on alums

GET INVOLVED!

As UT Martin alumni, 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

Community Events

Alumni Council

Student Recruitment

Career Services

Travels and Tours

Homecoming

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

Bill Newsom (’75), an agriculture teacher at Munford High School, was named the president-elect of the National Association of Agricultural Educators at the NAAE convention Dec. 1, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Newsom will ser ve the NAAE for three years: one year as president-elect, one year as president and one year as past president. He previously served as the NAAE Region V vice president and region secretary.

Newsom has been teaching agriculture for 48 years and is the longest-serving agricultural education teacher in Tennessee.

“ There is a tremendous shortage of agriculture education instructors nationwide, and the shortage is felt here in Tennessee,” he said. “Many of our programs have been forced to close because a qualified teacher couldn’t be found.

“ The NAAE is working to motivate and encourage the best and brightest ag students to consider becoming an agriculture educator through its Teach Ag program. Scholarships and other incentives are offered from NAAE to high school and college students.”

More information about the National Association of Agricultural Educators can be found at naae.org.

81% OF ALUMNI FEEL CONNECTED TO UT MARTIN

RESULTS OF THE ALUMNI ATTITUDE SURVEY 2023

How would you rate your decision to attend the University of Tennessee at Martin?

95% OF ALUMNI WOULD RECOMMEND UT MARTIN TO A PROSPECTIVE STUDENT

% of participants

Which of the following best describes your experience as a student?

96% OF ALUMNI PROMOTE THE UNIVERSITY AT LEAST OCCASIONALLY (29% OCCASIONALLY, 36% REGULARLY, 31% ALL THE TIME)

spotlight on alums

LI SMITH & ASSOCIATES

INC. ‘PLACED A PIN’ IN THE UNIVERSITY – LI Smith & Associates Inc. is an engineering firm based in Paris. In December 2023, the firm placed 10 surveying pins across UT Martin campus to be used in the ASCE Mid-South Symposium featuring 14 universities. The pins will also be used by UTM surveying students in the future.

LI Smith & Associates Inc. employees who are UT Martin graduates or students include (from left) Ashley Horn (’16, ’18), A.J. Maxwell (’22), Trevor Teague (’18), Drew Smith (’12), Hayden DeBerry (’22), Nick Haberman (’13), Patrick Smith, Chris Mills (’15), Tanner Boley (’18), Carolyn Dotson (’94), Amanda Perry (’22), Mason Peale (’16), Will Clark (’20) and Martha Jane (MJ) Hooper (’23). Not pictured is Travis Prather (’18).

DUNAGANS CELEBRATE DPA AWARD – UT Martin Chancellor Emeritus Nick Dunagan was honored March 2 by Discover y Park of America in Union City when he received a Robert E. and Jenny D. Kirkland Discover y Award. The award is named for DPA’s founders and recognizes outstanding service and lifetime achievement. The former chancellor was introduced and presented his award by Dr. Charley Deal (’92, ’96), the UT Institute of Agriculture’s vice chancellor for advancement. Among Dunagan family members who attended the DPA awards event were (l,r) Drs. Stephanie (’94) and Stan Dunagan (’93); Abby (granddaughter), University of Mississippi graduate student, Tracy (’95) and Brett (’94, ’96) VanderMeeden; Audrey Dunagan (granddaughter) high school sophomore; Cathy (’68) and Nick (’68) Dunagan; Austin Dunagan (grandson), UT Martin junior; Glenna (’00) and Cody (’02) Dunagan; Charlie Morton (U.S. Marine Corps) and engaged to Taylor Dunagan (granddaughter), UT Chattanooga junior.

spotlight on alums

GOLDEN GRAD

– Each year, the university’s Office of Alumni Relations invites the 50-year reunion class back to campus for food, fellowship and plenty of reminiscing. Class members receive a special 50-year medallion and participate in activities hosted by alumni relations and the university. The Golden Grads Class of 1974 recently visited campus for their 50-year reunion. Pictured are (l-r) Terry Byrd, Carol Shanklin, Buddy Smothers, Judy Suiter, Kerry Buxton, Tommy Davis, Peggy Davis, Owen Wheeler, Brenda Brooks, Frances Belcher and Judy Williams

in memory

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.

• James Coy Anderson (’69) of Waynesboro passed away Aug. 28, 2023.

• Cody Butler (’13) of Corinth, Mississippi, passed away March 5, 2024.

• Ronald “Ronnie” Dane (‘74) of Collierville passed away Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023.

• Dr. Kathy Evans of Memphis passed away March 29, 2024 (former educational studies faculty member).

• Harry Henderson (certificate in agriculture from UT Martin Branch, UTK ‘53) of Martin passed away Jan. 22, 2024 (retired Martin Agricultural Experiment Station superintendent).

• Waymon Hickman (attended UT Martin Branch, UTK ‘56) of Columbia passed away Nov. 25, 2023 (former UT Board of Trustees member).

• Kerry Killebrew (’93, ‘98) of Dresden passed away March 20, 2024.

• Larry Killebrew (‘65) of Germantown passed away May 13, 2023.

• Spencer King of Memphis passed away Jan. 4, 2024 (current UT Martin student).

• Diana Luther (’68, ‘76) of Martin passed away Jan. 8, 2024 (retired Healthy Start Program director).

• Nancy Mathesen of Somerville passed away Oct. 17, 2023 (retired professor emeritus of music).

• Daron McNatt (‘61) of Martin passed away Oct. 25, 2023.

• Rebecca “Becky” Morgan of Sidonia passed away Oct. 20, 2023 (retired housing supervisor).

• Jack Randolph Prince (’83) of Jackson passed away Nov. 12, 2022.

• Dee Pritchett (’73) of Martin passed away Oct. 7, 2023.

• Nathan Shelby (’02) of Goodlettsville passed away Sept. 6, 2023.

• Don Ridgeway (’70, ‘73) of Paris passed away March 2, 2024 (former member of the Tennessee General Assembly).

• Kairi Shepherd of Brownsville passed away Nov. 5, 2023 (current UTM student).

• Tracy Lynn Porter Sudzum (’85) of Bradford passed away March 22, 2024.

• Dr. Wintfred Smith passed away March 2,2024 (professor emeritus of biology).

• T. Joe Walker of Martin passed away Oct. 10, 2023 (retired craft foreman in university housing).

• Adam Samuel White (’10) of Memphis passed away Oct. 26, 2023.

• Shirley Willhite of Martin passed away Dec. 26, 2023 (retired professor emeritus of administrative services).

• Sudie Mae Alston Wyndham Alston (‘69) of Memphis, passed away Oct. 29, 2023.

class notes

1983

Julie Griggs (’83) was promoted to assistant dean of Student Services at Dyersburg State Community College.

1985

Dr. Bruce Davis (’85) is the deputy commissioner for the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities for the State of Tennessee. He is also the president of the National Association for Dual Diagnosis.

1987

Lori Davis (’87) retired from the Rutherford County School System on May 27, 2023, after 34 total years in public education. She taught in Tennessee, Missouri and Georgia.

1995

Kena Liggins (’95) was promoted to chief financial officer at Veterans Village of San Diego and was the first Black female to hold this position at this nonprofit organization that has been operating over 42 years.

2001

Amy Elder Gammel (‘01) and her husband, Matt (‘13), live in Halls, where she manages Mayo’s Flower Shop and he is employed by The Pictsweet Company. She has been concerned about the plight of Alzheimer’s patients

and their families for 18 years. In 2022, she organized a Walk the Block for Alzheimer’s in Halls. She made this event larger in 2023 by expanding the contacts and donors to include Tipton and Dyer counties. The participation was larger as well, and she is also involved in the Walks in other cities like Nashville and Memphis. She is a member of the all-volunteer 2024 board of directors for the Alzheimer’s Association Tennessee Chapter, which increases awareness for Alzheimer’s and related dementias and the support services the association offers.

2010

Olivia Ford (’10) was promoted to associate professor with tenure at Motlow State Community College in August 2023.

2015

Trenton Woodley (’15) earned his juris doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in December 2023.

2018

Dr. Stephen Downing (’18) received his doctorate degree in music composition in summer 2023 from Duke University. His grandfather, Dr. Marvin Downing, a UT Martin professor emeritus of history, is editing Stephen’s manuscript “A Thousand Weddings” for a potential publisher. Stephen married Kimmy Florentina on Nov. 5, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

2019

Henry County native Erica Paschall (‘19) earned a bachelor of arts in political science from UT Martin and graduated from the Nashville School of Law in May 2023. She successfully passed the Tennessee Bar Exam in July. She has returned to her hometown of Paris to open Paschall Law, where her practice areas include adoption, child custody, contracts, criminal law and more. Formerly Erica Little, she is married to Hunter Paschall of Paschall Farms in Cottage Grove.

2022

Tia Rincon (’22) is the new care counselor at Cherokee Elementary School in Johnson City, offering brief short-term counseling to students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. She works in connection with the school counselor, who focuses on Tier 1 instruction.

2023

Danielle Lassetter (’23) got married 20 days after her graduation in May. Lassetter and her husband were brought together by one of her college roommates. The couple and their dog, Atlas, live in Lebanon.

Share your story with us! Submit a Skyhawk Note at alumni.utm.edu

one last thought

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Kaci Fuller, Huntingdon, Tennessee

UT Martin senior outfielder Kaci Fuller has a long, strong background in softball. Now taking part in her fourth and final season with UT Martin, the Huntingdon native hopes to be a catalyst in bringing home an Ohio Valley Conference title.

Fuller has been playing softball since she was 5 or 6, and she comes by it honestly.

Her mother, Amy Fuller, was a softball coach for years, even coaching the Skyhawks in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. She also played at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for four seasons.

Her father, Jody (’02), played baseball for UT Martin and was a 1998 draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is still the only Skyhawk pitcher to throw more than 100 strikeouts in a single season (118 in 1998) and ranks second in team history in career strikeouts (267).

Fuller credits her mother with teaching her several softball skills and her father

with helping her with baseball skills that adapted into her softball life, as she played baseball until she was in fourth or fifth grade. However, softball is the sport that she likes best.

“I’m a ver y competitive person, so softball brings the competitiveness out of me, and I can put it into something good,” Fuller said. “I love my teammates; I like being around everybody and getting those connections. I’ve gotten so many connections over the years through softball, and it’s really nice.”

On April 16, Fuller set a new school record for career hits, surpassing the former record of 237 set by Jenny Bain (’12) (2009-12). It took Fuller 184 games to reach the former record of 237 hits, while it took Bain 238 games.

Fuller had a great season last year, being named First-Team All-OVC and leading the team with a .404 batting average, ranking

third in the conference. Her career batting average through the end of last season is .381, tops in Skyhawk history.

Fuller is majoring in accounting and plans on pursuing a master’s degree in accounting after graduating in May, then becoming a certified public accountant.

Fuller said what attracted her to come to UT Martin as a student was coming to campus often with her parents.

“I actually knew Coach (Donley) Canar y (the UTM softball coach from 2002 to 2019) and his staff,” she said.

Over her three-plus years on the Martin campus, Fuller said she has enjoyed being a Skyhawk.

“I really love the environment,” she said.

“I’m a real small-town, country girl. I like the academics part of it, but I also like the athletics. We all support everyone, and it’s really nice.”

UT Alumni Association – Martin Office

Dunagan Alumni Center 1900 Alumni Way

ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED

Thank you to all of those who were a part of the success of the 10th anniversary of Captain’s Challenge. We could not have met and surpassed our goals without you. Save the date for Homecoming 2024, October 5!