In 1986 legendary country music singer Roy Acuff established the Roy and Mildred Acuff Music Endowment Fund to provide scholarships in various UT music programs, including the marching band, concert band, UT singers, and concert choir. Acuff had previously donated $100,000 to the School of Music, and Roy and Mildred Acuff were also longtime supporters of the Andy Holt Scholarship Endowment.
Acuff, born in Maynardville, moved to Knoxville with his family at an early age. His goal was to become a professional baseball player, but a sunstroke, suffered while fishing shortly before his major league tryout, followed by a nervous breakdown, caused him to choose another career. He began to learn the fiddle and was an apprentice of Doc Hauer, who had a local medicine man show. He first performed with the Crackerjacks on Knoxville’s WROL radio, where his rendition of “The Great Speckled Bird” made him a popular local entertainer and gained him a recording offer from American Record Corporation. (He recorded some 20 songs, including a handful of risqué numbers that were released by ARC under the name The Bang Boys.)
In 1938 he began his career with the Grand Ole Opry, becoming a national superstar during the ’40s. In 1962 he became the first living performer to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He released his final charting record, an inspirational duet with Charlie Louvin, called “The Precious Jewel,” in 1987.