James Baxter of Knoxville was one of the first students admitted to UT as an undergraduate in the early 1960s, but he left school after one year to join the air force. Later, he returned to the classroom and received the bachelor’s degree in economics in 1970. After his return to UT, he founded the … Continued

The College of Communication and Information dedicated the BB&T/Martha S. “Missy” Wallen classroom in March 2010, in conjunction with its spring ­­board of visitors meeting. The naming of the college’s technologically advanced group and team classroom, funded by student facilities fee collections, marked the establishment of a $100,000 gift by BB&T to create a dean’s … Continued

Gladys Beach became an assistant to Dean of Women Harriet Greve in 1947.  She succeeded Dean Harriet Greve as dean of women upon Greve’s retirement in 1951. Beach retired in 1957. She came to UT from Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, where she was dean of women. She had previously been dean of women at Tusculum College, … Continued

Sam and Mary Anne Beall (parents of Ruby Tuesday founder Samuel E. Beall III) are responsible for the Beall Family Rose Garden. Located at the center of the UT Gardens in Knoxville, the Beall Family Rose Garden was established in 2009 with some 120 roses, making it the largest public rose garden in East Tennessee. … Continued

Samuel E. “Sandy” Beall opened the first Ruby Tuesday restaurant in 1971, with a group of college friends, and grew it into a popular chain. On May 1, 1982, Morrison Inc. acquired the Ruby Tuesday and L&N Seafood Grill concepts and named Beall as president of the Specialty Division. The Silver Spoon Cafe (later Mozzarella’s … Continued

The UT Alert System warns of unsafe conditions in the UT area. On June 9, 2012, it alerted users to the fact that there was a bear loose on campus. After the bear had meandered down Seventeenth Street and wandered around the campus, it settled in a tree near the Panhellenic Building, where it was … Continued

Shortly after he graduated in 1972, Roger Peltz and health club owner John Paschal were asked by basketball coach Mears to wrestle a bear at the halftime of a game. The bear was brought from Cherokee, North Carolina, and Mears’ special assistant, Marty Morris, organized a parade in which the bear rode down Gay Street … Continued

Beginning in 1925 the Volunteer annually presented the Tennessee Beauties. In 1940 a Beauty Ball was instituted at which the most beautiful girls of the Hill were ceremoniously introduced. Representatives from sororities, the Independent Student Organization, and other nominees constituted the group presented. From the group, a committee of judges, annually composed of art, beauty, … Continued

The all-male Beaver Club was first organized during the spring term of 1921 to foster and promote university spirit and to meet and entertain visiting athletic teams. The impetus for formation of the club was a football game against Dartmouth in fall 1921 during which Dartmouth’s Green Key Club was responsible for hospitality for the … Continued

Theodore Beck was a student at the Yale University School of Fine Arts. His design was chosen in 1931 (the competition closed on April 5, 1931) for the Volunteer Statue. The statue was cast (slightly modified from Beck’s original design) and placed in Circle Park in 1968. Beck received the baccalaureate degree in sculpture from … Continued