Featured photo (above): Alumni leaders, from left, Tonya Parson, Shannon Cotter, Chandra Alston, Betsy Brasher, Claire Wade and Rachel Stephens gather at the Dunagan Alumni Center. Each of the women currently hold leadership roles in the major alumni groups affiliated with the UT Alumni Association, and all are graduates of UT Martin.
UT Health Science Center College of Pharmacy welcomed its newest alumni at a “Grads and Crawdads” event celebrating the graduating class of 2016 including, from left, Tenley Ryan, Kimberly Hall, Rachel Triplett, Steven Harrington, Dina Ali and Christine Li.UT Health Science Center College of Nursing alumni gathered to honor pioneering women’s basketball coach Jim Stockdale at the annual College of Nursing Alumni Dinner. Stockdale was a volunteer coach for the UT nurses’ basketball team for 26 years, from 1955 through 1981.Jim Stockdale, center, former volunteer coach of the UT Health Science Center’s nursing basketball team is pictured with Vivian Brown Layman (HSC ’81) and Carolyn Guenther Carlile (HSC ’81).UT Health Science Center College of Medicine alumni gathered in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the home of Dr. Michael Smith and his wife, Janice Smith. From left, Michael Smith is pictured with Drs. David and Kathleen Stern and Janice Smith.Former student-athletes meet with UT Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman (Chattanooga ’83) at a UTC Atlanta chapter event.Pictured at the 2016 UTC Legends and Leaders Awards Dinner are, from left, Alumni Board President Doug Brown (Chattanooga ’85); Outstanding Service Award recipient Scott LeRoy (Chattanooga ’79, ’82); UTC Chancellor Steve Angle; and Distinguished Alumnus recipient Davan Maharaj (Chattanooga ’89).Members of the UTC Advisory Boards were honored during the annual year-end picnic. Seated, from left, are Nancy Collum (Chattanooga ’78), Dorothy Harvey (Chattanooga ’54) and Dean Jackson.Members of the UTC GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) Council hosted a spring event in downtown Chattanooga.UT Chattanooga May graduates celebrate at the annual ring ceremony at Chamberlain Pavilion. Pictured on the front row, from left, are William Wilson, Amanda Johnson, Lauren Skipper, Chara Whiteley and Brittany Stewart. On the back row, from left, are Kristin McQueen, Zachary Kirby, Bradley Timmis, Matteo Garcia, Dale Mobley and Melvin Flowers.Enjoying the UTC Chancellor’s year-end picnic are, from left, Chancellor’s Roundtable Chair Kim White (Chattanooga ’82), Alumni Board Past President Mike Griffin (Chattanooga ’85) and Joe Dan White.Jerri Marr, a graduate of the UT College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources (CASNR), serves as assistant director for recreation for the U.S. Forest Service in Washington, D.C. Marr offered words of encouragement to almost 100 CASNR underrepresented/minority scholars during the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Awards Banquet. She was honored by Quentin Hatton, a CASNR junior.UT College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources and College of Veterinary Medicine alum Dr. Alex Dulaney (’00, ’03), left, of the East Tennessee Veterinary Hospital in Greeneville, Tennessee, is assisting James Powell, a former CASNR student, of Powell Farms in Limestone, Tennessee, with some of the nation’s most advanced DNA cattle improvement work. The American Angus Association ranks several of Powell Farms’ nonparent cows in the top 100 in the US.Did you know there’s a UT-themed restaurant in Nanjing, China? It’s the brainchild of Jimmy Bice (Knoxville ’00), who has been living in Nanjing for 16 years. After graduating, he visited China for a three-month vacation and met his wife. They have two young children. During his college days, Bice worked as a cook at Barley’s in the Old City. He spread a little Big Orange spirit to 28 UT Knoxville faculty in the form of burgers and pizza. The UT-Southeast University partnership grew out of the creation of UT’s Confucius Institute—a university-wide collaboration with SEU to bring Chinese language and cultural knowledge to UT students.Dr. Kathy Kunkel (UTCVM ’89) is helping meet the needs of children in foster care transition. Her charity, Love on Wheels, provides a piece of luggage filled with necessities the child can call his or her own. Kunkel’s passion for service doesn’t stop there—she is chair of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Alumni Council. She owns Little House Animal Hospital in Franklin, Tennessee.Julius Johnson (CASNR ’70), left, is honored by Gov. Bill Haslam for Johnson’s five years of service as Tennessee Department of Agriculture commissioner. Johnson, who was instrumental in the development of the Governor’s Rural Challenge, retired as commissioner at the end of April 2016.Isaac Bennett (CASNR ’84) ran into the UT women’s golf team at the Savannah, Georgia, airport in March and had to stop for a quick photo op. Bennett is vice president of capital markets for Farm Credit Bank of Texas.UT Knoxville Young Alumni gathered in Nashville for an outstanding “Vol Greats Panel Discussion.” The panel included, from left, Mike Keith (Knoxville ’91), Reen Baskin (Knoxville ’03), Travis Haney (Knoxville ’03) and Lelan Statom (Knoxville ’86), who shared career successes and advice with young alumni. The discussion was moderated by Dan Schlacter (Knoxville ’02), far right, immediate past president of the Nashville Region Alumni Chapter.Atlanta UT Knoxville Alumni Chapter board members, from left, Tunya Bails (Knoxville ’93), Jimmie McKinley (Knoxville ’02) and Christal McKinley (Knoxville ’02) enjoyed fun and fellowship at the 2016 Big Orange Caravan in Atlanta. Coaches Butch Jones, Rick Barnes and Holly Warlick shared excitement about their respective teams.Families enjoyed the Nashville Region UT Knoxville Alumni Chapter’s 50th annual All Sports Picnic. All proceeds from the picnic benefit scholarships for local students.The late Pat Head Summitt (Martin, ’74), former head coach emeritus of the Lady Vols basketball team, was honored July 14 with a Celebration of Life Service in Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville. UT Martin hosted a gathering for the live webcast event in the Boling University Center. The UT Martin event featured a memorabilia display related to Summitt’s time as a UT Martin student-athlete and photos from her many campus visits, including a portrait of Summitt toasting with orange juice, which greeted the audience from the stage in Watkins Auditorium.From left, UT Knoxville Alumni Board President Terry Begley and his wife, Connie Begley, joined Ileen Cheek for a festive night celebrating accomplishments of Knoxville alumni chapters and special-interest and diversity councils at the second annual Big Orange Awards Bash.Kassie Hooks (seated), of Fulton, Kentucky, is one of two UT Martin students to have their logo designs selected for the 2016 No-Till Field Day event in Milan, Tennessee. Hooks is pictured with Sarah Haig, assistant professor of graphic design. A design by Kyle Birdwell (not pictured), a UT Martin May graduate from Bruceton, Tennessee, also was selected.
