In 1925 the engineering faculty requested a cooperative work-study program for students in engineering, and the program was begun in 1926 with Wiley Thomas as its first director. Originally, the program required one year of study in engineering, and then four years in cooperative work—six months of study at the university, alternating with six months … Continued

On March 31, 1933, Chamberlain House (1637 West Cumberland Avenue), a former private residence, opened as a cooperative dormitory housing 15 women. The residents did all their own housework, cooked all their meals, and paid no rent except a prorated amount for the necessary expenses of running the house. The plan was put into place … Continued

In 2013 the UT Board of Trustees approved awarding an honorary Doctor of Human and Musical Letters degree to native Knoxvillian and internationally acclaimed opera soprano Mary Costa. She was ill and unable to attend the commencement, and Chancellor Jimmy Cheek presented the honorary degree to her at a dinner on November 10, 2014. Costa … Continued

Robert Cothran, who taught scene design at UT from 1972 to 1998, is an internationally recognized master of scene design. His career spanned more than 55 years and included scene designs for more than two hundred productions from east coast to west coast and from Puerto Rico to Canada. He worked with notable directors Michael … Continued

The UT Cotillion Club was formed by the men’s Pan-Hellenic Council on September 27, 1919. The club headquarters was at Whittle Springs Hotel. Dances were given at Whittle Springs each Saturday night for the benefit of members of the club. Members of the club were entitled to free use of the golf links and were … Continued

In 1947 the UT Agricultural Experiment Station announced the development of a new plastic compound made from cottonseed hulls. Experiments leading to the development of the plastic, which used powdered cottonseed hulls as filler in phenolic molding compounds, were conducted principally by Dr. Fritz Rosenthal. UT called the material produced Plastone.

In January 1938 UT President Hoskins called together an assemblage of 33 faculty and staff representing 11 of UT’s departments, colleges, experiment stations, and divisions to form a Cotton Institute to coordinate, advance, and support research related to the cotton industry. James P. Hess, UT business manager, was elected chair, and a steering committee was … Continued

The nation’s first miniature spinning test laboratory opened at UT in April 1952 as part of the UT Fiber Research Laboratory in a new building on the agriculture campus. The laboratory was established in conjunction with the US Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industries. The mill contained a laboratory saw gin, a miniature card … Continued

From 1894 to 1897, UT President Charles W. Dabney was on a quasi leave of absence to serve as the assistant secretary of agriculture in President Grover Cleveland’s administration. Among his responsibilities was overseeing the United States’ exhibit building at the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta. (He had also been chief of … Continued

A UT-1901 LLB recipient, Jesse Cottrell also earned the LLB degree from the Chattanooga Law School (1909) and Georgetown Law School (1914). He served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1907 to 1909. A newspaperman, he served as Washington newspaper correspondent for several newspapers, among them the Charlotte Observer and Nashville Banner. He served … Continued