UT Martin’s CampusVolume XLVIV, Winter/Spring 2011 Scene Our Backyard Town A tribute to Mike Barnett Also inside: UT Martin, Hirosaki University Celebrate 30-year Partnership Chuck Latham Associates Reaches For The Top In Pet Supply Industry UT Martin Alum on Front Lines of Gulf Oil Spill New President of The University of Tennessee visits UT Martin Chancellor’s Corner The 2010-11 academic year is well and Mrs. Endo traveled to Martin to under way at UT Martin, and I am participate in our homecoming events. pleased to report on a number of I am pleased to report that our All- activities and achievements that are Steinway Campaign is unfolding as cause for celebration. The UT Board we strive to become one of only 120 of Trustees recently named Dr. Joe All-Steinway institutions worldwide. DiPietro as the 24th president of the We anticipate that this goal will be UT System. A familiar face around reached within the next year, thanks UT, Dr. DiPietro previously served to the support of all those who have as Chancellor of the UT Institute of contributed to this project. Agriculture and boasts a proven track record as a team-oriented leader not During the most recent special session only at UT but also at two previous of the Tennessee General Assembly, land grant institutions. Thanks to the the Complete College Tennessee Act leadership of Interim President Jan of 2010 was passed. This trend-setting Simek, UT has been well-positioned legislation will provide incentives to for the future. move higher education in our state to an outcome-based model and thereby UT Martin celebrated another record encourage institutions to focus more enrollment in fall 2010 with 8,469 directly upon student success than students enrolled on campus, online or the current enrollment-linked fund- at one of our extended-campus centers ing formula. Although this new model and sites. This enrollment growth rep- will challenge us to refocus resources resents a 4.5 percent increase in head- and priorities to meet funding formula Dr. Thomas Rakes count and is not our only indicator of requirements, I believe that students UT Martin Chancellor success. UT Martin continues to enjoy enrolled at UT Martin will, over time, recognitions from national sources, be well served by the implementation such as a ranking of number 17 among of an outcome-based funding model. public, southern master’s institutions from U.S.News & World Report, as The budget outlook isn’t as promising well as one of the “Best Buys” in the to report. We are planning for a pos- Southeast. sible 1 to 3 percent budget reduction in state assistance effective July 2011. During homecoming activities in This action may be avoided if state October, we celebrated with several revenues continue to improve, but we events including a naming ceremony must prepare for this possibility. To for the Nick and Cathy Dunagan date, we have experienced budget cuts Alumni Center in honor of UT Martin approaching 30 percent in state appro- Chancellor Emeritus Dunagan and his priations during the past three years. In wife, Cathy, and a special dedication real terms, that figure reflects an actual ceremony of a lamp post and bench reduction in state support that amounts near Centennial Court in the Quad in to $272,000 per month. memory of former Chancellor Larry T. UT Martin continues to McGehee. We also recognized the ac- Although we have much to celebrate, complishments of several distinguished we also face continuing challenges enjoy recognitions from alumni with awards – look for more primarily related to budget issues national sources such information about our award recipients that have a direct impact on aca- in this issue of Campus Scene. demic programs, services and employee as a ranking of number compensation. However, as a result of This year commemorates the 30th operating efficiencies, careful budget 17 among public, south- anniversary of the official partnership planning, private support, increased between Hirosaki University and UT ern master’s institutions enrollment and the ongoing hard work Martin. Our international relationship from U.S.News & World of faculty and staff, our campus success- is among the oldest and most successful fully moves forward. Working together, Report as well as one of institutional partnerships in Tennes- UT Martin faculty and staff continue see. In recognition of this significant the “Best Buys” in the to improve programs and services for milestone, I was honored to be hosted our students, as well as provide impor- Southeast. in Hirosaki by President Masahiko tant research and outreach within this Endo in August, and in October, to be region and beyond. able to return the favor when President 2 The UniversiTy of Tennessee aT MarTin Campus sCene Magazine Published semiannually by UT Martin’s The University of Tennessee at Martin Martin, Tenn. 38238 Campus Dr. Joe DiPietro, President The University of Tennessee System Scene Dr. Thomas Rakes, Chancellor Features The University of Tennessee at Martin Chuck Latham Associates Reaches Len Parks Solomons For The Top In Pet Supply Industry Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Charley Deal Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations 4 Rita Mitchell Our Backyard Town Bed and Campus Scene Editor Breakfast in Martin 8 Trevor Ruszkowski Coordinator of Photographic Services Editorial Contributions 12 Barbara Bradley, The Commercial Appeal; Charley Deal; Brent Duke; Bud Grimes; Joe Lofaro; Kristina Kolesa, Ocala Style Maga- 10 zine; Aisling Maki, The Memphis Daily News; UT Martin, Hirosaki University On The Front Lines of a Disaster Rita Mitchell; Tom Rakes; Celebrate 30-year partnership Len Solomons Design and Layout Joe DiPietro Robert Hopgood is New Photo Contributions UT President Charley Deal; The Daily News; Dreamstime.com; Bud Grimes; 16 Tom Mackenzie, USFWS; Rita Mitchell; Positive Steps: Ballet Memphis Trevor Ruszkowski; Ocala Style Magazine; Dance Outreach Takes Troubled Alan Spierman, The Commercial Appeal; 20 Bob Bayne, The Memphis Daily News Teen Girls as Partners Copy Editors Bud Grimes, Nan Lamb, Rita Mitchell Original story ideas, photo ideas and manuscripts News Briefs ..................................................................... p. 20 may be used at the editor’s discretion. Photos and submitted works cannot be returned. Magazine stories are reviewed before publication. Some inter- views are conducted via email and other electronic Departments means. Campus Scene is not a news magazine. Comments and feedback may be directed to Rita Athletic Communications .............................................................................. p. 18 Mitchell, Campus Scene Editor, [email protected], 304 University Advancement ............................................................................... p. 24 Administration Building, Martin, TN 38238. The Real Deal: Alumni Relations .................................................................. p. 26 35,000 copies printed by Ambrose Printing, Nashville, Tenn. Alumni Notes ................................................................................................. p. 28 In Memory ...................................................................................................... p. 35 WinTer/spring 2011 3 Welcome to our Backyard toWn Bed and Breakfast in martin By Rita Mitchell If you had mentioned the term “bed and breakfast” to Mike (‘74) and Cathy Barnett 15 years ago, the Martin, Tenn., couple admit that they wouldn’t have had any idea what you were talking about. That’s hard to imagine about a couple who have operated Our Backyard Town Bed and Breakfast since 1998. “We have been to some bed and breakfasts since we’ve opened ours, and we definitely know we are doing this right,” Cathy said. She added that many In Memoriam: B&Bs, obviously, are only in it for the money, “but we enjoy our guests. We’ve This Campus Scene met some of the nicest people from all over the world.” feature about Our Back- The four-acre bed and breakfast suspended in time – the 1930s – gives new meaning to the business term value-added. The couple remodeled the home yard Town was written place of Mike’s grandparents, the late L.E. and Clara Puckett, who located before the death of Mike their family and a sawmill in Martin during the Great Depression. Then Mike Barnett on Nov. 27, 2010. and Cathy began transforming other existing structures on the property and filling them with Mike’s lifetime collections. Over the years, they’ve added The bed and breakfast in period pieces from estate sales, auctions and individuals in the region. Martin showcases his love Visitors who stay in The Davy Crockett, The Lincoln Log Cabin or the Train of history and a lifetime Station, all private cabins, “live” in Our Backyard Town. Clint Riley (‘01), Cathy’s son, who works at the B&B and also operates a pottery shop in Martin, of collecting. helped Mike disassemble six log cabins for enough wood to build two of the cabins and part of the third. But don’t let the cabin names fool you. During their stay guests not only have the amenities that are bed and breakfast hallmarks – great food, relaxed, com- fortable rooms and specialty linens and bath products – they get a private tour of the town that can take as long as they want to linger over a childhood toy or a good memory. Continued on next page 4 The UniversiTy of Tennessee aT MarTin Campus sCene Magazine “On the tour, people say, ‘Oh, my grandmother had one of those,’ or ‘I saw that on the Waltons (TV show that depicted life during the Depression),’” said Mike. “They can relate to something we have in the collec- tion.” Complete with hardware, grocery and toy stores, drugstore with antique soda fountain, a café, hotel, barbershop, feed mill, service station and wedding chapel, the structures, furnishings and fixtures are au- thentic. Each building is packed with period products from canned goods and notions to antique tools and toys. Mannequins, dressed in outfits and uniforms from the era, stand waiting for customers. Some of the most interesting features are the 27 mint-condition antique cars maintained in a series of buildings on the perimeter of the property.