Nov. 27, 2006
CONTACT: Police Chief Buddy Peaster; Associate Police Chief Roy Brewer, at 615-898-2424
MURFREESBORO—Because there is a higher incidence of drunk driving right before and during traditional academic breaks, the Department of Public Safety at Middle Tennessee State University will set up field-sobriety check points on campus the evening of Thursday, Dec. 7, and repeat them on a quarterly basis throughout the year.
MTSU Police are joining local and state law-enforcement agencies, at the urging of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, to help make Tennessee streets and highways safer for everyone. The goal is to reduce alcohol- and drug-related fatalities to 35 percent in 2006 from a baseline of 41 percent in the year 2000.
A grant awarded to MTSU’s Public Safety department, financed with funds administered through the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Governor’s Highway Safety Office, assisted in providing the necessary personnel and time to make this effort possible.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of impaired drivers by being proactive,” commented MTSU’s Associate Chief Roy Brewer.
According to a 2004 report from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a Web-Based Encyclopedia, Tennessee ranks 11th for overall alcohol-related fatalities on the highway. Additionally, with MTSU’s enrollment increasing 2 to 3 percent each year over the last several years, Public Safety records indicate there also has been a steady rise in the number of alcohol-related incidents and arrests on campus.
Brewer adds, “We have been fortunate that with the university’s growth, we have not had a fatality crash on campus as of yet. We are aware of numerous fatality crashes off campus involving MTSU students. If being more visible on campus can save just one life, our efforts will be worth it.”
This may be the first time in Tennessee history that sobriety check points will be conducted on a college campus, Brewer noted.
It takes more than enforcement measures to protect the community from drunk drivers, Brewer acknowledges. “We also have many education programs that we present to interested groups on campus, such as Drunk Goggles.”
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
176 PERFORMANCE AND GENDER TO COLLIDE AT CONFERENCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 28, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
Discussions, Performance Art, Feminist Films to be Featured at MTSU Gathering
(MURFREESBORO) -- “Performing Gender” will be the embedded theme for the 2007 Interdisciplinary Conference in Women’s Studies Feb. 22-24, 2007 in the James Union Building. The conference, which is conducted once every two years, will feature noted speakers, a film series, performances and presentations of scholarly papers.
Jill Dolan, author of Presence and Desire: Essays on Gender, Sexuality, and Performance, and Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theater, will be the gathering’s keynote speaker. Dolan’s work bridges the theory/practice gap through work in performance studies, queer theory, and post-structural feminism. Her blog, The Feminist Spectator, can be accessed at http://www.feministspectator.blogspot.com.
Marissa Richmond, historian and president of the Tennessee Transgender Action Committee, will be a featured speaker. Richmond will explore the many permutations of “Performing Gender” by discussing transgender history, highlighting the contributions of transgender leaders and organizations over the years. In 2002, Richmond received the Trinity Award from the International Foundation for Gender Education and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Vals, the largest transgender group in the mid-south.
A special feature of the conference will be playwright and performance artist Deb Margolin’s new full-length work. Margolin is a founding member of Split Britches Theater Company and has been awarded an OBIE Award for sustained excellence of performance and the Joseph Kesselring Prize for playwriting. She is the author of seven full-length performance pieces, which she has performed off-Broadway and throughout the United States.
Conference registration will be $75 ($85 on-site) for non-students and $30 ($35 on-site) for students, unemployed, and underemployed individuals. The conference fee will be waived for the students, faculty, administration and staff of MTSU.
For further information on the conference and registration, please visit
http://womenstu.web.mtsu.edu/ and click on “Women’s Studies Conference” or call the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For photos of some of the principal speakers at the Women’s Studies Conference, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
Discussions, Performance Art, Feminist Films to be Featured at MTSU Gathering
(MURFREESBORO) -- “Performing Gender” will be the embedded theme for the 2007 Interdisciplinary Conference in Women’s Studies Feb. 22-24, 2007 in the James Union Building. The conference, which is conducted once every two years, will feature noted speakers, a film series, performances and presentations of scholarly papers.
Jill Dolan, author of Presence and Desire: Essays on Gender, Sexuality, and Performance, and Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theater, will be the gathering’s keynote speaker. Dolan’s work bridges the theory/practice gap through work in performance studies, queer theory, and post-structural feminism. Her blog, The Feminist Spectator, can be accessed at http://www.feministspectator.blogspot.com.
Marissa Richmond, historian and president of the Tennessee Transgender Action Committee, will be a featured speaker. Richmond will explore the many permutations of “Performing Gender” by discussing transgender history, highlighting the contributions of transgender leaders and organizations over the years. In 2002, Richmond received the Trinity Award from the International Foundation for Gender Education and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tennessee Vals, the largest transgender group in the mid-south.
A special feature of the conference will be playwright and performance artist Deb Margolin’s new full-length work. Margolin is a founding member of Split Britches Theater Company and has been awarded an OBIE Award for sustained excellence of performance and the Joseph Kesselring Prize for playwriting. She is the author of seven full-length performance pieces, which she has performed off-Broadway and throughout the United States.
Conference registration will be $75 ($85 on-site) for non-students and $30 ($35 on-site) for students, unemployed, and underemployed individuals. The conference fee will be waived for the students, faculty, administration and staff of MTSU.
For further information on the conference and registration, please visit
http://womenstu.web.mtsu.edu/ and click on “Women’s Studies Conference” or call the Women’s Studies Program at 615-898-5910.
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ATTENTION, MEDIA: For photos of some of the principal speakers at the Women’s Studies Conference, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.
175 WOMEN'S CHORALE CONCERT BRINGS IN SOUNDS OF THE SEASON
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 27, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Public Encouraged to Attend Free Nov. 30 Performance of Musical Holiday Delights
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Women's Chorale will present a free "sounds of the season" concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Hinton Music Hall on the MTSU campus.
"I think this would be a great way for people to enhance their holiday spirit on this first day of December, as we present a variety of traditional carols and songs of the season," said Dr. Jamila McWhirter, music education faculty and Women's Chorale director at MTSU.
McWhirter said the concert will begin with four piano preludes arranged and performed by Women's Chorale accompanist Tracey Phillips, an MTSU sophomore.
"Phillips is a very talented and dedicated student who has been and is a music professional yet she still sees the value of coming back to school for more formal education," McWhirter said.
The piano preludes will be The Christmas Song, I Saw Three Ships, In The Bleak Midwinter, and The Christmas Waltz.
McWhirter said that following the preludes, Women's Chorale will conduct a candlelight processional to Personent Hodie, then follow with Piae Cantiones, both of which will be unaccompanied Renaissance Christmas pieces.
Other sacred and secular holiday choral selections will include Ave Maria, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, Let it Snow, Deck the Hall and Carol of the Bells.
Let it Snow will be a debut performance of a new arrangement by Phillips.
In addition, the chorale will perform two seasonal pieces about winter: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, a piece based on a poem of the same name by Robert Frost, and similarly, Edward Elgar's The Snow, which will be performed with accompaniment by two violins and piano.
The Nov. 30 performance is free and open to the public.
For more information, please contact the music school at MTSU at 615-898-2493.
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CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Public Encouraged to Attend Free Nov. 30 Performance of Musical Holiday Delights
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Women's Chorale will present a free "sounds of the season" concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Hinton Music Hall on the MTSU campus.
"I think this would be a great way for people to enhance their holiday spirit on this first day of December, as we present a variety of traditional carols and songs of the season," said Dr. Jamila McWhirter, music education faculty and Women's Chorale director at MTSU.
McWhirter said the concert will begin with four piano preludes arranged and performed by Women's Chorale accompanist Tracey Phillips, an MTSU sophomore.
"Phillips is a very talented and dedicated student who has been and is a music professional yet she still sees the value of coming back to school for more formal education," McWhirter said.
The piano preludes will be The Christmas Song, I Saw Three Ships, In The Bleak Midwinter, and The Christmas Waltz.
McWhirter said that following the preludes, Women's Chorale will conduct a candlelight processional to Personent Hodie, then follow with Piae Cantiones, both of which will be unaccompanied Renaissance Christmas pieces.
Other sacred and secular holiday choral selections will include Ave Maria, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, Let it Snow, Deck the Hall and Carol of the Bells.
Let it Snow will be a debut performance of a new arrangement by Phillips.
In addition, the chorale will perform two seasonal pieces about winter: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, a piece based on a poem of the same name by Robert Frost, and similarly, Edward Elgar's The Snow, which will be performed with accompaniment by two violins and piano.
The Nov. 30 performance is free and open to the public.
For more information, please contact the music school at MTSU at 615-898-2493.
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Monday, November 20, 2006
172 MTSU MUSIC FACULTY PRESENT ‘AN EVENING OF SCHUMANN’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 16, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Public Encouraged to Attend Free Nov. 27 Performance
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU’s H. Stephen Smith, associate professor of voice, and collaborative pianist Caleb Harris will present "An Evening of Schumann" at 8 p.m. Nov. 27 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
"This year ... marks the 150th anniversary of the year of Shumann's death," observed Smith, who—along with Harris—will perform two song cycles from the year 1840, which is known as Schumann’s “Year of Song.” These cycles are Liederkreis (Song Cycle) Op. 39 and Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love) Op. 48.
“The Liederkreis is a cycle of 12 songs about life and love,” Smith explained. “Dichterliebe is a cycle of 16 songs, reflecting the intense feeling of the joy that only true love can give, and the intense feeling of sadness one can feel having been rejected by the object of that true love.”
Schumann is known as a Romantic German composer and pianist. According to scholars, he believed that classical form and structure was too restrictive, leading him to write music outside of that popular tradition.
The Nov. 27 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information about this and other events in the McLean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Public Encouraged to Attend Free Nov. 27 Performance
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU’s H. Stephen Smith, associate professor of voice, and collaborative pianist Caleb Harris will present "An Evening of Schumann" at 8 p.m. Nov. 27 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
"This year ... marks the 150th anniversary of the year of Shumann's death," observed Smith, who—along with Harris—will perform two song cycles from the year 1840, which is known as Schumann’s “Year of Song.” These cycles are Liederkreis (Song Cycle) Op. 39 and Dichterliebe (Poet’s Love) Op. 48.
“The Liederkreis is a cycle of 12 songs about life and love,” Smith explained. “Dichterliebe is a cycle of 16 songs, reflecting the intense feeling of the joy that only true love can give, and the intense feeling of sadness one can feel having been rejected by the object of that true love.”
Schumann is known as a Romantic German composer and pianist. According to scholars, he believed that classical form and structure was too restrictive, leading him to write music outside of that popular tradition.
The Nov. 27 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information about this and other events in the McLean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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171 MTSU GUITAR ENSEMBLE CONCERT SET FOR NOV. 21
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 16, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Guitar Ensembles will present a concert of Brazilian and Baroque music at 8 p.m. Nov. 21 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The group will perform works by composers such as Piazzolla, Bach, Domeniconi, Vivaldi and Albeniz. They will be led by instructors Salome Sandoval and Josh Tannehill.
“These students have been working hard on this repertoire all semester,” Sandoval said. “Talent will range from more experienced students to those who will be performing for the first time.”
The Nov. 21 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
(MURFREESBORO)—MTSU Guitar Ensembles will present a concert of Brazilian and Baroque music at 8 p.m. Nov. 21 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The group will perform works by composers such as Piazzolla, Bach, Domeniconi, Vivaldi and Albeniz. They will be led by instructors Salome Sandoval and Josh Tannehill.
“These students have been working hard on this repertoire all semester,” Sandoval said. “Talent will range from more experienced students to those who will be performing for the first time.”
The Nov. 21 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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170 MTSU PROFESSOR NAMED HIGHER EDUCATION ART EDUCATOR OF YEAR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 15, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)—Dr. Debrah “Debbie” Sickler-Voigt, assistant professor of art education at MTSU, recently was named as the 2007 Tennessee Art Education Association’s (TAEA) “Higher Education Art Educator of the Year.”
Sickler-Voigt was selected as a candidate for the award after a former student, a colleague and a professor at University of Tennessee at Martin nominated her.
“This award means a lot to me, especially knowing that people wanted to nominate me. It made me proud,” Sickler-Voigt said.
“She’s very good at what she does and she’s knowledgeable of art so I think she’s deserving of the award,” said Lindsey Hughes, one of Sickler-Voigt’s students.
A member of MTSU’s faculty for four years, Sickler-Voigt is originally from Miami, Fla. She attended the University of Florida and the University of Cologne in Germany, where she received her bachelor’s degree. She received her master’s degree from Florida International and her Ph.D. from Florida State University.
The Tennessee Art Education Association, a professional organization for art education, presented Sickler-Voigt with the honor at ceremony during its annual conference at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg on Nov. 9-12.
Regarding the professional arts association, Sickler-Voigt said, “The TAEA is a program that students can join at college level. There’s something for everyone and their needs, kind of like a support network for art educators.”
For more information about the TAEA, please access its Web site at www.tnarts.org.
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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Office of News and Public Affairs, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO)—Dr. Debrah “Debbie” Sickler-Voigt, assistant professor of art education at MTSU, recently was named as the 2007 Tennessee Art Education Association’s (TAEA) “Higher Education Art Educator of the Year.”
Sickler-Voigt was selected as a candidate for the award after a former student, a colleague and a professor at University of Tennessee at Martin nominated her.
“This award means a lot to me, especially knowing that people wanted to nominate me. It made me proud,” Sickler-Voigt said.
“She’s very good at what she does and she’s knowledgeable of art so I think she’s deserving of the award,” said Lindsey Hughes, one of Sickler-Voigt’s students.
A member of MTSU’s faculty for four years, Sickler-Voigt is originally from Miami, Fla. She attended the University of Florida and the University of Cologne in Germany, where she received her bachelor’s degree. She received her master’s degree from Florida International and her Ph.D. from Florida State University.
The Tennessee Art Education Association, a professional organization for art education, presented Sickler-Voigt with the honor at ceremony during its annual conference at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg on Nov. 9-12.
Regarding the professional arts association, Sickler-Voigt said, “The TAEA is a program that students can join at college level. There’s something for everyone and their needs, kind of like a support network for art educators.”
For more information about the TAEA, please access its Web site at www.tnarts.org.
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162 REFORMING SOCIAL SECURITY NO EASY FIX, MTSU PROFESSORS SAY
Nov. 14, 2006
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MURFREESBORO—Raising the normal retirement age (NRA) to maintain the solvency of Social Security seems like a good idea. However, younger job seekers would then have fewer opportunities from which to choose if their elders had to keep working longer to collect their SS benefits.
That’ s just one observation in a study conducted earlier this year by Drs. William Ford, Weatherford Chair of Finance, and Franklin Michello, associate professor, economics and finance, in the Jones College of Business titled “The Unemployment Effects of Proposed Changes in Social Security’s ‘Normal Retirement Age.’” The study was subsequently published in the prestigious “Business Economics.” Ford and Michello contend that the desire to reform Social Security and reduce unemployment can be conflicting objectives.
“Some of the many proposals for reforming SS involve either raising taxes or cutting benefits,” Ford noted. “Before World War II, 17 workers paid into SS for every retiree. Today, it’s down to 3 to 1, which means that a smaller number of workers relative to a growing number of retirees will have to pay more taxes. And the problem with cutting benefits is that if you do that, and also raise the NRA, many older workers who are just plain worn out will wind up on welfare, which will offset some hoped for improvements in the system’s financial viability.
“We think raising the retirement age is something that should not happen,” Ford said. “The longer you extend the retirement age, the higher the risk that older folks may not be able to keep working and may even get fired. Then they’ll be counted as unemployed instead of retired.”
Ford and Michello suggest that if the economy were persistently robust and the risk of inflation high, it might then make sense to encourage older workers to work longer to relieve labor market pressures. They point out that a cyclically adjusted retirement age during periods of low unemployment is when you might want people to work longer. If there were a severe, cyclical labor shortage, one might then encourage workers to stay on the job. However, that has not been the case in recent years.
Additionally, the trend toward early retirement has already begun to reverse itself. they contend. Life expectancy continues to increase, therefore, people have to plan for additional years of retirement. The so-called “Baby Boomers” aren’t saving enough to afford even normal retirement. While there’s about a $150 billion annual surplus right now in the SS budgets, the agency claims its trust fund is in debt because of a huge, long-term, unfunded liability that will surface as the “Boomers” retire.
“The amount of payroll taxes coming in continues to grow slowly, but the amount going out to retirees is accelerating,” Ford pointed out, adding that around the year 2015, those two lines will cross. “At that point, Social Security will have to dip into its Trust Fund, which contains nothing but government debt obligations. This means when they hand it to the Treasury, the Treasury either has to raise taxes or incur an even larger national debt,” he explained.
Right now the SS payroll tax rate is 12.6 percent, with the employee and employer each paying half. Ford and Michello project that rate will reach 13 or 14 percent in just a few years.
Ford and Michello also believe also that more research needs to be done before a decision is made to raise the NRA. In periods when there is already substantial unemployment, raising the NRA would only add to unemployment without making any positive impact on the SS system’s bleak financial outlook. Furthermore, they point out, unemployed people do not make FICA payments, which would only put a greater burden on the system.
Finally, public opinion polls also have consistently indicated that people do not favor raising the NRA, and it would be difficult to implement in today’s political environment. Out of political necessity, therefore, policy makers will be pressed to look for alternative solutions, the authors contend, such as partially privatizing the system, changing the current age 62 early-SS-retirement option or reducing the annual inflation increments paid to retirees.
####
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919
MURFREESBORO—Raising the normal retirement age (NRA) to maintain the solvency of Social Security seems like a good idea. However, younger job seekers would then have fewer opportunities from which to choose if their elders had to keep working longer to collect their SS benefits.
That’ s just one observation in a study conducted earlier this year by Drs. William Ford, Weatherford Chair of Finance, and Franklin Michello, associate professor, economics and finance, in the Jones College of Business titled “The Unemployment Effects of Proposed Changes in Social Security’s ‘Normal Retirement Age.’” The study was subsequently published in the prestigious “Business Economics.” Ford and Michello contend that the desire to reform Social Security and reduce unemployment can be conflicting objectives.
“Some of the many proposals for reforming SS involve either raising taxes or cutting benefits,” Ford noted. “Before World War II, 17 workers paid into SS for every retiree. Today, it’s down to 3 to 1, which means that a smaller number of workers relative to a growing number of retirees will have to pay more taxes. And the problem with cutting benefits is that if you do that, and also raise the NRA, many older workers who are just plain worn out will wind up on welfare, which will offset some hoped for improvements in the system’s financial viability.
“We think raising the retirement age is something that should not happen,” Ford said. “The longer you extend the retirement age, the higher the risk that older folks may not be able to keep working and may even get fired. Then they’ll be counted as unemployed instead of retired.”
Ford and Michello suggest that if the economy were persistently robust and the risk of inflation high, it might then make sense to encourage older workers to work longer to relieve labor market pressures. They point out that a cyclically adjusted retirement age during periods of low unemployment is when you might want people to work longer. If there were a severe, cyclical labor shortage, one might then encourage workers to stay on the job. However, that has not been the case in recent years.
Additionally, the trend toward early retirement has already begun to reverse itself. they contend. Life expectancy continues to increase, therefore, people have to plan for additional years of retirement. The so-called “Baby Boomers” aren’t saving enough to afford even normal retirement. While there’s about a $150 billion annual surplus right now in the SS budgets, the agency claims its trust fund is in debt because of a huge, long-term, unfunded liability that will surface as the “Boomers” retire.
“The amount of payroll taxes coming in continues to grow slowly, but the amount going out to retirees is accelerating,” Ford pointed out, adding that around the year 2015, those two lines will cross. “At that point, Social Security will have to dip into its Trust Fund, which contains nothing but government debt obligations. This means when they hand it to the Treasury, the Treasury either has to raise taxes or incur an even larger national debt,” he explained.
Right now the SS payroll tax rate is 12.6 percent, with the employee and employer each paying half. Ford and Michello project that rate will reach 13 or 14 percent in just a few years.
Ford and Michello also believe also that more research needs to be done before a decision is made to raise the NRA. In periods when there is already substantial unemployment, raising the NRA would only add to unemployment without making any positive impact on the SS system’s bleak financial outlook. Furthermore, they point out, unemployed people do not make FICA payments, which would only put a greater burden on the system.
Finally, public opinion polls also have consistently indicated that people do not favor raising the NRA, and it would be difficult to implement in today’s political environment. Out of political necessity, therefore, policy makers will be pressed to look for alternative solutions, the authors contend, such as partially privatizing the system, changing the current age 62 early-SS-retirement option or reducing the annual inflation increments paid to retirees.
####
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
161 OPERA WORKSHOP PERFORMS ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM’
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 7, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
Two-Night Performance Takes Centerstage at MTSU on Nov. 17 and 18
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Opera Workshop will present two performances of Benjamin Britten’s opera, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Britten’s opera was adapted by himself and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. It premiered in June 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk.
The plot of the opera is an ethereal story of three pairs of star-crossed Athenian lovers involving magical potions, spells and fairies. Primarily, it focuses on the subject of the madness of love and follows Shakespeare’s play, with several alterations. The main alteration is that the first act of the play is cut out, giving much more focus to the scenes in the wood.
“Benjamin Britten's ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ is, in my opinion, one of the best settings of a Shakespearean text in all of music,” commented critic Chia Han-Leon. “It captures the side-splitting humor, the fairy enchantment, the light and darkness of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays with wonderful effectiveness.”
The MTSU Opera Workshop performance will feature music and preparations by MTSU’s collaborative pianist and an assistant professor, Caleb Harris, and Dr. Raphael Bundage, director of choral activities. Guest artist John Kramer will serve as the stage director for the opera.
TICKETS: General admission tickets for the Nov. 17 and 18 performances are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as high school students will be admitted free.
For more information on these and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, (615) 898-2493
Two-Night Performance Takes Centerstage at MTSU on Nov. 17 and 18
(MURFREESBORO)—The MTSU Opera Workshop will present two performances of Benjamin Britten’s opera, "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Britten’s opera was adapted by himself and Peter Pears from William Shakespeare’s play of the same name. It premiered in June 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk.
The plot of the opera is an ethereal story of three pairs of star-crossed Athenian lovers involving magical potions, spells and fairies. Primarily, it focuses on the subject of the madness of love and follows Shakespeare’s play, with several alterations. The main alteration is that the first act of the play is cut out, giving much more focus to the scenes in the wood.
“Benjamin Britten's ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ is, in my opinion, one of the best settings of a Shakespearean text in all of music,” commented critic Chia Han-Leon. “It captures the side-splitting humor, the fairy enchantment, the light and darkness of one of Shakespeare's most popular plays with wonderful effectiveness.”
The MTSU Opera Workshop performance will feature music and preparations by MTSU’s collaborative pianist and an assistant professor, Caleb Harris, and Dr. Raphael Bundage, director of choral activities. Guest artist John Kramer will serve as the stage director for the opera.
TICKETS: General admission tickets for the Nov. 17 and 18 performances are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff as well as high school students will be admitted free.
For more information on these and other events in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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160 MTSU INVITES VIOLIST JOEL PAGAN TO PERFORM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 7, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
(MURFREESBORO)—Joel Pagan, assistant professor of viola and violin at the University of Texas Pan American, will give a free viola recital at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Pagan will perform works by Mozart, R. Vaughan Williams and C. Franck.
Enjoying a multifaceted career as an educator as well as a chamber and solo recitalist, Pagan has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Canada and Italy.
He received his doctorate in musical arts from Michigan State University and a master's of music degree in violin and viola performance from the University of Akron.
The Nov. 10 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
(MURFREESBORO)—Joel Pagan, assistant professor of viola and violin at the University of Texas Pan American, will give a free viola recital at 8 p.m. Nov. 10 in the T. Earl Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Pagan will perform works by Mozart, R. Vaughan Williams and C. Franck.
Enjoying a multifaceted career as an educator as well as a chamber and solo recitalist, Pagan has performed solo and chamber recitals throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Bolivia, Canada and Italy.
He received his doctorate in musical arts from Michigan State University and a master's of music degree in violin and viola performance from the University of Akron.
The Nov. 10 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other events in the McLean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit the calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
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159 MTSU DANCE PROGRAM WELCOMES INTERNATIONAL GUEST ARTISTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 6, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919
Guest Dancers’ Master Classes, Lectures Free & Open to Public, Director Says
(MURFREESBORO)—The faculty of MTSU’s dance program will serve as host for two internationally known choreographers in November, Garbriel Masson and Zelma Badu-Younge, both of whom will provide master classes, deliver lectures and stage repertory for the MTSU Dance Theatre during their respective residencies.
“All master classes and lectures by Masson and Badu-Younge are open for public attendance and participation,” said Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program.
Masson will be in residence Nov. 9-13, and during that time, he will choreograph a new work for MTSU dance faculty members Nofsinger and Marsha Tardy, who will premiere in the piece during the annual “Fall Dance Concert” on Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
With a varied career as a performer, choreographer and teacher that spans 20 years, Masson has toured the world in the companies of Hannah Kahn, Rosalind Newman, Lucinda Childs and Doug Varone. Since 1989, he has choreographed more than 25 pieces for repertory and university dance companies and was artistic director of his own company, Gabriel Masson Dance, for which he created a critically acclaimed group of dance titled the “Human Series, Part I-IV.”
Additionally, Nofsinger, who serves as director of dance at MTSU, said Masson “has also choreographed and directed two films with differently-abled dancer Hamel Bloom”— namely, “Almost Together” and “Family: Portrait.”
With an international reputation as a teacher, Masson has taught and performed at festivals worldwide including the American Dance Festival, U.S., Korea, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and the San Biennial in Brazil. He is on rotating faculty of several prestigious dance festivals in the U.S., including the Bates Dance Festival.
After receiving a master of fine arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Masson served on its faculty from 1990 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2001. He also served as guest artist at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Guest artist Badu-Younge will be in residence at MTSU on Nov. 15-21. During her residency, she will deliver a free and open lecture titled “Ewe Culture as Expressed in Ghana, West Africa: From the Village to the Stage to the West” at 9:10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 17, in the Honors College Amphitheatre. In addition, she will stage a new dance on members of MTSU Dance Theatre for performance during the spring semester.
Badu-Younge, who has visited MTSU previously, holds a B.F.A. in contemporary dance and choreography (Concordia University), an M.F.A. in dance ethnology (York University) and a Ph.D. in integrated studies in education (McGill University). Her research for both the M.F.A. thesis, "Atsiagbekor: Documentation of an Ewe Dance Form" and the Ph.D. thesis, "Ewe Culture as Expressed in Ghana West Africa Through Adzogbo Dance Ceremony: A Foundation for the Development of Interactive Multimedia Educational Materia,” took her to West Africa, where she studied the music and dances of Ghana.
Badu-Younge's most recent activities include teaching and performing in Taipei at the Taiwan University of the Arts and in Seoul, South Korea, at the World Cup Celebration with Azaguno, a newly formed African drumming and dance company that she founded and directed with Dr. Paschal Younge.
For additional information on either artists’ residency, please contact Nofsinger via e-mail at nofsinge@mtsu.edu.
—30—
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Lisa L. Rollins, 615-898-2919
Guest Dancers’ Master Classes, Lectures Free & Open to Public, Director Says
(MURFREESBORO)—The faculty of MTSU’s dance program will serve as host for two internationally known choreographers in November, Garbriel Masson and Zelma Badu-Younge, both of whom will provide master classes, deliver lectures and stage repertory for the MTSU Dance Theatre during their respective residencies.
“All master classes and lectures by Masson and Badu-Younge are open for public attendance and participation,” said Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program.
Masson will be in residence Nov. 9-13, and during that time, he will choreograph a new work for MTSU dance faculty members Nofsinger and Marsha Tardy, who will premiere in the piece during the annual “Fall Dance Concert” on Nov. 30-Dec. 2.
With a varied career as a performer, choreographer and teacher that spans 20 years, Masson has toured the world in the companies of Hannah Kahn, Rosalind Newman, Lucinda Childs and Doug Varone. Since 1989, he has choreographed more than 25 pieces for repertory and university dance companies and was artistic director of his own company, Gabriel Masson Dance, for which he created a critically acclaimed group of dance titled the “Human Series, Part I-IV.”
Additionally, Nofsinger, who serves as director of dance at MTSU, said Masson “has also choreographed and directed two films with differently-abled dancer Hamel Bloom”— namely, “Almost Together” and “Family: Portrait.”
With an international reputation as a teacher, Masson has taught and performed at festivals worldwide including the American Dance Festival, U.S., Korea, the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and the San Biennial in Brazil. He is on rotating faculty of several prestigious dance festivals in the U.S., including the Bates Dance Festival.
After receiving a master of fine arts degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Masson served on its faculty from 1990 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2001. He also served as guest artist at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Guest artist Badu-Younge will be in residence at MTSU on Nov. 15-21. During her residency, she will deliver a free and open lecture titled “Ewe Culture as Expressed in Ghana, West Africa: From the Village to the Stage to the West” at 9:10 a.m. Friday, Nov. 17, in the Honors College Amphitheatre. In addition, she will stage a new dance on members of MTSU Dance Theatre for performance during the spring semester.
Badu-Younge, who has visited MTSU previously, holds a B.F.A. in contemporary dance and choreography (Concordia University), an M.F.A. in dance ethnology (York University) and a Ph.D. in integrated studies in education (McGill University). Her research for both the M.F.A. thesis, "Atsiagbekor: Documentation of an Ewe Dance Form" and the Ph.D. thesis, "Ewe Culture as Expressed in Ghana West Africa Through Adzogbo Dance Ceremony: A Foundation for the Development of Interactive Multimedia Educational Materia,” took her to West Africa, where she studied the music and dances of Ghana.
Badu-Younge's most recent activities include teaching and performing in Taipei at the Taiwan University of the Arts and in Seoul, South Korea, at the World Cup Celebration with Azaguno, a newly formed African drumming and dance company that she founded and directed with Dr. Paschal Younge.
For additional information on either artists’ residency, please contact Nofsinger via e-mail at nofsinge@mtsu.edu.
—30—
Friday, November 03, 2006
158 TENNESSEE LABOR-MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS ON SPECIFIC CAREER PATH
Nov. 3, 2006
CONTACT: Catherine Sutton, Tennessee Center for Labor-Management Relations, at 615-895-4166
MURFREESBORO—The Tennessee Labor-Management Conference offers scholarships to Tennessee college students planning careers in labor relations, human resource management and related fields. The scholarships are restricted to Tennessee students who are at least rising juniors in the state’s public or private colleges. Also, students pursuing graduate degrees in labor relations or related fields are eligible for these scholarship awards.
Three scholarships of $2,000 each are awarded each year at the Conference’s annual meeting in August. In addition, in the spring, one $1,000 scholarship is awarded in a special region of the state. In 2007, this scholarship will be competitively offered to college students in East Tennessee. The recipient will be announced at the Winter Conference in Chattanooga in late February.
Students interested in applying for the annual $2,000 scholarship or $1,000 Winter scholarship should visit www.tnlabormgmt.org for requirements and deadlines.
####
CONTACT: Catherine Sutton, Tennessee Center for Labor-Management Relations, at 615-895-4166
MURFREESBORO—The Tennessee Labor-Management Conference offers scholarships to Tennessee college students planning careers in labor relations, human resource management and related fields. The scholarships are restricted to Tennessee students who are at least rising juniors in the state’s public or private colleges. Also, students pursuing graduate degrees in labor relations or related fields are eligible for these scholarship awards.
Three scholarships of $2,000 each are awarded each year at the Conference’s annual meeting in August. In addition, in the spring, one $1,000 scholarship is awarded in a special region of the state. In 2007, this scholarship will be competitively offered to college students in East Tennessee. The recipient will be announced at the Winter Conference in Chattanooga in late February.
Students interested in applying for the annual $2,000 scholarship or $1,000 Winter scholarship should visit www.tnlabormgmt.org for requirements and deadlines.
####
156 MTSU PRESENTS GUEST ARTIST RECITAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 1, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Nov. 6 Concert Free and Open to the Community
(MURFREESBORO)—Saxophonist and composer Peter Sommer and Grammy-nominated pianist Art Lande have been invited to perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Sommer and Lande have collaborated together for many years. The Capri label released their jazz CD titled “Sioux County” in 2005. Although the two artists travel all over the U.S., Canada and most European countries, where lead improvisational workshops across these countries, their homes are in Colorado.
The Nov. 6 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other concerts in the Mclean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit MTSU’s calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
•For more information on the Nov. 6 concert or other concerts in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the "calendar of events" link at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Nov. 6 Concert Free and Open to the Community
(MURFREESBORO)—Saxophonist and composer Peter Sommer and Grammy-nominated pianist Art Lande have been invited to perform at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Sommer and Lande have collaborated together for many years. The Capri label released their jazz CD titled “Sioux County” in 2005. Although the two artists travel all over the U.S., Canada and most European countries, where lead improvisational workshops across these countries, their homes are in Colorado.
The Nov. 6 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on this and other concerts in the Mclean School of Music, call 615-898-2493 or visit MTSU’s calendar of events at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
•For more information on the Nov. 6 concert or other concerts in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the "calendar of events" link at www.mtsumusic.com.
—30—
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
155 2006-07 JAZZ ARTIST SERIES DEBUTS IN NOVEMBER WITH TOM HARRELL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 27, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Trumpeter’s Original Works Cited Internationally, Aliquo Says
(MURFREESBORO)—Renowned trumpeter and jazz composer Tom Harrell will kickoff the eighth annual Jazz Artist Series at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The concert will feature Harrell performing his award-winning compositions with both the MTSU Jazz Ensemble I and the MTSU Jazz faculty in a small group setting.
"Harrell has been at the forefront of the jazz trumpet for the past several decades,” said Don Aliquo, MTSU coordinator of jazz studies and professor of saxophone. "His compositions are beautifully written and are known throughout the world for their sophistication and originality."
Trumpeter Harrell has recorded as a bandleader since 1976. Along the way, he’s racked up numerous jazz magazine awards, including prizes for top composer and trumpeter, a Grammy nomination for his 1999 big-band album titled “Time's Mirror” and a "Best Jazz Album of the Year" from Entertainment Weekly, the latter of which called
Harrell “the premier trumpeter of his generation.”
"What Harrell [does] is spin out improvisational lines filled with instant melodies,” wrote one Los Angeles Times critic. “Like a lyricist who illuminates phrases with subtle internal rhymes, Harrell's soloing captivates both the hearts and the minds of his listeners.”
The MTSU Jazz Artist Series is offered each academic year and typically features three concerts. In addition to the Nov. 2 concert, this year’s series also will feature A-P-S-9 on Feb. 2. Rounding out the series, and in conjunction with the MTSU Jazz Festival, will be an April 14 performance by trumpeter Snooky Young, which will also feature Clay Jenkins and the MTSU Jazz Ensemble I. All concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall.
The MTSU Jazz Artist Series brings internationally renowned jazz artists to the region for performances and educational workshops. Past guest artists have included some of the most important jazz musicians and educators in jazz history including Benny Golson, David Liebman, Eric Alexander, Bob Mintzer and Dick Oatts, and Grammy-award winning artists Slide Hampton, Tim Hagans, Peter Erskine, Rufus Reid and Randy Brecker.
Last year's MTSU Jazz Festival, held in conjunction with the Jazz Artist Series, featured esteemed jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels.
"Committed to jazz education, we are proud to present this unique concert series to Middle Tennessee," Aliquo said.
•TICKETS: Individual tickets are $15 at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid MTSU ID.
For more information on Tom Harrell or the Jazz Artist Series, contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493.
###
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
Trumpeter’s Original Works Cited Internationally, Aliquo Says
(MURFREESBORO)—Renowned trumpeter and jazz composer Tom Harrell will kickoff the eighth annual Jazz Artist Series at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall in the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
The concert will feature Harrell performing his award-winning compositions with both the MTSU Jazz Ensemble I and the MTSU Jazz faculty in a small group setting.
"Harrell has been at the forefront of the jazz trumpet for the past several decades,” said Don Aliquo, MTSU coordinator of jazz studies and professor of saxophone. "His compositions are beautifully written and are known throughout the world for their sophistication and originality."
Trumpeter Harrell has recorded as a bandleader since 1976. Along the way, he’s racked up numerous jazz magazine awards, including prizes for top composer and trumpeter, a Grammy nomination for his 1999 big-band album titled “Time's Mirror” and a "Best Jazz Album of the Year" from Entertainment Weekly, the latter of which called
Harrell “the premier trumpeter of his generation.”
"What Harrell [does] is spin out improvisational lines filled with instant melodies,” wrote one Los Angeles Times critic. “Like a lyricist who illuminates phrases with subtle internal rhymes, Harrell's soloing captivates both the hearts and the minds of his listeners.”
The MTSU Jazz Artist Series is offered each academic year and typically features three concerts. In addition to the Nov. 2 concert, this year’s series also will feature A-P-S-9 on Feb. 2. Rounding out the series, and in conjunction with the MTSU Jazz Festival, will be an April 14 performance by trumpeter Snooky Young, which will also feature Clay Jenkins and the MTSU Jazz Ensemble I. All concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall.
The MTSU Jazz Artist Series brings internationally renowned jazz artists to the region for performances and educational workshops. Past guest artists have included some of the most important jazz musicians and educators in jazz history including Benny Golson, David Liebman, Eric Alexander, Bob Mintzer and Dick Oatts, and Grammy-award winning artists Slide Hampton, Tim Hagans, Peter Erskine, Rufus Reid and Randy Brecker.
Last year's MTSU Jazz Festival, held in conjunction with the Jazz Artist Series, featured esteemed jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels.
"Committed to jazz education, we are proud to present this unique concert series to Middle Tennessee," Aliquo said.
•TICKETS: Individual tickets are $15 at the door. MTSU students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid MTSU ID.
For more information on Tom Harrell or the Jazz Artist Series, contact Tim Musselman at 615-898-2493.
###
149 STUDENTS: APPLY BY DEC. 1 FOR 2007-08 MTSU SCHOLARSHIPS
Date: Oct. 27, 2006 Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
(MURFREESBORO) — Friday, Dec. 1, will be the deadline for prospective freshmen and current MTSU students to apply for scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year. Merit scholarships and awards include Freshman Merit Scholarships, National Merit Finalists, Valedictorians and Salutatorians, and Chancellor, Presidential, Buchanan Fellowship, Academic Service, Provost and Raider scholarships.
Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are interested in the above scholarships and awards should submit an admission application, official ACT or SAT test scores and an official transcript to the Office of Admissions. Transfer applicants must submit official college transcripts.
Students who have submitted all of the above information by Dec. 1 will be considered first for scholarships and awards. Students who submit the above information by Feb. 15, 2007, will be considered in the second round of scholarship and award offers, pending available funds. After Feb. 15, additional scholarships and awards may be given, pending available funds. Students should note that December ACT scores will be accepted for scholarship and award purposes.
Information about the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program can be obtained online at tnscholardollars.org or by calling the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation at 615-741-1346 or 1-800-342-1663.
To ask about music scholarships (auditions will be held in spring ’07), call 615-898-2469; for MTSU Foundation Scholarships (Feb. 15 deadline), call 615-898-2502; for athletic scholarships (awarded throughout the year), call 615-898-2450; for Army Officer Scholarships (Nov. 15 deadline), call 615-898-2470.
Call admissions at 615-898-2111, financial aid at 615-898-2830 or visit the admissions Web page at mtsu.edu/~admissn for more information.
###
(MURFREESBORO) — Friday, Dec. 1, will be the deadline for prospective freshmen and current MTSU students to apply for scholarships for the 2007-08 academic year. Merit scholarships and awards include Freshman Merit Scholarships, National Merit Finalists, Valedictorians and Salutatorians, and Chancellor, Presidential, Buchanan Fellowship, Academic Service, Provost and Raider scholarships.
Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are interested in the above scholarships and awards should submit an admission application, official ACT or SAT test scores and an official transcript to the Office of Admissions. Transfer applicants must submit official college transcripts.
Students who have submitted all of the above information by Dec. 1 will be considered first for scholarships and awards. Students who submit the above information by Feb. 15, 2007, will be considered in the second round of scholarship and award offers, pending available funds. After Feb. 15, additional scholarships and awards may be given, pending available funds. Students should note that December ACT scores will be accepted for scholarship and award purposes.
Information about the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship Program can be obtained online at tnscholardollars.org or by calling the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation at 615-741-1346 or 1-800-342-1663.
To ask about music scholarships (auditions will be held in spring ’07), call 615-898-2469; for MTSU Foundation Scholarships (Feb. 15 deadline), call 615-898-2502; for athletic scholarships (awarded throughout the year), call 615-898-2450; for Army Officer Scholarships (Nov. 15 deadline), call 615-898-2470.
Call admissions at 615-898-2111, financial aid at 615-898-2830 or visit the admissions Web page at mtsu.edu/~admissn for more information.
###
148 NEW EVENTS SPICE MTSU SGA, ALUMNI HOMECOMING PLANS
Student schedule begins Oct. 26, key alum events Nov. 3-4 set stage for Blue Raiders game
Date: Oct. 25, 2006 Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Alumni contact: Patience Long, 615-898-8198
SGA contact: Shane Fortner, 615-828-2433
(MURFREESBORO) — Offerings will be plentiful for both MTSU alumni and students for the upcoming 2006 homecoming.
More than a week of activities for young and old alike will lead to the 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 Sun Belt Conference football game between the Blue Raiders and Florida Atlantic at Floyd Stadium.
“We have several new and exciting events to offer everybody this year,” said Patience Long, MTSU Alumni Relations assistant director. “We think there’s something for everyone. We hope to see you on campus.”
The new events will include the 9:30 a.m. Nov. 4 Mixer on Middle and Tennessee’s Best Alumni Tailgate, where the Colleges of Basic and Applied Sciences, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication and Education and Behavioral Science will have a “tent city” atmosphere for alumni from these respective colleges.
“The Mixer on Middle is a new tradition,” Long said, adding that alumni will receive a free continental breakfast, pay $10 for a beverage band and watch the parade from the Alumni House lawn at 2259 Middle Tennessee Blvd.
“With the Tennessee’s Best Alumni Tailgate,” Long said, “we hope alumni reconnect with faculty and staff and reunite with former classmates. Individual colleges may use this opportunity to establish and cultivate relationships with alumni and friends of the university while supporting student and alumni interaction.”
For Shane Fortner, homecoming director, and the Student Government Association committee, “one of the main focuses was to include groups that haven’t previously participated (in homecoming) and small organizations. We also want to have a good mix of competitive and noncompetitive events.”
Small student organizations might want to enter the small float category, with the hopes of advancing to the large float category in future years, Fortner said.
One of the main mid-week events for students will be a theme party Decade Dance, which will be held starting at 8 p.m. in the JUB Tennessee Room. It will be headlined by The Wooten Brothers featuring Rock Williams.
“There will be free entry for a tool donation,” said Fortner, who added that Habitat for Humanity would be the primary recipient for the tool donations.
Fortner said a new student competition would be a horseshoe competition for 2-man teams in the KUC Knoll area. Winners will receive a new iPod.
The Chili Cook-Off will be “an even bigger event this year,” Fortner said. “We’ll have a carnival-like atmosphere.”
For children, there will be Trick or Treat at the Grove from 5 until 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, in Walnut Grove, and kids and Baby Raiders can walk in the homecoming parade at 10 a.m. Nov. 4.
At 9 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Doubletree Hotel, the Al Wilkerson Scholarship Dance, sponsored by the African-American Alumni Council, will conclude homecoming events.
MTSU Alumni schedule
Friday, Nov. 3
11 a.m. — Homecoming Golf Tournament presented by Wilson Bank & Trust, Indian Hills Golf Course; 4:30 p.m., Golden Raiders; 6 p.m., Cooperative Education Awards Dinner, JUB Tennessee RoomSaturday, Nov. 4 9:30 a.m. — Mixer on Middle homecoming parade-watching party, Alumni House lawn, 2259 Middle Tennessee Blvd., with free continental breakfast and $10 beverage bands;
10 a.m., Homecoming Parade, including Baby Raiders;
All day — Reunions for Band of Blue, past homecoming queens and cheerleaders;
Noon — Tennessee’s Best Alumni Tailgate, a “tent city” for alumni from all MTSU colleges, Walnut Grove;
12:15 p.m. — Raider Walk, Walnut Grove;
2:30 p.m., MT vs. Florida Atlantic, Floyd Stadium;
9 p.m., Al Wilkerson Scholarship Dance sponsored by the African-American Alumni Council, $20 per person, Doubletree Hotel. Other alumni-related events include Hall of Fame Celebration (6 p.m. Nov. 3, Kennon Sports Hall of Fame) and Hall of Fame induction (noon Nov. 4, outside Kennon Sports Hall of Fame), open house hosted by Darrell Freeman at his home at The Governors Club in Brentwood (R.S.V.P. to 615-898-2718 or e-mail vavent@mtsu.edu), Horace Jones Field sign rededication ceremony, Varsity Club reception and more.Visit mtalumni.com for details or call 1-800-533-MTSU.
Student Government Association/Student Programming Homecoming 2006 Agenda
Thursday, Oct. 26
Banners due
Friday, Oct. 27
7 p.m. — MTSU Idol, Tucker Theatre
Saturday, Oct. 28
4 p.m. — Fight Song competition, Murphy Center
Monday, Oct. 30
25-cent refills at KUC Grill
T-shirt Swap (8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. all week while supplies last)
5-7 p.m. — Trick or Treat at Walnut Grove
Paint the Town Blue (all week)
Tuesday, Oct. 31
4 p.m. — Make-Up Artist at KUC
Wednesday, Nov. 1
8 p.m. — Themed Party Decade Dance (live band The Wooten Brothers featuring Rock Williams) at JUB (free admission with Habitat for Humanity tool donation)
Thursday, Nov. 2
9 a.m.-4 p.m. — Dirty Laundry Tour
4 p.m. — Horseshoe competition at KUC Knoll
Friday, Nov. 3
Noon — Floats Due at KUC Knoll
4:30 p.m. — Chili Cook-Off, KUC Knoll
5:30 p.m. — Pep Rally, Student Vote, KUC Knoll
7 p.m. — National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show
Saturday, Nov. 4
10 a.m. — Parade
Tailgate
Raider Walk, 12:15 p.m., Walnut Grove
Football game, 2:30 p.m.
Contact Shane Fortner, SGA homecoming director, at 615-828-2433 for more information.
###
Date: Oct. 25, 2006 Editorial contact: Randy Weiler, 615-898-2919
Alumni contact: Patience Long, 615-898-8198
SGA contact: Shane Fortner, 615-828-2433
(MURFREESBORO) — Offerings will be plentiful for both MTSU alumni and students for the upcoming 2006 homecoming.
More than a week of activities for young and old alike will lead to the 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 Sun Belt Conference football game between the Blue Raiders and Florida Atlantic at Floyd Stadium.
“We have several new and exciting events to offer everybody this year,” said Patience Long, MTSU Alumni Relations assistant director. “We think there’s something for everyone. We hope to see you on campus.”
The new events will include the 9:30 a.m. Nov. 4 Mixer on Middle and Tennessee’s Best Alumni Tailgate, where the Colleges of Basic and Applied Sciences, Jennings A. Jones College of Business, Liberal Arts, Mass Communication and Education and Behavioral Science will have a “tent city” atmosphere for alumni from these respective colleges.
“The Mixer on Middle is a new tradition,” Long said, adding that alumni will receive a free continental breakfast, pay $10 for a beverage band and watch the parade from the Alumni House lawn at 2259 Middle Tennessee Blvd.
“With the Tennessee’s Best Alumni Tailgate,” Long said, “we hope alumni reconnect with faculty and staff and reunite with former classmates. Individual colleges may use this opportunity to establish and cultivate relationships with alumni and friends of the university while supporting student and alumni interaction.”
For Shane Fortner, homecoming director, and the Student Government Association committee, “one of the main focuses was to include groups that haven’t previously participated (in homecoming) and small organizations. We also want to have a good mix of competitive and noncompetitive events.”
Small student organizations might want to enter the small float category, with the hopes of advancing to the large float category in future years, Fortner said.
One of the main mid-week events for students will be a theme party Decade Dance, which will be held starting at 8 p.m. in the JUB Tennessee Room. It will be headlined by The Wooten Brothers featuring Rock Williams.
“There will be free entry for a tool donation,” said Fortner, who added that Habitat for Humanity would be the primary recipient for the tool donations.
Fortner said a new student competition would be a horseshoe competition for 2-man teams in the KUC Knoll area. Winners will receive a new iPod.
The Chili Cook-Off will be “an even bigger event this year,” Fortner said. “We’ll have a carnival-like atmosphere.”
For children, there will be Trick or Treat at the Grove from 5 until 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, in Walnut Grove, and kids and Baby Raiders can walk in the homecoming parade at 10 a.m. Nov. 4.
At 9 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Doubletree Hotel, the Al Wilkerson Scholarship Dance, sponsored by the African-American Alumni Council, will conclude homecoming events.
MTSU Alumni schedule
Friday, Nov. 3
11 a.m. — Homecoming Golf Tournament presented by Wilson Bank & Trust, Indian Hills Golf Course; 4:30 p.m., Golden Raiders; 6 p.m., Cooperative Education Awards Dinner, JUB Tennessee RoomSaturday, Nov. 4 9:30 a.m. — Mixer on Middle homecoming parade-watching party, Alumni House lawn, 2259 Middle Tennessee Blvd., with free continental breakfast and $10 beverage bands;
10 a.m., Homecoming Parade, including Baby Raiders;
All day — Reunions for Band of Blue, past homecoming queens and cheerleaders;
Noon — Tennessee’s Best Alumni Tailgate, a “tent city” for alumni from all MTSU colleges, Walnut Grove;
12:15 p.m. — Raider Walk, Walnut Grove;
2:30 p.m., MT vs. Florida Atlantic, Floyd Stadium;
9 p.m., Al Wilkerson Scholarship Dance sponsored by the African-American Alumni Council, $20 per person, Doubletree Hotel. Other alumni-related events include Hall of Fame Celebration (6 p.m. Nov. 3, Kennon Sports Hall of Fame) and Hall of Fame induction (noon Nov. 4, outside Kennon Sports Hall of Fame), open house hosted by Darrell Freeman at his home at The Governors Club in Brentwood (R.S.V.P. to 615-898-2718 or e-mail vavent@mtsu.edu), Horace Jones Field sign rededication ceremony, Varsity Club reception and more.Visit mtalumni.com for details or call 1-800-533-MTSU.
Student Government Association/Student Programming Homecoming 2006 Agenda
Thursday, Oct. 26
Banners due
Friday, Oct. 27
7 p.m. — MTSU Idol, Tucker Theatre
Saturday, Oct. 28
4 p.m. — Fight Song competition, Murphy Center
Monday, Oct. 30
25-cent refills at KUC Grill
T-shirt Swap (8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. all week while supplies last)
5-7 p.m. — Trick or Treat at Walnut Grove
Paint the Town Blue (all week)
Tuesday, Oct. 31
4 p.m. — Make-Up Artist at KUC
Wednesday, Nov. 1
8 p.m. — Themed Party Decade Dance (live band The Wooten Brothers featuring Rock Williams) at JUB (free admission with Habitat for Humanity tool donation)
Thursday, Nov. 2
9 a.m.-4 p.m. — Dirty Laundry Tour
4 p.m. — Horseshoe competition at KUC Knoll
Friday, Nov. 3
Noon — Floats Due at KUC Knoll
4:30 p.m. — Chili Cook-Off, KUC Knoll
5:30 p.m. — Pep Rally, Student Vote, KUC Knoll
7 p.m. — National Pan-Hellenic Council Step Show
Saturday, Nov. 4
10 a.m. — Parade
Tailgate
Raider Walk, 12:15 p.m., Walnut Grove
Football game, 2:30 p.m.
Contact Shane Fortner, SGA homecoming director, at 615-828-2433 for more information.
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146 OCT. 29th FACULTY RECITAL FEATURES VIOLIST SARAH COTE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 24, 2006
CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
(MUFREESBORO)—Sarah Cote, faculty member and instructor of viola at MTSU, will perform a faculty recital at 3p.m. Oct. 29 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Cote will present Hindemith’s Sonata Op. 25 nr.1 for solo viola and Shostakovich’s Sonata.
Caleb Harris, an assistant professor of music and collaborative pianist, will join Cote on Shostakovich’s work.
“I chose these pieces because both composers gave a lot of thought to the role of the artist in society,” Cote said. “Hindemith, because he lived in Nazi Germany, and Shostakovich, because he lived in Stalinist Russia.
“Both pieces are very expressive of the composer’s feelings about the human condition,” she added.
The Oct. 29 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on the Oct. 29 concert or other concerts in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the “calendar of events” link at www.mtsumusic.com.
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CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493
(MUFREESBORO)—Sarah Cote, faculty member and instructor of viola at MTSU, will perform a faculty recital at 3p.m. Oct. 29 in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall of the Wright Music Building on the MTSU campus.
Cote will present Hindemith’s Sonata Op. 25 nr.1 for solo viola and Shostakovich’s Sonata.
Caleb Harris, an assistant professor of music and collaborative pianist, will join Cote on Shostakovich’s work.
“I chose these pieces because both composers gave a lot of thought to the role of the artist in society,” Cote said. “Hindemith, because he lived in Nazi Germany, and Shostakovich, because he lived in Stalinist Russia.
“Both pieces are very expressive of the composer’s feelings about the human condition,” she added.
The Oct. 29 concert is free and open to the public.
For more information on the Oct. 29 concert or other concerts in the McLean School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the “calendar of events” link at www.mtsumusic.com.
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144 JEFFERSON COUNTY FARM JOIN S STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Bruce Farm 16th in County to be Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Bruce Farm in Jefferson County recently was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
William B. Bruce bought 90 acres north of Dandridge in 1891. With his wife, Elvira Gibson, and their three children, Kelly, Carrie and Ora, the family produced hay, tobacco, and corn as primary crops.
Carrie and Kelly became the second-generation owners of the family farm. Carrie married A. P. Zumble and they had three children, Helen, Elise and Elaine. The farm passed through another generation and the family continued to produce many of the same crops.
In 1963 Daniel B. Churchman, the great-grandson of the founder, acquired the farm. Today, he and wife Dolores live on the farm and mainly grow hay and tobacco.
A smokehouse and washhouse are some of the reminders of earlier generations on the Bruce Farm that joins 15 other certified Century Farms in Jefferson County, Hankins said.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Bruce Farm 16th in County to be Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Bruce Farm in Jefferson County recently was designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
William B. Bruce bought 90 acres north of Dandridge in 1891. With his wife, Elvira Gibson, and their three children, Kelly, Carrie and Ora, the family produced hay, tobacco, and corn as primary crops.
Carrie and Kelly became the second-generation owners of the family farm. Carrie married A. P. Zumble and they had three children, Helen, Elise and Elaine. The farm passed through another generation and the family continued to produce many of the same crops.
In 1963 Daniel B. Churchman, the great-grandson of the founder, acquired the farm. Today, he and wife Dolores live on the farm and mainly grow hay and tobacco.
A smokehouse and washhouse are some of the reminders of earlier generations on the Bruce Farm that joins 15 other certified Century Farms in Jefferson County, Hankins said.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
143 SMITH COUNTY FARMS JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Moore and Wright Farms Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Moore and Wright Farms, both located in Smith County, have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
• As Tennessee was recovering from the Civil War, Joel B. Moore purchased 300 acres that would come to be known as Moore Farm. At its founding, this property was the John Moore plantation and as the only son, he bought his six sisters’ interest in the land. Married to Mary Elizabeth Agee Moore, the couple had four sons who all went by initials—J. H., J. M., R.H. and J. B. Largely self-sustaining, the family raised corn, hay, cows, chickens, hogs, and had a vegetable garden.
Each of the family’s four sons held an interest in the farm until 1910. J. B. and R. H. then purchased the acreage and owned it together until 1919 when J. B. became the sole owner. J.B., who built a house in 1908 that stands today, was married first to Laura Agee and after her death to Edna Allmon. He fathered six children, though two died. During his long ownership, the farm supported tobacco, corn, hay, cattle, hogs and sheep. Mules were the primary source of working power on the farm. Like most neighboring farms in the area, soldiers practiced maneuvers on the land during the 1940s.
Edna Allmon Moore became the farm’s owner in 1956. Under her ownership, she raised hay, tobacco, cattle and garden vegetables. Edna and J. B. had two sons, Roy and Cordell, and they became the next owners. Roy married Doris Bradley Moore and they had four children, while Cordell wed Christine Nixon Moore and they had three children.
In 1999, Roy, grandson of the founders, became the sole owner of the farm. Today, the land is leased to Jason Hall whose property adjoins the Moore Farm. Currently, the farm produces sorghum, sweet corn, beans, tomatoes, greens, onions and lettuce.
Hankins noted that only three generations have owned this farm that is now almost 140 years old.
• Located just north of Carthage in the Turkey Creek community is the Wright Farm, established in 1894 by brothers James Henry and W. D. Wright. On 585 acres, the Wrights produced corn, tobacco, pasture, beef cattle, swine, sheep and mules. James Henry was married to Bettie Gwaltney Wright and they had 10 children. This couple are the great-grandparents of the current owners.
William Elonzo Wright, son of James Henry and Bettie, and his brothers-in-law, R. C., A. H. and C. E. Hackett, became the next owners of the land in 1903 and added more acreage to the farm.
William, married first to Pearl Hackett and after her death to Minnie Hackett, fathered five children. The third owner of the property was Charles Edward “C. E.” Wright, who married Ruth Cornwell Wright. Their two children are Julia Wright Goodlett and Roger Edward Wright. The family reports that
U.S. Army training maneuvers were conducted on this farm during World War II.
Under C. E.’s ownership, the farm progressed with modern machinery such as using tractors for cultivating the crops. In 1965, 119 acres were sold to the U.S. Corp of Engineers for the Cordell Hull Dam, reducing the farm’s river bottom acreage by a third.
While they managed the farm, the Wright family was also very active in the community. All of the family served as members of the Smith County Farm Bureau. In addition, C. E. was a director for the Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Cooperative. During the 1930s, Ruth Wright organized the Turkey Creek Home Demonstration Club and served as its president for more than 30 years. Roger was an active member of the Future Farmers of America and he exhibited his calves and beef cattle at county fairs in Carthage and in Nashville. Julia was an active member in 4-H club work and in 1955 she won a trip to National 4-H Congress in Chicago as a state bread-baking winner.
In 2001, Julia Wright Goodlett and Roger E. Wright inherited the farm and actively manages and operates the property. She is married to Frank Goodlett and Roger is wed to Janet Mott Wright.
Today, the farm produces beef cattle and pasture. The family has recorded many stories of the farm and Smith County history. For example, Hankins said, a racetrack was part of the farm in the late 19th century and people would travel by boat to attend the horse races. People from the Turkey Creek community and Carthage came to picnics and outing at “Mint Springs” on the farm. The area had large shade trees near a spring that formed a small swimming hole enjoyed by children of all ages. And today, flocks of wild turkeys, for which the creek and community were named, have returned.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
Today, there are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 of Tennessee’s counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of these farms or obtain jpegs of the farms for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Moore and Wright Farms Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Moore and Wright Farms, both located in Smith County, have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
• As Tennessee was recovering from the Civil War, Joel B. Moore purchased 300 acres that would come to be known as Moore Farm. At its founding, this property was the John Moore plantation and as the only son, he bought his six sisters’ interest in the land. Married to Mary Elizabeth Agee Moore, the couple had four sons who all went by initials—J. H., J. M., R.H. and J. B. Largely self-sustaining, the family raised corn, hay, cows, chickens, hogs, and had a vegetable garden.
Each of the family’s four sons held an interest in the farm until 1910. J. B. and R. H. then purchased the acreage and owned it together until 1919 when J. B. became the sole owner. J.B., who built a house in 1908 that stands today, was married first to Laura Agee and after her death to Edna Allmon. He fathered six children, though two died. During his long ownership, the farm supported tobacco, corn, hay, cattle, hogs and sheep. Mules were the primary source of working power on the farm. Like most neighboring farms in the area, soldiers practiced maneuvers on the land during the 1940s.
Edna Allmon Moore became the farm’s owner in 1956. Under her ownership, she raised hay, tobacco, cattle and garden vegetables. Edna and J. B. had two sons, Roy and Cordell, and they became the next owners. Roy married Doris Bradley Moore and they had four children, while Cordell wed Christine Nixon Moore and they had three children.
In 1999, Roy, grandson of the founders, became the sole owner of the farm. Today, the land is leased to Jason Hall whose property adjoins the Moore Farm. Currently, the farm produces sorghum, sweet corn, beans, tomatoes, greens, onions and lettuce.
Hankins noted that only three generations have owned this farm that is now almost 140 years old.
• Located just north of Carthage in the Turkey Creek community is the Wright Farm, established in 1894 by brothers James Henry and W. D. Wright. On 585 acres, the Wrights produced corn, tobacco, pasture, beef cattle, swine, sheep and mules. James Henry was married to Bettie Gwaltney Wright and they had 10 children. This couple are the great-grandparents of the current owners.
William Elonzo Wright, son of James Henry and Bettie, and his brothers-in-law, R. C., A. H. and C. E. Hackett, became the next owners of the land in 1903 and added more acreage to the farm.
William, married first to Pearl Hackett and after her death to Minnie Hackett, fathered five children. The third owner of the property was Charles Edward “C. E.” Wright, who married Ruth Cornwell Wright. Their two children are Julia Wright Goodlett and Roger Edward Wright. The family reports that
U.S. Army training maneuvers were conducted on this farm during World War II.
Under C. E.’s ownership, the farm progressed with modern machinery such as using tractors for cultivating the crops. In 1965, 119 acres were sold to the U.S. Corp of Engineers for the Cordell Hull Dam, reducing the farm’s river bottom acreage by a third.
While they managed the farm, the Wright family was also very active in the community. All of the family served as members of the Smith County Farm Bureau. In addition, C. E. was a director for the Upper Cumberland Electric Membership Cooperative. During the 1930s, Ruth Wright organized the Turkey Creek Home Demonstration Club and served as its president for more than 30 years. Roger was an active member of the Future Farmers of America and he exhibited his calves and beef cattle at county fairs in Carthage and in Nashville. Julia was an active member in 4-H club work and in 1955 she won a trip to National 4-H Congress in Chicago as a state bread-baking winner.
In 2001, Julia Wright Goodlett and Roger E. Wright inherited the farm and actively manages and operates the property. She is married to Frank Goodlett and Roger is wed to Janet Mott Wright.
Today, the farm produces beef cattle and pasture. The family has recorded many stories of the farm and Smith County history. For example, Hankins said, a racetrack was part of the farm in the late 19th century and people would travel by boat to attend the horse races. People from the Turkey Creek community and Carthage came to picnics and outing at “Mint Springs” on the farm. The area had large shade trees near a spring that formed a small swimming hole enjoyed by children of all ages. And today, flocks of wild turkeys, for which the creek and community were named, have returned.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
Today, there are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 of Tennessee’s counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of these farms or obtain jpegs of the farms for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
142 HAMBLEN COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 24, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Gray Farm 18th in County to be Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Gray Farm in Hamblen County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
“This year, the farm celebrates its 100th anniversary and joins 17 other Hamblen County farms that are certified Century Farms,” Hankins said.
Regarding the land’s history, in 1906, William Cornelius “Neal” Shanks founded the farm located west of Morristown. Married to Joanna Shanks, the couple had seven children. On the 196 acres, the family produced wheat, corn, clover, hay, cattle, horses, chickens, hogs and mules.
According to the family’s history, Shanks owned and operated a set of livestock scales that were used by farmers in the community to weigh their livestock and grain. Neal had a livestock barn was built on the property. The family remembers that the two men who built it walked 15 miles each day and were paid $1 a day for their labor and time. Shanks bought and paid for this farm by buying and selling mules, traveling throughout North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee in his trade.
Tilda Shanks Hilton, G. L. Shanks, Lyda S. Peoples and Cora S. Gray, all children of William and Joanna, became the next generation of owners. The third-generation owner listed is Cora Shanks Gray and husband J. D. Gray, who acquired a parcel of the original farm in 1944. Cora and J. D. had five children, Leah, Doyal, J. D. Jr., James Thomas and Donald W. Gray. The family raised hay, wheat, oats, corn, pasture, cattle, hogs and chickens.
Over the years, Donald W. Gray, grandson of the founders, acquired much of the original farm. Along with wife Edna and their two sons, Don and Edgar, the family raises tobacco, hay, small grain, corn and Black Angus cattle. Donald Gray, now in his 80s, lives on the farm where he was born. In a Nov. 21, 1983, feature article in the Citizen Tribune, Donald Gray said, “I have farmed all my life and I love it.”
Ruth Gray, the wife of Doyal, and Lelia, the wife of J. D. Gray Jr., continue to own portions of the original farmstead as well.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Gray Farm 18th in County to be Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Gray Farm in Hamblen County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
“This year, the farm celebrates its 100th anniversary and joins 17 other Hamblen County farms that are certified Century Farms,” Hankins said.
Regarding the land’s history, in 1906, William Cornelius “Neal” Shanks founded the farm located west of Morristown. Married to Joanna Shanks, the couple had seven children. On the 196 acres, the family produced wheat, corn, clover, hay, cattle, horses, chickens, hogs and mules.
According to the family’s history, Shanks owned and operated a set of livestock scales that were used by farmers in the community to weigh their livestock and grain. Neal had a livestock barn was built on the property. The family remembers that the two men who built it walked 15 miles each day and were paid $1 a day for their labor and time. Shanks bought and paid for this farm by buying and selling mules, traveling throughout North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee in his trade.
Tilda Shanks Hilton, G. L. Shanks, Lyda S. Peoples and Cora S. Gray, all children of William and Joanna, became the next generation of owners. The third-generation owner listed is Cora Shanks Gray and husband J. D. Gray, who acquired a parcel of the original farm in 1944. Cora and J. D. had five children, Leah, Doyal, J. D. Jr., James Thomas and Donald W. Gray. The family raised hay, wheat, oats, corn, pasture, cattle, hogs and chickens.
Over the years, Donald W. Gray, grandson of the founders, acquired much of the original farm. Along with wife Edna and their two sons, Don and Edgar, the family raises tobacco, hay, small grain, corn and Black Angus cattle. Donald Gray, now in his 80s, lives on the farm where he was born. In a Nov. 21, 1983, feature article in the Citizen Tribune, Donald Gray said, “I have farmed all my life and I love it.”
Ruth Gray, the wife of Doyal, and Lelia, the wife of J. D. Gray Jr., continue to own portions of the original farmstead as well.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
141 SCOTT COUNTY FARM JOINS STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Jerome D. Reed Farm One of Two in County Recognized for Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Jerome D. Reed Farm in Scott County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, making it one of only two Century Farms in this county, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
On July 3, 1880, Joel Colby Reed founded a 200-acre farm located south of Oneida. Married to Emily Smith Reed in 1871, the couple had 11 children. The family grew cattle, hogs, soybeans, hay and corn and kept bees. The family, in fact, still owns Joel’s 1891 reference book on beekeeping, Hankins reported.
The son of a Union soldier, Reed was very active in the community and he donated land for the Niggs Creek School, the Hazel Valley church and the Hazel Valley cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Oneida. He also leased his land to different companies such as the Oneida and Western Railroad and the Oneida Stave and Lumber Company. He deeded the right of way to the Oneida and Western Railroad, which remained solvent until the 1950s, but it is now included in the boundaries of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
The next owner of the farm was Joel and Emily’s eldest son, Irel Joseph Reed. Married to Martha Ann Phillips Reed, the couple had seven children. In addition to farming, Irel was a blacksmith. He made horse-drawn plows, hand-hewn wooden mallets, cowbells and other farming tools. Irel also worked as storekeeper in the community originally known as Reed’s Station, where many of the items grown and produced on the farm such as butter, honey, Irish potatoes and eggs were sold at the store.
Hankins said Irel also kept journals of day-today activities, including births, deaths, marriages and store accounts, all of which are great sources of family and community history. He also planted hickory and walnut trees and various apple trees, many of which still produce nuts and fruits today. A rare Balm of Gilead Poplar still grows on the farm, and according to the family’s records, Martha Reed used the sap of this tree to make a salve that was said to cure many ailments.
The third generation to own the land was Jerome James Reed, the second son of Irel and Martha Reed. Jerome raised hogs and a garden that included a large pumpkin patch. In 1958, Jerome worked with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to construct a nearly one-acre pond that has been stocked with bream, bass, and catfish over the years. Jerome also was a conductor on the Tennessee Railroad.
Today, the land is owned by Jerome Denton “J. D.” Reed, the great-grandson of the founder. J. D. worked as a salesman for H. T. Hackney Grocers in Oneida and retired from Lay Packing Company in Knoxville in 1996. L. D. is married to Bertha Brewster Reed, who grows a large annual vegetable garden that is admired by neighbors. She continues to can and preserve the garden produce.
J. D and Bertha—along with daughter Myra, who prepared the well-documented Century Farm application, and her husband, Robert Marcum Jr.—live on the farm. The Reeds continue to produce hay to sell to cattle farmers. J. D. owns the majority of his grandfather’s original farm equipment and the 1937 English-style barn is used for storage.
Myra Reed writes that the family is “extremely proud of their farming heritage as well as their Reed ancestors.”
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Jerome D. Reed Farm One of Two in County Recognized for Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Jerome D. Reed Farm in Scott County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, making it one of only two Century Farms in this county, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
On July 3, 1880, Joel Colby Reed founded a 200-acre farm located south of Oneida. Married to Emily Smith Reed in 1871, the couple had 11 children. The family grew cattle, hogs, soybeans, hay and corn and kept bees. The family, in fact, still owns Joel’s 1891 reference book on beekeeping, Hankins reported.
The son of a Union soldier, Reed was very active in the community and he donated land for the Niggs Creek School, the Hazel Valley church and the Hazel Valley cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Oneida. He also leased his land to different companies such as the Oneida and Western Railroad and the Oneida Stave and Lumber Company. He deeded the right of way to the Oneida and Western Railroad, which remained solvent until the 1950s, but it is now included in the boundaries of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.
The next owner of the farm was Joel and Emily’s eldest son, Irel Joseph Reed. Married to Martha Ann Phillips Reed, the couple had seven children. In addition to farming, Irel was a blacksmith. He made horse-drawn plows, hand-hewn wooden mallets, cowbells and other farming tools. Irel also worked as storekeeper in the community originally known as Reed’s Station, where many of the items grown and produced on the farm such as butter, honey, Irish potatoes and eggs were sold at the store.
Hankins said Irel also kept journals of day-today activities, including births, deaths, marriages and store accounts, all of which are great sources of family and community history. He also planted hickory and walnut trees and various apple trees, many of which still produce nuts and fruits today. A rare Balm of Gilead Poplar still grows on the farm, and according to the family’s records, Martha Reed used the sap of this tree to make a salve that was said to cure many ailments.
The third generation to own the land was Jerome James Reed, the second son of Irel and Martha Reed. Jerome raised hogs and a garden that included a large pumpkin patch. In 1958, Jerome worked with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to construct a nearly one-acre pond that has been stocked with bream, bass, and catfish over the years. Jerome also was a conductor on the Tennessee Railroad.
Today, the land is owned by Jerome Denton “J. D.” Reed, the great-grandson of the founder. J. D. worked as a salesman for H. T. Hackney Grocers in Oneida and retired from Lay Packing Company in Knoxville in 1996. L. D. is married to Bertha Brewster Reed, who grows a large annual vegetable garden that is admired by neighbors. She continues to can and preserve the garden produce.
J. D and Bertha—along with daughter Myra, who prepared the well-documented Century Farm application, and her husband, Robert Marcum Jr.—live on the farm. The Reeds continue to produce hay to sell to cattle farmers. J. D. owns the majority of his grandfather’s original farm equipment and the 1937 English-style barn is used for storage.
Myra Reed writes that the family is “extremely proud of their farming heritage as well as their Reed ancestors.”
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
140 TROUSDALE COUNTY FARM JOINS STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 23, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Massey Farm 8th in County to be Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Massey Farm in Trousdale County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1852, William Iley Massey established a farm of 220 acres located in the northeast section of the county. Married to Susan Haliburton Massey, the couple had five children named John William Massey, William Pierce Massey, Clemency Victory Massey, James Henry Massey and George Monroe Massey.
According to the farm’s history, the Massey family owned no slaves and family history records indicated that William did not serve as a soldier during the Civil War. The farm was bordered by both Union and Confederate sympathizers, Hankins said, and a history of the family mentions that a “Confederate bushwhacking camp was near the Massey domicile.”
In 1890, George Monroe Massey acquired the property. Under his ownership, the farm produced wheat, corn, sorghum, hogs, milk cattle and chickens. The Masseys ran a community sorghum mill and here neighbors produced molasses for a number of years. George was married to Ann Towns Massey and they had six children. Their daughter, Sallie Massey Campbell, became the next owner of the land in 1930.
Sallie and husband Shela Campbell had two children, Robbie and Grace. The family cultivated corn, tobacco and wheat and raised cows, hay and sheep. In 1969, Robbie obtained the farm, and since then she and her husband, Jack Evitts, and their sons, Edward and Rickie Evitts, have worked the land.
Progressive farmers, the Evitts were the first farmers in Trousdale County to bale burley tobacco. They have worked with the University of Tennessee to test new varieties of tobacco and growing practices for more than 25 years. The family recalls their first diesel tractor was a used 1962 model and fuel was 6 cents a gallon.
Currently, the farm produces cattle, tobacco, hay and vegetables. Two tobacco barns, a feed barn and a smokehouse are in use today.
Hankins said the Massey Farm joins seven other certified Century Farms in Trousdale County.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947
Massey Farm 8th in County to be Recognized for Agricultural Contributions
(MURFREESBORO)—The Massey Farm in Trousdale County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
In 1852, William Iley Massey established a farm of 220 acres located in the northeast section of the county. Married to Susan Haliburton Massey, the couple had five children named John William Massey, William Pierce Massey, Clemency Victory Massey, James Henry Massey and George Monroe Massey.
According to the farm’s history, the Massey family owned no slaves and family history records indicated that William did not serve as a soldier during the Civil War. The farm was bordered by both Union and Confederate sympathizers, Hankins said, and a history of the family mentions that a “Confederate bushwhacking camp was near the Massey domicile.”
In 1890, George Monroe Massey acquired the property. Under his ownership, the farm produced wheat, corn, sorghum, hogs, milk cattle and chickens. The Masseys ran a community sorghum mill and here neighbors produced molasses for a number of years. George was married to Ann Towns Massey and they had six children. Their daughter, Sallie Massey Campbell, became the next owner of the land in 1930.
Sallie and husband Shela Campbell had two children, Robbie and Grace. The family cultivated corn, tobacco and wheat and raised cows, hay and sheep. In 1969, Robbie obtained the farm, and since then she and her husband, Jack Evitts, and their sons, Edward and Rickie Evitts, have worked the land.
Progressive farmers, the Evitts were the first farmers in Trousdale County to bale burley tobacco. They have worked with the University of Tennessee to test new varieties of tobacco and growing practices for more than 25 years. The family recalls their first diesel tractor was a used 1962 model and fuel was 6 cents a gallon.
Currently, the farm produces cattle, tobacco, hay and vegetables. Two tobacco barns, a feed barn and a smokehouse are in use today.
Hankins said the Massey Farm joins seven other certified Century Farms in Trousdale County.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program.
The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today, the TDA
provides a metal outdoor sign noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee. There are more than 1,000 Century Farms across the state and all 95 counties are represented.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins says, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.
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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To request an interview with the owners of this farm or obtain jpegs of this farm for editorial use, please contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.
138 WANT TO FEND OFF THE FLU BUG? GIVE IT A SHOT!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 20, 2006
EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
Health Services and School of Nursing to Provide Inoculations
(MURFREESBORO) – With the flu season on the way, the MTSU School of Nursing will work with Health Services to offer flu shots to faculty, staff and students from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7, 8 and 9, Rick Chapman, director of Health Services, says.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 5 to 20 percent of U.S. residents contract influenza each year on average. Annually, more than 200,000 persons are hospitalized with flu-related complications, and about 36,000 Americans die from complications of the flu each year.
Symptoms of influenza include high fever, sore throat, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, extreme tiredness, and nausea and vomiting, although stomach symptoms are more likely in children than adults.
Dr. Pat Spangler, medical director of Health Services, acknowledges that the flu is highly contagious among people living in close quarters, such as college students living in dormitories or sharing apartment units.
“We strongly encourage everyone, but especially freshmen, to get both the meningitis shot and the flu shot,” Chapman says. “They’re away from home, often for the first time, and Mom isn’t here to take care of them. They have high stress levels, and they’re very vulnerable to infection.”
The CDC recommends vaccination against influenza in October or November, since flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May.
Physicians advise that the flu shot will not give patients the flu. However, minor temporary side effects of the shot could include achiness, a low-grade fever and some redness or swelling where the vaccination was injected.
Injections of flu vaccine will be administered in Room 109 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building for a fee of $23 each payable by cash or check. Appointments may be made beginning Monday, Oct. 23 by e-mailing Linda Lawrence at lawrence@mtsu.edu. No phone calls, please. Walk-ins will be worked in around scheduled appointments.
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EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081
Health Services and School of Nursing to Provide Inoculations
(MURFREESBORO) – With the flu season on the way, the MTSU School of Nursing will work with Health Services to offer flu shots to faculty, staff and students from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 7, 8 and 9, Rick Chapman, director of Health Services, says.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 5 to 20 percent of U.S. residents contract influenza each year on average. Annually, more than 200,000 persons are hospitalized with flu-related complications, and about 36,000 Americans die from complications of the flu each year.
Symptoms of influenza include high fever, sore throat, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, extreme tiredness, and nausea and vomiting, although stomach symptoms are more likely in children than adults.
Dr. Pat Spangler, medical director of Health Services, acknowledges that the flu is highly contagious among people living in close quarters, such as college students living in dormitories or sharing apartment units.
“We strongly encourage everyone, but especially freshmen, to get both the meningitis shot and the flu shot,” Chapman says. “They’re away from home, often for the first time, and Mom isn’t here to take care of them. They have high stress levels, and they’re very vulnerable to infection.”
The CDC recommends vaccination against influenza in October or November, since flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May.
Physicians advise that the flu shot will not give patients the flu. However, minor temporary side effects of the shot could include achiness, a low-grade fever and some redness or swelling where the vaccination was injected.
Injections of flu vaccine will be administered in Room 109 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building for a fee of $23 each payable by cash or check. Appointments may be made beginning Monday, Oct. 23 by e-mailing Linda Lawrence at lawrence@mtsu.edu. No phone calls, please. Walk-ins will be worked in around scheduled appointments.
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