Clyde M. York, for whom the Veterinary Medical Building was originally named, was a long-term member of the board of trustees (first appointed in 1953). Born in a log cabin, he graduated from Alphine High School (Overton County) and worked his way through UT in the Depression. His major was agricultural education. While at UT, York was very active in the Ag Club and won awards for outstanding work in horticulture as well as the Alpha Zeta Fraternity Cup awarded to the sophomore most prominent in scholarship and activities of the Agriculture College. He graduated in 1935, after which he did graduate work at Cornell. He served as president and treasurer of the Tennessee Farm Bureau (1961–74) and also served as president of Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Company and of the Tennessee Rural Health Association. In 1963 he was named Man of the Year by the Progressive Farmer magazine.
In 1979 he was appointed commissioner of agriculture, and he served briefly before resigning for health reasons. For several years, he served on the Tennessee Higher Education Facilities Commission.