[495] HALEY TO BE TOASTED … AND ROASTED

June 22, 2009
CONTACT: Tom Tozer, 615-898-2919

HALEY TO BE TOASTED … AND ROASTED

MURFREESBORO—Friends of Roger G. Haley will gather to roast Murfreesboro’s outgoing city manager, who has devoted 20 years to public service and recently was named “city manager of the year” by the Tennessee City Management Association during the Tennessee Municipal League’s annual conference held in Chattanooga.
Haley, 63, announced his retirement in March. He will officially retire Aug. 3 of this year and will be succeeded by Rob Lyons, deputy city manager.
The celebration and roast will be held Friday, July 17, at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, with a meet-and-greet starting at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7. Reservations will be required in advance at $100 a person; $1,000 a table for 10 guests. Tickets will not be available at the door.
“This is really a collective effort by many people who appreciate and want to honor Roger’s years of service to our community,” commented Andy Womack, who conceived the idea for the celebration. “The planning committee is composed of people from city government, the chamber of commerce and MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business. When I asked Roger if he would agree to be roasted, he said okay, as long as it benefited the university by earmarking the proceeds from the event for the scholarship established in honor of his longtime friend and former Murfreesboro Mayor Joe B. Jackson. We will respect his wishes and donate the proceeds from the roast to the Middle Tennessee State University Foundation to support the Joe B. Jackson Scholarship,” noted Womack, who serves on the advisory board of the Jones College of Business.
Jackson (MTSU ’49 B.S.), who died in 2008, served in the U.S. Marines in World War II and was a graduate of the Nashville School of Law. He was elected to the Murfreesboro City Council in 1968, became vice mayor in 1978 and served as mayor from 1982 to 1998.
“I’m pleased to serve as committee co-chair with Andy for this event,” added Dr. E. James Burton, dean of the Jones College, “because it will help establish a permanent endowment, and recipients will be business majors who will be known as Joe B. Jackson Scholars.” Burton said the scholarship requirements stipulate that recipients must be high-school graduates in Rutherford County, have a 3.0 grade point average, and demonstrate financial need. The scholarship will be good for one academic year and will be awarded to a junior or senior.
“We appreciate Roger’s interest in supporting the Jones College, and we hope friends will help us pay tribute to his years of service,” Burton noted.
For more information and to make reservations, contact Gina Harrison, event committee member, at 615-405-4735 or e-mail gharrison@sec-civil.com. Reservations must be made by July 10.
Those who cannot attend but would like to make a donation to the Joe B. Jackson Scholarship in Haley’s honor should send a check payable to the MTSU Foundation (for the Joe B. Jackson Scholarship Fund) to the MTSU Foundation, 1301 East Main Street, P.O. Box 109, Murfreesboro, Tenn. 37132.

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