In 1890 the seniors adopted the wearing of high silk hats (and grew moustaches) as their “class distinction,” while the juniors wore derbies. In 1892 class buttons were in use; the senior button was square with “’93” on a background of yellow and orange; the junior button was in the shape of a star with … Continued

Until 1924 each senior class designed a class ring, but the expense of making a distinctive ring each year was considerable. For the graduating class of 1924, Harry C. Watkin designed a class ring that was attractive but relatively simple. On one shank it had the state shield; on the other side was the UT … Continued

For at least a decade prior to the 2000 approval of a separate Student Facilities Fee by the board of trustees, funds had annually been set aside in the Facilities Services budget to upgrade classrooms throughout the campus. The committee, initially chaired by Dr. Faye Julian, then serving as dean of undergraduate studies, utilized a … Continued

A policy on use of scheduling of general instructional space was adopted in February 2002. The policy priority for use of instructional space was for regularly scheduled credit courses, regularly scheduled academic events, and departmentally sponsored events, with recognized student organizations being able to use unscheduled classrooms provided that the noise level remained low, the … Continued

The Philander P. Claxton medal was first awarded to Lisa Ann Stone of Sevierville in 1996. The $5,000 award and medal are awarded to students graduating with arts and sciences degrees who plan to enroll in UT’s graduate education program and then to teach in a Tennessee public school. The medal honors Philander Priestly Claxton, … Continued

Philander P. Claxton Jr. was born in Washington, DC, and received his undergraduate degree from UT in 1934. He also received a master’s degree from Princeton University and was a 1938 graduate of Yale Law School. He was a long-time state department official, advising secretaries of state on population control, including the United Nations World Population … Continued

Philander P. Claxton entered the university in 1879 and graduated second in his class of 16 in 1882 after completing the classical curriculum in two and one-half years. At the university, he was active in the Philomathesian Literary Society and served as the first editor of its newspaper, the Philo Star (January 1882). In 1887 … Continued

One of the first graduates (1807) of UT (as East Tennessee College), Clement Clay was the first graduate to achieve regional and national prominence. He moved to Alabama in 1811 where he sat in the Territorial Legislature in 1817–19 and was one of the three-person committee named in 1819 to draft the constitution for the … Continued

Gail Clay, director of the Carolyn P. Brown University Center from 1968 to 1987 and a leader in the national Association of College Unions International, earned the bachelor’s degree from Appalachian State University (1943) and the master’s at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She enrolled in a doctoral program at UT, where in … Continued

Begun in 1993 this center within the College of Law is responsible for the curricular concentration in business and transactional law. The first group of students to complete the concentration graduated in 1996, and the center was dedicated October 18, 1995, with Sam Furrow (1969 law graduate) as speaker. The center is named in honor … Continued