The excitement continues to build in Chattanooga since the announcement in July that Volkswagen will build its North American assembly plant in that Tennessee city. UT Chattanooga was involved early on in wooing the German automaker to Tennessee.
Dustin Cawood works on a ranch, but you won’t find him in the saddle, enjoying the scenery on a 5,000-acre spread in Marin County, California, north of San Rafael. You will find an insider at Skywalker Sound working outside the crazy Los Angeles lifestyle.
President George H. W. Bush enjoyed showing his friends the White House painting of President Abraham Lincoln and his Civil War generals. Bush would point to the painting and assert that all of America’s great presidents were tested by fire. Bush, a decorated World War II hero and experienced Cold War warrior, would have an opportunity to prove himself as America’s commander-in-chief during the l991 Gulf War. His son George W. Bush, only the second U.S. presidential offspring to also hold the presidency, will be judged for his own wartime decisions.
High-school juniors and seniors are all about first impressions. They know in a nanosecond whether a cellphone makes it or is way less than cool. The look of a backpack or a pair of jeans can divide the known world. And at first blush, the gateway of a college campus can immediately put off any further discussion or begin an affair of the heart that lasts a lifetime.
Beloved Sesame Street character Big Bird once said “It’s no fun to be sick,” and he wasn’t kidding. Taking time off work for a doctor’s visit, getting poked and prodded, and maybe having surgery and a hospital stay is the last thing anyone wants. Of course, the expectation is that all this would happen in a sterile environment with the best medicines administered, all in a timely, unobtrusive way. But try to imagine that scenario without the assistance of a nurse.
When Jennifer Morrison-Fuller explored business practices “across the pond” in Ireland and Scotland, she came away with a new appreciation for competition in the global market. The trip was the culmination of months of academic preparation for Morrison-Fuller and other Chattanooga area professionals enrolled in UT Chattanooga’s Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program.
Sean Loftin didn’t shake a Magic 8 Ball to be certain of the new direction his career was taking. “Without a doubt,” this Navy veteran and professional photographer felt a different calling. Loftin plans to take his new master’s degree in elementary education from UT Chattanooga and teach in an urban public school.
Gina Brown’s career began in New York City, took a side trip to Chattanooga, and has taken her back to the Big Apple, where she has happily worked as the production coordinator for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart for several years. Brown works behind the scenes, and occasionally she enjoys on-camera appearances.
T. J. Waters (Chattanooga ’90) took a proactive approach to expressing his patriotism. He was selected by the Central Intelligence Agency to join the first post–9/11 spy class. His book about the experience, Class 11, was published recently by Dutton, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Despite overwhelming odds, Jim Hammond is hopeful that the hundreds of cadets he has trained to be Iraqi police officers will make a difference in Iraq’s transition to democracy. Hammond, a UT Chattanooga alumnus, urges the cadets to put aside political and ethnic differences. He believes, as his cadets do, that together they can help create better lives for everyone in a country ripped apart by violence.
Four decades ago, as millions of little Americans watched The Jetsons cartoons on television, they imagined their coming-of-age vehicle would not take to the highway but instead fly through the clouds.
