It is impossible to know precisely how many UT alumni, students, and faculty served in the armed forces during World War II. The nearest estimate is probably that of the Alumni Association: the Tennessee Alumnus calculated that 6,826 UT men and women are known to have served in the armed forces during World War II, and 311 lost their lives. Citations for bravery and exemplary service were awarded to 954 UT men and women.
The 1946 Homecoming weekend honored past and present students who served in World War II. A special memorial service was held on Sunday, October 20, at the Church Street Methodist Church to honor the 315 students who were at that time known to have been killed during the war. Seventy-five families were represented among the fifteen hundred people who attended. The University of Tennessee Memorial Research Center and Hospital is a memorial to the men and women of Tennessee engaged in military service in World War II.
In 1942 the Agriculture Club began purchasing war bonds, planning to erect a plaque and establish a loan fund to memorialize alumni and students of the College of Agriculture who had died in the war. A total of $1,550 in bonds was purchased, and in 1946 a plaque memorializing 43 alumni and students who had “made the supreme sacrifice in World War II 1941–1945” was placed in the vestibule of Morgan Hall.