Kristofer Grant Boardman of Cordova, Tennessee, hanged himself from a third-story window of Melrose Hall on August 23, 2002. It was the first suicide since one in Morrill Hall in 1998. Since Boardman was hanging outside the building, a number of students witnessed the hanging or the hanged student.

The site of the International House and library parking was previously the site of seven residences and some 56 varieties of plant life (some rare). The first house constructed in the Melrose Triangle was at 1715 Melrose, built in 1884 for Mr. Ernest Briscoe. The others were built early in the twentieth century. The university … Continued

In March 2015 Chancellor Cheek initiated a memorial service remembering students, faculty, and staff who had died during the academic year. Held alongside the Volunteer Statue, the service also recognized—by placement of an arrangement of orange flowers—retirees and alumni who had died. Families of the sixteen persons (thirteen students and three faculty/staff) honored received a … Continued

In 1951 legislators from Shelby County entered bills in the Tennessee General Assembly that would have joined Memphis State to UT. While UT generally favored the idea, the matter became heated, with opponents referring to the merger as “splitting UT,” meaning that funds would be taken from UT to support the Memphis campus, and proponents … Continued

On March 9, 1917, a chapter of the national Menorah Society was installed at UT. Mr. S. Allenberg was the first president. The society was organized at Harvard in 1906–07, and the UT chapter was the 53rd American chapter to be installed. The Menorah Movement originated at Harvard in academic year 1906–07 as a result … Continued

The Mess Hall, built in 1873 at a cost of approximately $6,000, was located where the Walters Life Sciences Building now stands. The three-story building had quarters for the steward’s family, a large dining hall on the main floor, and private rooms for students and faculty on the third floor. In 1898 the second and … Continued

In 1989 twenty-five students from UT’s College of Engineering modified a 1988 Corsica LT to operate on methanol. The group formed a participating team in the Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition for Colleges and Universities managed by Argonne National Laboratory. In the Methanol Marathon, General Motors provided cars to 15 finalist universities (of … Continued

University students and alumni were among the many Tennesseans who answered the call issued by Governor Aaron V. Brown for 2,800 men to volunteer to fight Santa Ana. More than 30,000 Tennesseans volunteered, and, from the overwhelming response, Tennessee’s nickname as the “Volunteer State” was born. Captain R. L. Kirkpatrick (class of 1845) led an … Continued

Dr. Meyer joined the faculty of the university’s College of Home Economics (later Human Ecology and now incorporated into the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences) in 1941 in the Department of Foods and Institutional Management. She served on the faculty of the department until 1974. She additionally held a research appointment in the … Continued