Volume 30, Number 1
March 2018 Newsletter
Message from the President
The “tweener days” of winter—after the holidays and before spring—can sure seem long and dreary. After Christmas bills, icy roads, single-digit temperatures, wind chill factors below zero, the pinnacle of the flu season, gigantic heat bills, and the looming reality of April 15 all contribute significantly to driving the misery index higher. And while Punxsutawney Phil’s occasional forecast for an early spring may excite some, his track record for being correct has proven to be less than dependable.
Nevertheless, there are numerous days and events that contribute to making the days of winter a little brighter. Click here to continue reading…
The 2018 Eastern Area UTIA Retirees meeting will be held April 19, 2018, at the Eastern Region Extension Office, 1801 Downtown West Boulevard, Knoxville. Registration and refreshments will be available starting at 9:30 a.m. with the program starting at 10 a.m. Chancellor Tim Cross will be on hand to welcome the group. We are particularly pleased UT President Joe DiPietro will be with us this year and address the group shortly before lunch. Justin Crowe will give a 4-H update and bring a state officer to give the thought for the day, and the ten state-winning 4-H posters will be on display. The UTIA Retirees Association is the donor for the State 4-H Poster Art Contest.
Lunch will be provided by Knox County 4-H volunteers and will be served at noon. The cost is $14 per person. The menu includes the famous 4-H barbecue chicken, tossed salad, fruit cup, rice, bread, homemade desserts, and beverage. Lunch reservations should be made by Thursday, April 12. RSVP with your check payable to UTIA Retirees Association to George Grandle.
The Cumberland Area UTIA Retirees will meet at the Clyde York 4-H Center on May 1. The highlight of the meeting will be the naming of the Recreation Hall after Mr. A.C. Clark. Refreshments will be served between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. in the Recreation Hall, and the meeting will begin there at 10 a.m. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. in the Dining Hall. Lunch is $15 and the menu will include grilled chicken, baked potatoes, green beans, homemade rolls, a full salad bar, and dessert. For planning purposes, please send reservations and money for the lunch meal no later than April 16 to Linda J. Tinch. Make checks out to the UTIA Retirees Association.
The Central Region UTIA Retirees spring meeting/luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 18, at the Grove at Williamson Place in Murfreesboro. The Grove is an exciting new meeting venue created from an old dairy farm complex just off I-24. We will gather at 10:30–11:00 a.m. and enjoy a short business meeting and program from 11 a.m. to noon. Brandon Witt, one of the best agritourism experts around, will present a program on agritourism in Tennessee’s fastest growing city. Following the program, we will gather for lunch. The caterer, Carolyn Miller, has created many wonderful meals for Retirees and other events in recent years. The seasonal home cooked lunch will be $15 per person. Deadline for reservations is April 16. RSVP to Central Region Vice-President Pat Whitaker. Make checks payable to the UTIA Retirees Association.
Directions to the Grove: The Grove is located at 3250 Wilkinson Pike, Murfreesboro, TN 37129. Once there, you’ll reach a dead end at the parking lot. Park and go to the silo for the meeting and luncheon. Visit The Grove at Williamson Place for more information.
The Western Area UTIA Retirees spring meeting will be Thursday, April 26, at Spring Valley Farms. John and Debra Bradley will host the meeting and cordially invite all the UTIA Retiree members and potential members to gather at their farm home located in Lutts, Tennessee. Please gather around 10 a.m. They will give a short presentation of their Natural Tennessee beef and honey operation after greetings and socializing. The business program consisting of the election of officers and a brief report from John Jared will begin around 11 a.m. with a meal around 11:30 a.m. Spring Valley Farms will provide the complimentary lunch of SVF Beef Burgers, homemade potato salad, baked beans, and desserts. They will offer farm tours after lunch. RSVP to John Bradley. Learn more about their operation at Spring Valley Farms and on Facebook at Spring Valley Family Farms. They post a different SVF farm family picture every day. Invitations and reminders will be sent to all the members on the UTIA Retiree Association in the West Area and the western part of the Central Area.
Directions to Spring Valley Farms, 425 Abrams Road, Lutts TN, 38471: From Savannah, Take US 64 East out of Savannah toward Waynesboro. One mile past Savannah Walmart turn right on to TN 226 (‘Lutts’ sign), travel about 2 miles, then turn left onto TN 203 (in front of Olivet Presbyterian Church). Travel through the country about 21 miles on TN 203. Turn left onto Abrams Road just before you get to the Lutts United Methodist Church (also on the left). If you pass the church, you missed the left turn on Abrams. Abrams Road will start as a surfaced road and changes quickly to chert/gravel. Travel ALL the way to the end! Cross a shallow creek with concrete bottom, then go through the gates, past the barn on left, and up the hill to the house with a circle drive.
From Waynesboro, Take TN Hwy 13 south to Collinwood. Just south of Collinwood, turn right on the TN Hwy. 203. Travel about 12 miles to the small community of Lutts, turn right on to Abrams Road immediately past the Lutts United Methodist Church. Abrams Road will start as a surfaced road and changes quickly to chert/gravel. Travel ALL the way to the end! Cross a shallow creek with concrete bottom, then go through the gates, past the barn on left, and up the hill to the house with circle drive.
A retirement reception for Theresa Allen will be held 1:30-4 p.m., March 23, at UT Extension Sumner County Office, 658 Hartsville Pike, Gallatin, TN 37066.
A retirement reception for Richard Powell will be held 2-4 p.m., March 28, at the Providence House at Casey Jones Village, 56 Casey Jones Lane, Jackson, Tennessee 38305.
AgResearch Dean Accepts Texas Tech Appointment
UT AgResearch Dean Bill Brown has accepted an appointment as dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University. Brown’s departure follows almost ten years of dedicated service to AgResearch and UTIA since his appointment in July 2008.
Many positive changes have occurred under Brown’s leadership working with AgResearch faculty and staff. Faculty numbers have grown by almost 20 percent since 2008. Research products, measured through the number of refereed publications and presentations at scientific meetings, have increased; revenues from grant awards have grown; and AgResearch and Education Centers have a sharpened focus to better serve agricultural research needs. As a result of Brown’s vision, a new office of sponsored programs was created, which has provided outstanding support to faculty in pursuit of extramural funding opportunities. Endowment funds have increased, and the visibility of AgResearch faculty, projects, and outcomes has been enhanced.
Brown will begin his new appointment in early April, and an interim dean will be appointed prior to his departure, followed by a national search.
UT Institute of Agriculture Selects Blasingame Chair of Excellence
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture welcomes Andrew Muhammad as the recently named Blasingame Chair of Excellence in Agricultural, Food, and Natural Resource Policy.
Muhammad brings considerable experience and research to the Blasingame Chair position where his focus will be assisting the state and nation’s agricultural decision makers in the evaluation of potential policies and programs dealing with agricultural commodities, food and nutrition, natural resources and international trade, as well as advocating for state and regional agricultural opportunities.
Information About Retirees
Janice Williams will be hosting an Easter Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 30 and 31 on her family farm. The farm address is 12130 Prater Lane, Knoxville, TN 37922. This is just below Concord Park area, off Choto Road. They will have a couple of egg hunts that are “ongoing hunts” (no set start time), live music, and lots of other activities. Take note that the grandparents sometimes have more fun than the youngsters! If the weather is good, it would be a nice side trip to get out on the farm. Rachel, Janice’s daughter, has done a great job getting this established. She and Janice have just returned home from a national agritourism conference in California, and they have some new features in mind that they hope to add to this year’s event.
Former UTIA workers or retirees who have recently joined the Association as lifetime members are:
Elizabeth S. Parrott
Last employment: Administrative Assistant, Hardin County
Hubert Savoy, Jr.
Last employment: Associate Professor, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science
Edward M. Burns
Last employment: Extension Agent III, Franklin County
Bernice H. Knox
Last employment: Administrative Specialist, UTIA Chancellor’s Office
Joyce A. Coombs
Last employment: Research Associate I, Pigeon River Recovery Project Coordinator, Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
Janet Newton
Last employment: Extension Agent/Youth Development, Level III, Henderson County
The UT Human Resources Office reports the following persons retired or departed recently from UTIA.
Retirements
- Judith A. Bell, Administrative Specialist II, UTIA
- Judy N. Bryant, Administrative Support Aide II, Robertson County, UT Extension
- Marsha Lynn Buie, Administrative Support Assistant II, UT Extension
- Doris Jean Caffey, Extension Program Assistant II, Shelby County
- Timothy P. Campbell, Extension Agent I and County Director, Dyer County
- Linda Winebarger Carey, Administrative Coordinator I, UT Extension, 6 years of service
- Darol H. Copley, Agricultural Service Supervisor II, AgResearch and Education Center at Milan
- Morgan D. Gray, IT Administrator IV, Agricultural and Resource Economics
- Babbet R. Harbison, Information Specialist II, Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, CVM
- Martha W. Keel, Professor, Family and Consumer Sciences
- Bernice Howard Knox, Administrative Specialist II, UTIA Chancellor’s Office
- Vernon M. Pagel, Jr., Agricultural Service Assistant I, Dairy AgResearch and Education Center
- Claudia Jeanine Russell, Business Manager, Family and Consumer Sciences
- James R. Simons, Research Associate I, Ames Plantation
- John A. Skinner, Professor, Entomology and Plant Pathology
- Michelle Laborde Vineyard, Extension Specialist III, Family and Consumer Sciences
- Cynthia Louise Walker, IT Administrator II, Plant Sciences
- Carlene J. Welch, Extension Agent II, Knox County
Departures
- Nina L. Carr, Service Aide I, Soil, Plant and Pest Center
- Rhonda Maria Dudley, Extension Program Assistant II, Knox County
- Stuart Jamison Gorman, Research Associate I, Food Science
- Wusheng Liu, Research Assistant Professor, Plant Sciences
- Doretha Iris Minor, Extension Program Assistant II, Montgomery County
- John Travis Mulliniks, Assistant Professor, Animal Science
- Mary B. Murray, Administrative Support Aide II, Dyer County
- Melissa Ann Sullivan, Administrative Support Assistant II
- Vickie Faye Witcher, Extension Agent II, Dickson County
- Jennifer Lynn Woodson, Administrative Support Assistant II
Name links to obituary.
Karl M. Barth, age 90, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, January 21, 2018. A memorial service was held at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Friday, February 2, at 2 p.m. Barth retired in 1992 as professor, Department of Animal Science.
Charles L. (Chuck) Cleland, retired faculty member of the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, passed away Sunday, March 4. A memorial service was held Saturday, March 17, at Springfield Presbyterian Church, 7300 Spout Hill Road, Sykesville, Maryland 21784. Memorial contributions may be made to the Springfield Presbyterian Church.
Joe H. Eller, former UTIA Mail/Print Shop employee, passed away February 15, 2018, at Providence Place Assisted Living in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, following a three-week illness. Eller was a native of DeKalb County, Tennessee. A graveside service and interment was held at noon, Sunday, February 18, 2018, in Lynnhurst Cemetery in Knoxville, TN with military grave rites administered by the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard.
Charlie Grooms, who worked as an Extension agent in Obion County from 1966-1997, passed away December 5, 2017, in Haysville, Kansas, where he lived with his son. He was a former resident of Union City. Grooms was 78 years of age. Funeral services were conducted at 2 p.m. Friday, December 8, in the chapel of Edmaiston Mosley Funeral Home, Union City, TN. Burial followed in Salem Cemetery, near Union City.
Roy Luna, former Putnam County agriculture Extension agent, passed peacefully on Saturday, February 10, 2018, in Cookeville, surrounded by his family. Luna retired from UTIA in 1988 with thirty-six years of service. The family received friends from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, at Crest Lawn Funeral Home, Cookeville.
Mioko Yoshida Oliver, who retired in 1999 as principal secretary, Information Technology, after a long career with UT Extension, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 22, 2018, at age 89. A celebration of life was held at Cokesbury United Methodist Church on Sunday, February 11, 2018, at 1:30 p.m.
We express sincere comfort and/or speedy healing to the following UTIA employees or retirees:
Sympathy is expressed to Greg Allen in the passing of his mother, Betty Allen. She passed away at home Sunday night, January 21, after a lengthy illness.
Sympathy is expressed to Mark and Bonnye Beeler, in the death of Bonnye’s mother, Sue Glyn McKee, who passed away Sunday, January 28, 2018 in Hartsville at age 88. Mark retired in 2004 with twenty-seven years of service at UTIA. He was an Extension agent and county director in Trousdale County.
Sympathy is expressed to Jack Britt, former vice president for agriculture, on the passing of his wife, Frances Atkins Britt, who died January 29, 2018.
Sympathy is expressed to retired Extension agent Scott Chadwell, retired Extension agent and director in Putnam County, in the passing of his mother. Alice “Lynn” Cox Chadwell passed away at age 94 on February 6, 2018, in Kingsport, Tennessee. Cards may be sent to Scott at 5305 Fant Road, Baxter, TN 38544. Memorial contributions may be made to Asbury Place at Steadman Hills, 1800 Bloomingdale Pike, Kingsport, TN 37660.
It is with great sympathy we share the news that Sharon Glover‘s niece was killed in January in a triple shooting in Northwest Knoxville. Many of us who frequent Mabel’s know Sharon, who greets everyone with a cheerful smile and shows great care for her customers. Sharon’s niece, Denise Stevens, was just 29 years old and was the mother of three young boys. Please keep Sharon and her family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
Sympathy is expressed to Dale Gregg, senior farm equipment operator at the AgResearch and Education Center at Greeneville, in the death of his mother, Nora Gregg, age 80, of Parrottsville, who passed away Wednesday, December 13, 2017 at her home. Dale’s name is incorrectly recorded as Doyle in the obituary.
Sympathy is expressed to the family of Mary Lou Parks, who passed away peacefully on Monday, December 18, 2017. She was the widow of Larry Parks, who was a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences.
Sympathy is expressed to Genia Southall. Her mother, Helen Coston, passed away January 1. Her mother-in-law, Helen Southall, passed away Sunday, February 4. Please keep Genia and her family in your prayers and thoughts.
We are saddened to announce that Glenn Turner’s mother, Charlotte Turner, passed away December 22, 2017. If you would like to send Glenn a card, his home address is 1507 White Oak Drive, Sevierville, TN 37862. Please keep Glenn and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Durell Walker—father of Steve Walker, retired county director and Extension agent in Macon County—passed away Friday, February 2. Durell is also the grandfather of Macon County 4-H Agent Kayla Jenkins, as well as the father-in-law of Randall Kimes, former county director of UT Extension Clay County. An obituary is available at Sanderson Funeral Home.
Sympathy is expressed to the family of Doug Edlund, UTIA Marketing and Communications, in the passing of his mother, Jean Edlund, at the age of 87 on February 19.
Extension Appoints Eastern Region Director
Following a national search, UT Extension has named David Perrin as Eastern Region Director. Perrin began his new role March 1.
Perrin has been employed with UT Extension since 1984. He has served as the Eastern Region agriculture program leader, directing both adult and 4-H youth programs since 2004. Perrin began his service as program leader with the Smoky Mountain District in 2001. Other positions with UT Extension include area farm management specialist from 1986 to 2001 and assistant Extension agent from 1984 to 1986. He received a BS and an MS degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in agricultural mechanization. Prior to his Extension career, he served as a production supervisor with Ralston Purina. He is a long-term member of TAAA&S, TAE4-HW, and Epsilon Sigma Phi professional organizations, receiving the Distinguished Service Award from NACAA in 2002, the 25-year Service Award from TAE4-HW in 2009, and the Meritorious Service Award from Epsilon Sigma Phi in 2007. He is also a 2014 graduate from the LEAD21 Land Grant System Leadership Program.
New CASNR Student Life Coordinator Helps Students Find Their Strengths
Sharon Couch joined CASNR as student life coordinator the first week of January. A ball of energy, herself, she has already laid a strong foundation centered on student success, inclusivity, and helping everyone understand the College is a community.
Among her objectives is to assist students in building a foundation for what their future might be, then connecting them to the resources that will assist, in CASNR, then UTIA, and the bigger picture of UT Knoxville. “I think we, and they, have the best of both worlds, but sometimes you have to make sure that students know and show them,” Couch says. “Creating better bonds in our community, more effective communication, and opportunities for them to really hear directly from me. Those are my goals, and that’s how it is with family.”
This semester, Couch is teaching two sections of AGNR 103 Teambuilding for the College’s Living Learning Community (LLC) students. Thirty percent of her responsibilities are to enhance and expand the college experiences of underrepresented students. “That’s one part of my responsibility, and it’s a big role,” Couch says. “Yet I see my position is about all students from every aspect of what they do. That includes making sure they have the information, the energy, the resources, and the plans in order to execute what they came here to get, a degree. My job is to be the student life champion, advocate, cheerleader: whatever role they need. My first job and biggest responsibility is to care for our students, approximately 1,500 undergraduates, in our college, and that’s the other 50 percent of what I do. I come at it in an inclusive way. Our goal is to always be thinking of everyone. We are a community and representing everyone is first and foremost. I want students to understand they are going to have a seat at the table because I have a seat at the table.”
Couch’s lively manner and energy connect to a background in athletics. First as a track star that ultimately led to her selection as a two-time Olympian to represent the US in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, and in 2000 she competed in Sydney, Australia. Her path to CASNR spans four years as assistant coach of the Lady Vol track team, then service as an academic success coach with the UT Student Success Center as well as a student academic advisor in the university’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
UT AgResearch Administrator Honored by Research Center Peers
The Research Center Administrators Society honored past president Barry D. Sims, associate director of UT AgResearch, with its Distinguished Service Award.
RCAS President Jeff Chandler made the presentation to Sims on Tuesday, January 30, during the association’s annual winter meeting. Sims served as RCAS president from 2016-2017 and also served as former president of the Southern Weed Science Society.
“Barry has been an energetic proponent of the land grant mission and has a deep understanding of the research that’s needed and the benefits it has, not only for the ag industry, but the nation as a whole,” said Chandler, who is director of the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center at North Carolina State Extension.
Sims was named associate director of UT AgResearch in 2016 after eighteen years as center director of the Highland Rim AgResearch and Education Center in Springfield, Tennessee. As associate director he oversees the system’s ten centers and coordinates faculty research at the centers.
Welcome Ashley Hull
Please welcome Ashley Hull, administrative specialist, to UTIA. Hull will be supporting the offices of General Services, Information Technology and International Programs. If you have questions related to parking, room reservations, and maintenance requests please contact Ashley in Room 105 Morgan Hall. Her telephone number is 974-7159.
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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