In 1912 the university inaugurated the custom of holding annually an Interscholastic Track Contest and an Interscholastic Declamation Contest open to every High School, Preparatory School, and Private School in Tennessee and other schools in adjoining states accredited by the university. The first declamation competition (May 17, 1912) was won by Castle Heights School, Lebanon, … Continued

Founded at Cambridge University (England) in 1877, the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship was first established in the United States at the University of Michigan in 1939. It became active at the University of Tennessee in 1951.

Interclass football games began early in the twentieth century. On November 18, 1915, the YMCA organized an interfraternity basketball league. In 1917 faculty, students, and coaches enlisted in the army as war was declared, and the curtailment of football and other intercollegiate athletic contests was replaced by emphasis on physical training for all students. Male … Continued

The dirt and sand mixture of the intramural fields adjacent to the Student Aquatic Center was replaced by artificial turf in summer 1997. The surface consisted of a 1.75-inch layer of rubber, a six-inch layer of crushed stones, and a one-foot layer of gravel, with a top layer of Denso Turf. Denso Turf was a … Continued

The development of land following the Yale Avenue Urban Renewal Project provided for intramural fields adjacent to the student aquatic center, which were developed in 1967. Fulton Bottoms, a playing field adjacent to the agriculture campus, was acquired from the State when the Tennessee drivers’ training facility moved. The area next to the aquatic center … Continued

Ion Aleph Masonic fraternity was established in 1920. Its motto was Trust and Unit; its colors were green and white; and its flower was the white carnation.

Theta Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity was installed at UT in 2012. The fraternity is an African American social service fraternity founded in 1963 at Morgan State College (now University). Its motto is “Building a tradition, not resting upon one.” Its colors are charcoal brown and gilded gold; its symbol is the centaur; and … Continued

Patricia Ireland earned the BA in German at UT in 1966. She worked as a waitress and a cancan dancer, and then became a flight attendant for Pan American Airways (1967–75). At Pan Am, her career as a political activist on behalf of women was launched when she discovered that her husband’s dental work was … Continued

Born in 1936, Xavier Ironside (known as “Tom” before coming to the United States) and his younger brother were brought to the United States and Knoxville by their uncle, Edmund-Ironside-DeBragancia. Before coming to Tennessee, the boys had lived with various relatives since their mother, a nurse, had been killed in 1941 during a German bombing … Continued

Founded in 1886 by Joshua Williams Caldwell (1856-1909), the Irving Club is a private literary group in Knoxville, Tennessee, named after the writer and historian Washington Irving (1783-1859). The club comprises 24 members, with an equal number of “town” and “gown” affiliates, and meets weekly during the academic year for book reviews of approximately 30-40 … Continued