Volume 30, Number 1
September 2018 Newsletter
President’s Letter
Dear Friends,
There is much excitement for the UTIA Retirees Association as we look forward to the next few months. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is celebrating its Golden Anniversary this year, and in 2019 the Retirees Association also will reach that Golden Anniversary milestone. There is a great deal to celebrate as we reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and anticipate the future. Continue reading the newsletter…
It’s Apple Time in Cosby: Eastern Area Fall Get-together October 16
Steve Sutton
The Eastern Area retirees have planned their annual fall get-together for Tuesday, October 16, at Carver’s Orchard and Applehouse Restaurant in Cosby, Tennessee. The activity is for association members and their guests as well as any other UTIA retirees who wish to attend. Those living outside the Eastern Area are also welcome to join the group. The more the merrier!
For those of you not familiar with the property, it is actually a family farm orchard. The Carvers have been growing apples in the area since the 1940s. Kyle Carver started his orchard in 1942, hand grafting and planting apple trees in his cornfield. The orchard now sits on 75 acres and boasts over 40,000 trees and 126 varieties of apples.
No formal program is planned. The theme for the day is “Fun and Fellowship.” There will be plenty of time to browse through the locally grown produce, including many varieties of apples, pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes. You can also find jellies, jams, homemade fried apple pies, and cider. Make sure to allow time to stop in at Krafts and Kandy for the best local candy and handmade crafts around.
We’ll have lunch at the Applehouse Restaurant on the property where Appalachian home-cooking abounds. A basket of apple fritters is brought out as a starter for each meal as well as a glass of cider. The catfish, chicken and dumplings, and apple cider barbecue are popular favorites. The chicken pot pie is exceptional. They also have a wide selection of sandwiches. Most entrees are in the $8-$12 range. Don’t forget to leave room for a Carver’s fried apple pie for dessert. It’s definitely not to be missed.
There is no upfront cost to the event. We will be eating in the restaurant so everyone will order from the menu and pay their own bill. However, we would like everyone to RSVP so we will know how many tables to reserve in the restaurant. Please contact Martha Jo Tolley to give her the number and names of those who will be attending. Please make your reservation by October 1.
Everyone should plan to arrive by 10 a.m. for a short welcome and tour. We will eat lunch at 11:30 a.m. You are welcome to stay as long after lunch as you like. I would suggest taking Exit 440 on I-40, then following US-321 to Cosby. The address is 3460 Cosby Highway, Cosby, TN 37722. It is well-marked with signage. Looking forward to seeing you there!
UTIA Retiree Association Western Area to Meet Thursday, October 25
John Bradley
The UTIA Retiree Association Western Area members will gather Thursday, October 25, at the Club House at the Preserve at Pickwick Lake . The Club House is a private lodge at a 700-foot elevation overlooking beautiful Pickwick Lake. This a perfect luxurious setting for our group to be comfortable, relaxed, visit and catch up on life during and after UT. We will have a catered meal from the Hickory Pit in Savannah of pork barbecue and all the trimmings. The cost of the meal will be $12 per person payable the day of our meeting. Lunch will served around 11:30 a.m. There will be a short meeting with reports from our president, Steve Glass, and our state officers in attendance. All the UTIA Retirees members and potential members are encouraged to attend. RSVP to John Bradley OR to Mary Kate Ridgeway. The address of the Preserve at Pickwick Lake is Pyburns Drive, Savannah, TN 38372, 731-607-3076
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Come to Ag Day!
Ag Day is held every year and is a time for the UTIA family—alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends—to learn what our colleges, centers, research units, and outreach efforts have achieved during the year and what we’ll be doing in coming years to help improve the lives of all Tennesseans. It’s our chance to showcase the great work we do every day. You won’t want to miss the fun planned this year!
We look forward to seeing you September 22. The event will begin four and a half hours before the Vols take on the Florida Gators to make sure you get to your seats to enjoy kickoff!
October Heritage Skills Seminars
Heritage Skills Seminars is a statewide event held at the Clyde York 4-H Center in Crossville. We are excited to offer two seminars this year, White Oak Basketry and Quilting on the Mountain. These unique seminars are full of fun, education, food, and scenery atop the Plateau.
Never made a basket? You can! Sue Williams has been a basket maker for more than thirty years and has won awards for her basket construction skills. She will lead you through the construction of a ribbed basket using white oak! Are you a quilter or looking to become one? Quilting on the Mountain is the seminar for you! Many projects are available and assistance with them is a guarantee! Both four-day seminars will be held October 1-4, 2018.
Classes are first come, first served. To register, print, complete, and mail the online forms available at the Heritage Skills Seminars.
UT Institute of Agriculture Announces New Herbert College of Agriculture
The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees formally announced June 22 the new Herbert College of Agriculture, named for distinguished alumni Jim and Judi Herbert. The new name for the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources was officially approved by the Board at a specially called meeting on April 17.
The Herbert College of Agriculture becomes the third named college in the University of Tennessee’s 224-year history and only the second land-grant agricultural college in the nation named from a philanthropic gift. The Herberts, both alumni of UT Knoxville, are strong supporters of the University and the Institute of Agriculture.
“We are especially pleased about enhancing the student experience through internships in national agribusinesses and international work,” said Jim Herbert, co-founder and executive chairman of Neogen Corporation, an international food safety company headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. “We hope this gives students studying agriculture every opportunity to become great contributors to their world.”
New Location for the Center for Profitable Agriculture
After almost 16 years of being located at the Middle Tennessee Research and Education Center in Spring Hill, the Center for Profitable Agriculture has moved to the new office building at the W.P. Ridley 4-H Center in Columbia.
The new physical and mailing address is:
Center for Profitable Agriculture
850 Lion Parkway
Columbia, TN 38401
The phone number remains the same at 931-486-2777. They no longer maintain a fax line.
Cross Receives Ruby Award
UTIA Chancellor Tim Cross has been selected as the 2018 Distinguished Service Ruby Award winner by Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP), the national organization representing Extension professionals. This is the most prestigious recognition presented by Epsilon Sigma Phi and is designed to recognize truly outstanding thinking, performance, and leadership in Extension. Also receiving honors from ESP are Linda Bowers, chosen for an Administrative Leadership Award, and Ann Berry, selected for a Continued Excellence Award.
Throughout his career as an instructor, professor, Extension specialist, dean, and now chancellor—a career that spans over thirty years and three states—Cross continues to be recognized nationally as an outstanding administrator and dedicated leader. As stated in his nomination letter, “Tim Cross is a supportive and encouraging leader who has allowed Tennessee Extension to continue to meet the ever-changing needs of its clientele. His dedication to Extension and the land-grant mission has guided his leadership in Tennessee as well as across the country. He is well-respected by colleagues, stakeholders, and government officials as a dynamic and effective leader.”
Cross will be presented this honor in conjunction with the prestigious Ruby Lecture at the 2018 National Epsilon Sigma Phi Conference in October in Manhattan, Kansas. Congratulations to Cross, Berry and Bowers on these outstanding recognitions.
Clark and Loveday Take on New Roles
Richard Clark recently expressed his desire to move to a faculty position within 4-H/ALEC and provide leadership to the new 4-H “Next Chapter” Program. That change became effective July 1, 2018. Dwight Loveday has agreed to serve as interim 4-H assistant dean and head of the Department of Agriculture Leadership, Education and Communications Department. Loveday’s well demonstrated commitment to both 4-H and our undergraduate and graduate teaching programs will allow him to effectively step into the interim role.
Belli Accepts New Role
Keith L. Belli, former head of the UTIA’s Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, has been named dean of Clemson’s College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences. Belli assumed his new role at Clemson on September 1. He had served as department head in FWF at UT since arriving from Mississippi State in 2007.
Information About Retirees
Welcome Home, Mildred Clarke!
It was a delight to learn earlier this year that Mildred Clarke was coming home to Tennessee after several years of living in Florida. The move is complete and she is now enjoying living at Garden Plaza of Greenbriar Cove in Ooltewah. Clarke says that the most difficult thing so far has been learning how to spell Ooltewah!
Clarke, a native of West Tennessee, moved to Knoxville to the District V Office in the early 1970s. At the time of her retirement she was associate dean for UT Extension’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.
On a recent beautiful day in July several of her friends and former co-workers traveled to Ooltewah for a visit and to have lunch. The group included Gail Disney Skidmore, Mary Ann Haubenreich, Betty Sewell, Glenda Dodson, Shirley Hastings, Martha Jo Tolley, and Ruth Henderson McQueen.
“From Poverty to Prosperity”
David Hunter recently published a second book, From Poverty to Prosperity. This is a hard-back book, which basically tells the author’s story in a humorous story format. Hunter said, “At the suggestion of my wife, I wrote a book so that my children, my grandchildren, and my great grandchildren would know who I was and how I got there. They would be better able to read my writings and have a clearer understanding of how a person born into poverty, sleeping at the foot of the bed, could ever become a college graduate, serve in the United States Army, be a Vietnam veteran, and later become an auctioneer, an Extension agent, a college professor, and a nationally recognized speaker. Or to put it another way, how one could go from Poverty to Prosperity in this great country, the United States of America.” All of these topics are discussed in Hunter’s book in a very humorous and realistic story format.
If you would like a copy of Hunter’s new book, you may obtain one by sending a check made out to David Hunter for $18.50 that includes postage, to David Hunter, 825 S. Brown Lane, Unit 2001, Gallatin, TN 37066.
Persist Orchardgrass Sales Still Strong
Persist orchardgrass, a new cultivar developed by Bob Conger, has had seed sales exceeding 800,000 pounds per year for each of the last three years. It was released by the UTAES in 2001 and licensed to Smith Seed Services in Halsey, Oregon, by the UTRF in 2002. It was awarded a Plant Variety Protection (PVP) patent by the USDA in 2007.
Jonathan Rupert of Smith Seeds said, “Persist seed is sold throughout the United States, Canada, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, and Australia. In the United States, the largest volumes are shipped to Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. Domestically Persist is sold as far south as Georgia and Alabama; as far West as California, Oregon, and Washington; and all along the Northern states. While sales are small into Canada, it is recommended as a variety proven for use up there.”
Persist is used for both pasture and hay and is touted for its higher resistance and persistence under drought and other adverse climatic conditions compared to other orchardgrass cultivars. Smith Seeds has posted an excellent article on the Persist Orchardgrass website. Click on various items, e.g., yield trials, history, testimonials, etc. Special acknowledgement goes to Ann Roberson of the UTRF (then UTRC) for her outstanding work in negotiations with various seed companies in the licensing of Persist.
Former UTIA workers or retirees who have recently joined the Association as lifetime members are:
Sharon Schlosshan
Worked for: CVM
Last title: Histology Technologist
Department: Biomedical and Diagnostic Science
Nina L. Carr
Worked for: Extension
Michelle Vineyard
Worked for Extension
Last Employment Title: Extension Specialist
Department: Family and Consumer Sciences
Teresa Allan
Worked for: Extension
Last Title: FCS Adult Agent
Location: Sumner County
ADDRESS CHANGES
Email address changes:
Crocia Roberson
From Crocia Roberson:
We have just organized a club for East Tennessee—the East Tennessee Buttoniers or eers—and had nine or ten new members join our Tennessee State Button Society. Button Collecting is a fascinating hobby and can really keep you busy, if you allow it.
Most everybody knows buttons, but knows very little about them. When I first began button collecting as a hobby and joined a button club, it seemed I had enrolled in college again there was so much to learn. Button collecting is a fascinating hobby and can keep you busy if you will let it. Through an educational project begun four years ago in the interest of helping to preserve the tiny works of art and historical treasures found in antique (made before WW I ), vintage (made between 1919 and 1980), and collectible modern (made after 1980) buttons the Tennessee State Button Society has been most active. They have made presentations and exhibits for groups, events, and conducted special button displays and exhibitions and distributed printed information primarily in eight counties of Middle Tennessee.
There is no way to determine the extent of our audiences, but we can con confirm that we have reached persons in twenty-eight or more states and seven countries. Nine or ten new members have joined the Tennessee State Button Society in the past two years. The recently organized East Tennessee Buttoneers became the fourth button club in the state. They will provide educational programs monthly for interested persons in this portion of the state. They meet at the King Family library in Sevierville each first Wednesday afternoon.
The UT Human Resources Office reports the following persons retired or departed recently from UTIA.
Retirements
- James Ronald Cates, Maintenance Specialist I, Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center
- Ralph C. Harvey, Clinical Assistant Professor, Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine
- Richard A. Hensley, Research Associate I, AgResearch and Education Center Greeneville
- Alison Green Hoffmann, Extension Program Assistant II, Hamilton County, UT Extension
- Henry George Kattesh, Professor, Animal Science
- Sandra J. Lane, Accounting Specialist I, Western-State, UT Extension
- Joel B. Lown, Coordinator III, AgResearch
- William D. Pitt Jr., Research Associate I, Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center
- Amelia E. Rader, Administrative Specialist I, AgResearch and Education Center at Greeneville
- Curtis Edwards Stewart, Associate Professor, Plant Sciences
- Mirian K. Wright, Administrative Support Assistant III, Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
Departures
- Jose Ruben Castro, Clinical Assistant Professor, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, UTCVM
- Joseph Leonard Donaldson, Assistant Professor, 4-H/ALEC
- Katharine Sue Earl, Extension Program Assistant II, Greene County
- Rachel Anne Emmert, Clinical Assistant I, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, UTCVM
- Eydie Thomason Foster, Administrative Support Assistant II, Lincoln County, UT Extension
- Deneen Kimberly Gault, Extension Program Assistant II, Davidson County, UT Extension
- Kyle Thomas Hensley, Coordinator II, Herbert College of Agriculture
- Rebecca Lynn Hughes, Extension Agent II, Union County
- Shelley J. Newman, Professor, Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, UTCVM
- Teresa Jean Payne, Research Associate II, Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
- Christopher Joseph Smallwood, Research Scientist I, Plant Sciences
- Aislynn Denise Hartman Sykes, Administrative Specialist I, Austin 4-H Center
- Linda S. Wolaver, Administrative Support Assistant II, Moore County, UT Extension
- Erin Melissa Wood, Clinical Specialist III, Small Animal Clinical Sciences
Name links to obituary.
Diane Mehall passed away June 27, 2018. Mehall served as an accounting specialist in our Extension Dean’s Office from April 2007 until her retirement in January 2016. While working in the UT Extension Dean’s Office, Mehall supported everyone in UT Extension by processing travel for the entire Extension organization. Prior to her service with UT Extension, Mehall worked in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and for the UT Knoxville Campus. Please keep her family, and especially her husband JJ and brother Greg Disney in your thoughts and prayers.
Alpha Worrell, retired associate District I supervisor for home economics, passed away July 11, 2018. Worrell was a true professional in every sense of the word and served as a tremendous role model for Extension home economists not only in District I, but across the state. Funeral services were held Friday, July 13, 2018, at 10 a.m. at Alamo First United Methodist Church. Interment followed in Alamo Cemetery.
Margaret R. (Peggie) Hall, retired Extension agent in Rhea County, passed away on August 21, 2018, at Siskin Hospice of Chattanooga after a brief illness. Hall retired in December 2000. Visitation was held Friday, August 24, 5-7 p.m. at Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton, Tennessee. The funeral service was held at 7 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Interment was Saturday, August 25, at Tyner Cemetery in Chattanooga.
Phyllis Inman, who retired in 1981 as an associate professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, passed away August 28, 2018. At the time of her retirement her title was interior design and crafts specialist in home economics. Inman was 94 and had been in an assisted living facility close to Chattanooga for 6 1/2 years. Memorial services were held September 14, 2018, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Hixson. Contributions may be made to the Tennessee 4-H Foundation in honor of Phyllis Inman.
We express sincere comfort and/or speedy healing to the following UTIA employees or retirees:
Sympathy is expressed to George Grandle, Eastern Area UTIA Retirees secretary-treasurer who retired in 2009 from the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, in the death of his father, James Franklin Grandle, 96, of Keezletown, Virginia, who passed away June 15, 2018, at his home in Keezletown. A funeral service was conducted at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 19, at Mountain Valley United Methodist Church. Burial followed in the Mountain Valley Cemetery. In lieu of flowers donations may be sent to Mountain Valley Cemetery, c/o Barbara Martz, 8288 Indian Trail Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802.
It is with heavy hearts that we inform you of the sudden passing of Jim Hayes, the husband of Kathy Hayes, TNCEP program assistant in Bradley County. Jim Hayes passed away July 6. A Remembrance of Life Service was conducted Sunday evening, July 8, 2018, at 7 p.m. at the Burdette Baptist Church. Graveside services and interment were conducted Monday, July 9, at 11 a.m. at the McClanahan Cemetery. Our sympathies go out to Kathy and her family.
Membership in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Retirees Association is for anyone who has worked five or more years for The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. The organization’s membership includes former employees from the Herbert College of Agriculture, the College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension.
It doesn’t matter if you were one of the support staff, a teacher, research scientist, Extension educator, a farm worker, custodian, laboratory technician or an administrator. If you worked at UTIA, we welcome you to join.
A major objective of UTIA Retirees Association is to unite all former University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture workers and to provide channels for communication and friendship after employees leave the Institute. Our newsletter and web pages are communication links with the Institute and current and retired employees.
When employees retire or terminate employment at UTIA, their names are added to our mailing list to receive a complimentary issue of the quarterly newsletter and an invitation to the next area meeting scheduled in the area where they reside. During this period, retirees have the opportunity to decide whether or not they want to continue their contact with former co-workers by joining the UTIA Retirees Association. The cost is $30 for a lifetime membership.
The UTIA Retirees Association newsletter is published quarterly by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. The University of Tennessee is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section 504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment programs and services. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, or covered veteran status.
UTIA Retirees Association
2621 Morgan Circle Drive || Knoxville, TN 37996
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