First Blind Snack Shop Operator

In spring 1942 freshman John Trent was granted permission to open a concession selling soft drinks, candy, and cigarettes at the bottom of the stairs in Ayres Hall. Trent, who established the concession as a means of covering his expenses while attending UT, was visually impaired and was assisted by his brother, who was totally blind. In 1949 Richard Stansfield opened a snack shop in Ayres Hall under the State of Tennessee’s program of services for the blind. In 1954 the snack bar moved to the first floor of South College, and in 1965 the snack bar moved to its current location in the basement of South College.